Five Key Principles Of Time Management
Time Management – God’s Way
Think for a moment what the greatest stressors in your life are today. Haven’t your stressors involved some feelings of being overloaded with responsibilities – at home – at work – at school – at church – or maybe a combination of all of these plus more. You are stressed because you are: running late for an appointment then get stopped at a traffic light. Then the car starts acting up – and how are you going to find the money and the time to get it fixed? Is there going to be enough time to come home from work – cook dinner and then still make it to school for the kids program? Oh, and by the way Joe down the street suggested you should get together sometime for coffee – you told him you would call him back but you still haven’t taken the time to call him back yet.
Each of these anxiety-producers has to do with time management. Think of how many day-to-day issues involve the use of time. In fact that is what the day consists of – T – I – M – E. The clock seems to be our enemy – because it keeps on ticking no matter what happens – regardless whether we have time for it or not.
The solution is time management. But here is the catch. Time management will require work if you want to succeed. It will require hard work. It will require home work and it will require heart work. Being successful at time management – requires work.
In today’s sermon, I would like to talk about five key principles of time management. These principles will help you manage your time as you struggle with your overwhelming situations of life. Let me give you five guiding principles of time management. Here is guiding principle number one:
1. Set PRIORITIES
You cannot be effective in time management unless you set priorities.
Probably many of you know the illustration of the physics teacher who gave his students a wide-mouth mason jar. He then gave them five big rocks, a handful of marbles, a container of sand and a glass of water. He said, “You’ve got fifteen seconds to put all of these items in the jar."
The physics teacher then stepped back with stopwatch in hand and yelled, “Go!” The students poured in the sand, threw in the marbles and started stuffing the rocks in. After fifteen seconds he shouted, “Times up.” There still sitting on the table were three large rocks and the glass of water. The students started complaining, “It can’t be done. It’s impossible. All that stuff will not fit. The jar is too small.”
The teacher calmly said, “I can put them all in the jar.” The students responded, “Show us.” So they dumped everything back on the table – separated everything and started over. The teacher then took the jar and placed a couple of the big rocks in the jar. He filled in any gaps around the big rocks with the marbles and continued to fill the jar until it was up to the brim with all the big rocks and all the marbles. The teacher then took the sand and slowly poured it into the jar and watched as it cascaded around the rocks and the marbles – filling all the holes and spaces. He then took the glass of water and poured it into the jar. Everything fit perfectly. He then said, “It all fits – but it depends on the order that you put them in the jar – that is a matter of setting priorities. When you set priorities you can make it happen.” Jesus said it this way:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
Jesus was saying that we need to set priorities in life. Time management number one is set priorities.
Here is principle number two:
2. Build RELATIONSHIPS
We find that Jesus set this principle when He was asked:
“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:36-40 (HCSB)
In this short statement – Jesus tells us that there are two relationships that are vital.
A. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father – and
B. Our relationship with other people.
Why would He tell us that relationships are the most important things? Because all the “stuff” – material possessions – will disappear – but relationships will last. The money – the job – the possessions – the toys – all that “stuff” – will all be gone in the end. But your relationship with God will last forever. In fact – where you will spend eternity is based on one thing – your relationship with God. Therefore, your relationship to God is of vital importance. If you do nothing else in this life – take the time to build your relationship with God.
The third element of good time management is:
3. Take Time To PLAN
Someone once told me – you need to hope for the best – but plan for the worst. There is much wisdom it that statement. Jesus talked about planning when He said,
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Luke 14:28-30 (ESV)
Let me ask you a question – how many of you planned to be here today? You know what? – I did too. In fact I even came today – prepared to preach. I knew that last week I left here as the pastor and I planned to return this week as the pastor. I also knew that as the pastor someone here would expect me to preach. So you know what I did – I planned for it. I prepared my sermon – I wrote it out. I went over it and over it so that I knew most of it by heart – not necessarily word for word for word – but thought by thought. When I prepare – I prepare so much that I usually don’t need to look at my notes very often. That planning and preparation allows me the freedom to look at you – and talk to you. But that just does not happen – it comes with work – it comes with experience – it comes with planning. I believe that every minister should take time to plan out their messages.
When I was in seminary I took a course called, “Planning a Year’s Preaching”. In that course we were taught how to plan the sermons that would be delivered in the coming year. Many things are set – many things are not. For example we all know that Christmas and Easter will come around every year. So I get a yearly calendar and mark those dates down. If I want to do a series leading up to those dates – or around those dates – I mark that down too. That way, as time approaches, I can plan for that sermon or series. I can gather material and start building the sermon. Planning helps me prepare for better sermons and I think everyone wants to hear good sermons.
Planning can also help with your family life. You know that each year birthdays come around – and so do holidays. We all have our family traditions – plan for them – prepare for them. Proverbs tells us:
“The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.” Proverbs 21:5 (HCSB)
The Message Bible says it this way:
“Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.” Proverbs 21:5 (MSG)
Do you want to use your time wisely? Plan ahead.
