Stewardship Plan- Time

Proper time management is a critical need for most of us. When I talk to friends, clients and family, I often hear the same complaint: life is too busy. I probably spend too much time thinking about time. In 2003, I started keeping a daily account of how I invest the time that has been entrusted to me. My wife often makes fun of me as I spend 15-30 minutes reflecting on my day and recording the stewardship of time and health.

The results of recording my time were disturbing in 2003. I invested too much time watching television and aimless surfing on the internet. As I began to record my time daily and to focus on some of the areas that I wanted to invest greater amounts of time, I began to see improvement.

Life has seemed to get busier for me. My first child was born in 2004. Child #2 is on the way in 2007. We are building a home. My wife deals with some ongoing health issues that slow her down. I have a full time business to manage. We have commitments to grow and serve in the body of Christ. We need to fit in time to exercise regularly. Life is busy. The need for me to manage time well is great.

The purpose of this blog is to share some struggles and solutions that I have found in hopes that it helps others. I know that many are grappling with these same issues. How do we become more effective in our use of time?

First, we must set priorities for how we desire to spend our time. I found it helpful to make a list of all the areas that I wanted to invest my time. This list included: Bible study; prayer; quality time with my family; financial planning; client service; exercise; reading and building relationships with others.

I made a separate list of all the things I had to do with my time: work responsibilites- which include things I enjoy (client service, financial planning and education) and things I don't enjoy (compliance paperwork); taking care of things around the home- paying bills, grocery shopping, chores and child care; sleep, eat, drink and bathe.

Then there is a list of how we spend time that we have some control over: television, movies, internet surfing, sports, activities, shopping, time in the car and reacting to urgent but non-essential distractions- emails, mail, phone calls, etc...

Here are some thoughts- born out of personal experience- on how to improve on the stewardship of time and move towards a simpler life:

1. Go to bed early and wake up early. I am more productive in the mornings. I tend to do the things that are important to my values early in the morning before my son wakes up. Sometimes I have to work late at night to get done what I need to get done. But I often waste time at night on television, managing my fantasy football team and internet surfing.

2. Plan out your schedule and weigh the cost of every decision you make with your time. I believe that every minute that you spend planning the next day will save you five minutes by avoiding wasted time. Is it necessary to see that person face-to-face? Would a phone call or email be as effective? Do you need to make that short car trip to the store? Would you make less trips if you planned ahead? Does my child really need to be in every activity? Do I have to say "yes" to every invitation that seems good? The good is often the enemy to the great. I am convinced that most of us who run around like chickens with their heads cut off do this by choice.

3. Make less transactions financially. Every transaction that you make creates paperwork- more receipts to track, mail, thicker statements. A personal example- I do the grocery shopping in my family at Sprout's and Wal-Mart. I probably go to these stores eight times per month. One change that I have implemented this month is to buy $500 gift cards at each store and use those cards for purchases. When I reconcile my monthly budget, I only have the $500 entries to be concerned about. The chance of identify theft also declines. The same is true with charitable contributions. If you are able to do so, make fewer contributions that are larger rather than smaller, multiple contributions. It is less paperwork for both parties to deal with.

4. Make the commitment to have less stuff. Possessions require time commitments. I don't think there is anything wrong with boats, second homes and things that bring us joy. But I personally don't want to own some of these things, because I understand the time commitment to use, store, maintain and pay for them. If you have extra money burning a hole in your pocket, I think it is wiser stewardship to rent these items on vacations and then use the extra money to pay off all debts, build up emergency funds and/or give.

And since I do not desire to take up more of your time reading this email, I will leave you with this verse: "We must do the works of Him who sent Me (Christ) while it is day (life); night (death) is coming where no one can work." John 9:4. Our time belongs to God. Many of the leisure pursuits that we strive for will be enjoyed and fulfilled in the eternal life in a resurrected earth with a resurrected body. But until that great day, Christians have work to do. Effective stewardship of time is in our job description. We work for a fair, just and gracious Master.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge