Time management: non-negotiable, essential and disposable

Sunday, February 21, 2016

It’s amazing how much time you find when you don’t have a lot of time to waste. I’m learning what is non-negotiable, essential and disposable in my life when it comes to time management.

My top 3 non-negotiables are: time with God, time with family and exercise. I make time for these 3 things and it seems that when they’re in place, everything else is better. Time with God is like water to my soul. I’m a much better person when I spend time with God. I enjoy spending time with my family and I am aware that I am teaching my kids something lasting when I make time for our family. It’s always enjoyable when we’re all together, how can I not make time to make that happen? Exercise really helps me with many things, stress management included. It’s also fun to connect with friends who have the same crazy habits as I do. The kind that gets you out of bed super early on Saturdays for extra mileage. It’s all so worth it.

My 3 essentials are: work, nurturing my family and true friendships. I signed a contract so I need to work, it’s that simple and it happens day in and day out. Nurturing my family includes the things I do so that our family life is good. From washing dishes to picnics in the park, it’s essential that I make my family’s wheels turn. My husband and I are believers that true friends are part of our lives so we invest in our true friends. I often ask myself, what am I giving to my true friends? I believe that my response to this question is an investment in my true friendships. I’ll tell you right now: it always, always includes seeing them face-to-face.

My disposables are things that do not help me reach my goals during this season of life. Believe me, I have thought about things I love to do but they just do not help me reach my goals. By getting rid of “disposables” I am freer to pursue my goals, calling and passion. A simple example is, I can’t get hooked on new TV show because I just don’t have time in my schedule to sit in front of the TV. That precious time could be used in better projects such as writing.

• I wonder if you have thought about your time management through the non-negotiable, essential and disposable categories. Do you need to make any changes?