6 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time
Moving into the holiday season can sometimes feel like a blur. There’s so much more going on, on top of all the regular things we do on a daily. As much as I love sharing all the fun business ‘how to’ style posts, this post seemed perfect as we move into the next two months of “busy, busy, busy!”
These tips and tricks are from one of my favorite people to listen to – Joyce Meyer. I’ll link her video here, but for those of you that enjoy reading instead of listening/watching a video, I’ve got the cliff notes below. ;)
#1 Take a Moment to Pause Before Reacting
Stop getting angry about things you can’t do anything about. Don’t let the devil steal your peace. Keep your peace, so you can keep your power.
There’s a character in a show called Friends that gets into a pickle. She sits down at a table in her friend’s kitchen and says, “I could so easily freak out right now.” It’s one of my favorite moments of the show. I love that she was able to find a moment in between the catastrophe and her reaction. She created space to allow herself to think before she reacted. Everyday I strive to be more like that. My reactions won’t always be perfect, but when I take the time to think before I react, it’s always much less dramatic then acting on my emotions instantly.
#2 Stop complaining – Focus on What You Do Have
The more we talk about our problems, the bigger they seem to get and the more frustrated and angry we get about them. Spend the time you normally spend complaining, giving thanks and see what God does in your life.
#3 Prioritize Rest – Don’t try to buy time, by getting less sleep.
Here’s what happens when you don't prioritize sleep... you lose more time the next day because you’re tired mentally and physically, so you make mistakes you wouldn’t have made if you would have gotten the proper rest. If you get good rest, you’ll be sharp tomorrow and make less mistakes. Every mistake we make, costs us time. So the time you thought you were saving, by not getting enough sleep, you end up wasting the next day.
#4 Stop Hurrying - Take Your Time
Hurrying always leads to mistakes. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve lost something I have to have before leaving the house… all because I was in a rush. By the time I have to leave the house, I’ve made myself late looking for my keys, my phone or something else. I’ve found some of my stuff in the weirdest places… I’ve found my phone in my make up bag in a drawer. Or even better, I’ve walked around the house looking for my phone and I’m talking on it! Have you ever had your sunglasses on your head and spent a half hour looking for them – come to find out they’ve been on your head the whole time? I’ve done this more times than I can count and it’s all because I was rushing! There’s a reason slow and steady wins the race. ;)
#5 Stop Craving What You Don’t Have
A good way to waste time is to spend your life craving things that you don’t have while you don’t enjoy what you do have.
“Better is the sight of the eyes [the enjoyment of what is available to one] than the craving of wandering desire.” -Ecclesiastes 6:9
You’re so much better off to take the time to enjoy what you have than to keep trying to get something else you don’t have.