Have you ever found yourself thinking, where did the day go? Why didn’t I get the stuff done today that I had planned to do? In today’s world of internet, it is so easy to get distracted and off onto what I can “bunny trails”. Scattered thinking. It happens to me, too.
Life is a gift, Life is short, Life is a vapor. Live a good life – Be thankful for each day. Enjoy the blessing of each new day, living each day thankfully and gratefully, not living in the past or taking life for granted.
Here’s what I’m doing to help get my daily “to do” list done:
- Start the day with prayer, asking God for wisdom and guidance throughout the day to first and foremost do His will.
- “Write” a “TO DO” list for the day. I like to wake up, pray, get my morning shower and coffee, then sit at the kitchen table and write the list of things I want to get done “today”.
- If you must get on the internet (to get your mail, etc.), give it a time limit, say of 30 minutes, and set a timer. Then scan first to see if anything needs your “urgent” attention and address those first; if you run out of time, leave the rest until after your chores are done.
- Start working on “doing” what is on your list. If other things pop into your head that you need to do, start a separate list, to be broken out later as to when you will assign time to do those. Same with long-term projects. (We’ll address this later.)
- There will be distractions; there is no avoiding them. However, keep your list in a prominent place, and try to keep those distractions to things that are absolutely “necessary” – like a phone call from a friend who needs to talk, etc. – and then get right back on your list.
- Don’t make your list so long that it can’t easily be completed during the day, allowing for some distractions.
- Once this becomes a daily habit, it gets easier.
- In the evening, address what you couldn’t get done during the day, and carry them over to the next day. This is when you can look at the notes you’ve written about “other” things to do and/or projects, and sort those into categories as to importance.
- Also in the evening, you can review the balance of your emails and new ones that have come in. Unsubscribe to any that you don’t want or have the time to read or address. Plan your upcoming projects – bigger ones (like house or car maintenance), and smaller ones. Think about how important they really are, and plan to take care of the more important, pressing ones first. Write it down. It helps to have it written to refer to during the day – and weeks, if a major project – to keep us on track.
- End the day in prayer and with gratitude to God, and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is another day.
Prayer: Lord, may I make the best use of my short time here for your purpose and glory. Please grant me the wisdom and direction for each day of my life, so that I can best serve You and the individuals you put in my life. Give me a loving and understanding heart. Thank you for all You do in my life, each and every day. Amen.
by Sue Forde