Time Management by Dexter Ng
Eccl 8:6 (GN) "There is a right time and a right way to do everything, but we know so little!"
The problem is not time, but: how I use it
We all have the same amount of time: 168 hrs each week. The question is "How am I investing in it?"
"I have used up my strength but accomplished nothing." Isa 49:4 (GN)
A. WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT TIME MANAGEMENT
1. It is a mark of wisdom
"Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as ones who do not know the meaning of life, but as those who do. Make the best use of your time…" Eph 5:15-16 (Ph)
2. It is an act of stewardship
"Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." 2 Cor 4:2
3. It can be learnt
"Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are. Help us to spend them as we should." Ps 90:12 (LB)
B. THREE STEPS TO FINDING TIME FOR MINISTRY/STUDIES
1. Analyse My Lifestyle
"So, pay close attention to how you live. Don't live like ignorant men, but like wise men." (v 15 GN)
"There is a way that seems right … but it ends in death." Prov 14:12
"Teach us to number our days..." Ps 90:12
2. Utilise The Present
"Make the most of every opportunity you get…" (v 16)
"Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what will happen between now and then." Pr 27:1 (GN)
HOW?
• Do it now
"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will nover get anything done." Eccl 11:4 (LB)
• Eliminate Time-Waster
"I may do anything, but everything is not useful, … or constructive." 1 Cor10:23 (Ph)
3. Prioritise What's Important
"Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to do." (v 17 LB)
I HAVE JUST ENOUGH TIME TO DO GOD'S WILL
C. APPLICATION
1. Clarify Your LIFE Objective
• What did God make me for? (Eph 2:10)
• What does He want me to do? (Mt 20:28)
• How has He gifted me? (Rom 12:3, 1 Pet 4:10)
• What has He prepared me for? (2Cor 1:4)
2. Organise Your Life Around 5 to 8 KEY AREAS
Research has proven that our conscious mind becomes stressed when we try to balance more than 7 or 8 "Key Areas".
3. Apply The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)
Ask:
Is this task a high-return item? (R.O.I.)
FACT: In a list of 10 things to do, 2 will produce the most benefit.
4. Plan Your Week In 21 Segments (7 Mornings, 7 Afternoons, 7 Evenings)
Which of these will I give to…
… Family?
… Ministry?
… Work?
5. Group Similar Tasks Together
6. Learn to Control The Telephone, Hand-Phone/Internet Instead Of Letting It Control You!
7. Learn To Say "No"
8. Write It Down!
9. Learn to Use "Loose Change" Time
10. Get Your Rest & Recreation
"It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night… for God wants His loved ones to get their proper rest." Ps 127:2 (LB)
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