The fourth principle of time management is:
4. Take time to ORGANIZE
Folks I cannot tell you how much time I have spent looking for things that I have misplaced – but I have spent quite a bit of time looking for things I have misplaced. One of the things that really bothers me is when I am working on something such as my lawn mower – and I will lay a part or a tool down and then I can’t find it. I have not moved on inch from where I am working – but the thing is gone. I don’t know if there is such a thing as a “hide-it fairy” – but if there is – this fairy visits my home on a regular basis. (I really don’t believe in fairies.) I have spent many a minute – looking for something that is within arm’s length – and sometime within plain sight. No wonder Jesus could tell this story:
"Imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ’Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God." Luke 15:8-10 (MSG)
We all know what it means to loose something. One way to help save time is to take time to organize.
The other day I was looking for something on my computer. I had not opened it in over a week. It probably took me over an hour to find it – because I had not placed it in a file and labeled it correctly. Once I found it I put it in a place where I knew I could find it. I will be honest with you however – there are things that I have misplaced and have never found them. But if I organize things – label things – group similar things together – nine times out of ten – it will help me save time.
Here is the fifth principle:
5. Learn to be FLEXIBLE
Folks – right here is a key principle. The reason I say this is – because no matter how much you plan – no matter how much you organize – no matter how much you prioritize – things could happen which will change everything. There are events in life that can happen quickly – in an instant – that can change our lives forever. Someone once told me – that there should be another beatitude – it goes like this:
“Blessed are the flexible, for they are not easily broken.”
In my studies I have found that the Puritans would make elaborate plans. They would outline their lives and plan out what they hoped to do. They must have spent hours setting priorities – planning – setting goals for their lives. But one thing that they did – which impressed me – was at the end of plans they would say – “God willing”. Folks – isn’t that the bottom line. “God willing” As we plan - it is still God who is control - and we can never forget that fact.
I want you to meet Richard. Richard was a young man who came from a very poverty stricken background. But Richard was determined that he would not remain in poverty. Richard planned to marry and he planned that his wife and children would have the good things of life – live a comfortable life. He would never allow his wife to suffer as his mother suffered in poverty. Richard worked hard at a full time job and went to college full time too. He was not much of a church goer – in fact he thought church was a waste of time. He eventually earned a Masters degree in Business Administration. Everybody who met him would say, “Now there’s a guy who’s going somewhere. One day that guy is going to make it big.”
Richard was hired by a good company. He got married and had a couple of kids – a boy and a girl. They lived a very comfortable life. But Richard was driven with the need to accumulate more. He worked more and more hours on the job. He moved up the company ladder. He invested his money well and made a killing on the market. The guy had success written all over him. His wife asked him if he could finally cut back on work so they could spend some time together. He told her that after this next big move, he would cut back – but not now. Right now he really needed to invest more time in the job. He needed to keep climbing the ladder socially and economically and win the admiration of all – and so he tried.
One day Richard realized that he had gone as far up the ladder as he could go. Again his wife asked him, “Come and spend more time with me and the children. Take off on Sunday and go to church with us.” He told her, "You know honey, I’ve gone as far as I can go with this company. I’m only forty-five years old – but I’ve got a plan to be a bigger success. I want to tell you about in the morning after I run some numbers on the computer.”
Sitting at the computer Richard was thinking, “I’ve made a lot of money with these stocks, but I don’t want to keep it all here. I’ll sell them and invest in gold – hopefully I’ll double what I’m making now. Boy I’ve got a lot of good things – a beautiful home – a Mercedes and a Lexus – and money in the bank to boot. My wife is right though – I need to sit back and enjoy the things that I have worked so hard for. I need to relax a little – I have done such a good job – getting where I am now.”
While he was admiring his great skill and accomplishments – looking over all the material “stuff” he had gathered – for the first time he heard God speak. God said, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself." With that message, Richard grabbed for his chest. He slumped over on his computer and He died. His wife found him there at the next day simply looking as though he had fallen asleep.
Jesus said, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich in Godly things. God knows all about our plans and our dreams. He knows all about what it is we plan to accomplish and what are motives are in accomplishing it. He knows all the hours we’re putting in and the sacrifices we’re making. But God knows something we don’t. God knows when our clock is going to stop ticking. Just when Richard thought he was ready to enjoy it, he lost it all.
The tragedy was not in losing his wealth or even dying. The tragedy was that he had gained his wealth – all of his “stuff” – at the expense of neglecting his relationship with God and his family. His stewardship of his life was an utter failure. He had been prepared in advance for every board meeting, he had prepared in advance for every interview, he had prepared in advance to make sure his financial situation was in order, but when it came to the biggest meeting of his life, the most important interview we must all experience, and examination of his account in heaven before the throne of God – Richard was totally unprepared.
The only one who could possibly provide him with any assistance at the judgment seat of God, was Jesus Christ. But all through his life, Richard had been too busy to make time for Jesus. He could not be bothered with the ministry of the church. He had to work overtime and extra-time. He had to go to this meeting and that meeting. He had to play golf with the right group of people and go to the proper social functions. Surely God understood all this – a person has to make a living you know. But because Richard did not have time for God – God did not have a place in eternity for him.
Folks – Jesus put it this way:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-27 (KJV)
How we spend our time is important. Are you building a relationship – with God?
I want to thank Rick Gillespie-Mobley for the final illustration.
