Monday, January 4, 2010

New Year, New Opportunities



I am writing this post on the first Monday of 2010.  Having the chance to start fresh because it is a new year is quite refreshing.

For me, I've bought my new Franklin Planner, and I've established attainable goals for my 2010.

Next step, getting up on time and staying on schedule - ALL DAY!  Ok, this is where I tend to fall short.  I can become so easily distracted by this or that.

What's a homemaker to do?  GUARD MY TIME.

I've learned that I have to guard my writing time, my cleaning time, my appt. time if I hope to be successful.

I pray that as you are reading this, God will give you the strength you need to guard your schedule and be successful in 2010.

If you have any tips for staying on task, please share them with me (us).  We can learn so much from one another. 

11 comments:

Terri Tiffany said...

I so agree. My time easily slips away if I don't make a schedule. Today is an example--things on my list and here I sit!

Kelly said...

Tip #1 to Guard time - STAY OFF INTERNET! That is my biggest time robber. My goal this year is to not be on the PC after the kids are home from school until they go to bed. That means managing my time better for blogging and such. Less FB & twitter this year too.

Yolanda said...

With having retired less than a year ago, and then with some health issues, I find it very hard to stay on task. I was once so orderly....and I think along the lines of Kelly, to stay off the Internet. But often times through out the day, this is my source of communication.

Warren Baldwin said...

Sonya Lee,
Scheduling and time management are big challenges for me, too. They have been for all 28 years of ministry. Always will be.

One thing I do is meditate on Proverbs 28:19 - "He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty."

"Works his land" can be a metaphor for any job we might have - ministry, writing, fulltime homemaker, etc. If I sit around thinking about my next book, but don't begin writing, that is just fantasy. I must put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and get to work.

We all have basic work to do that must get done. Anything inconsequential that we allow to interfere must be elminated. Kelly is right that the internet is often one of the interferences to elminate, which is kind of ironic since here we are on the computer!

Which does raise a question that I contemplate regularly - as wonderful as blogging can be, how can we justify the abundance of time it takes to do it well? For me, doing it well includes writing good posts, but also responding to people that comment on our blogs and also visiting their blogs. How does that fit into our larger goals?

However that question gets answered, this was a good post that will resonate for many of us! wb

achildoftheking said...

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Beth Herring said...

I think the biggest thing is to always put Him first in the morning. When I do that the rest of the day seems to be managed correctly all on it's own.

With 6 kids, I imagine it can be difficult at times!

Heart2Heart said...

I agree with you that time can quickly get away from us if we aren't using it wisely and in the way God intended. I've found scheduling time for God first, then family and then the rest, I've got my priorities in the right order.

It's a start anyway right?

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Heidi said...

Biggest time eater- internet- hands down.

Journaling Gina said...

You must have a looking glass into our home. We share those similar yearnings of a more disciplined life. New planner has been purchased and chore charts have been made....now the hard work begins!

Anonymous said...

Time can so easily get away from us! I like the advice given in this comments. Very helpful!

-Alisa Hope

Greg C said...

I have no tips but if you do, I am willing to listen. I think staying on task is just about impossible these days. But I will keep trying.