How Do You Make The Most Of Your Time?

Dear Friends,

Where does the time go?  Have you ever found yourself saying that?  I'm sure most of you have said that on more than one occasion.  I had planned a relaxing week when I was home alone whilst Jason and our kids were away at camp.  I knew that if I was going to feel at my best so that I could really enjoy my holiday with my family, I needed to be careful the week prior to our holiday (the week they were all at camp).

But before I knew it the first day had gone by and I was on to my second day, and frankly I wasn't feeling particularly relaxed!  Instead of relaxing I kept noticing things that I thought needed to be done, such as hoovering, or changing the sheets on the children's beds, or giving the living room an intense dust and polish. I know if Jason were here he would have told me not to bother, but he wasn't and so there was no-one to stop me.  I do tend to put pressure on myself to do things that aren't always necessary.  I tell myself they can't be put off, that they need to be done now. I've been there before, where I've literally collapsed under it all, when my body said enough is enough and the outcome was M.E. 

How quick I am to return to that path despite years of trying to learn to live differently.  So far, there is no definite cure for M.E, but there is a way of managing it better and that is by pacing yourself.  Learning to pace yourself is not easy for most of us, but it is actually an important life skill which I believe we can all benefit from.  I don't think I would have ever begun to learn how to pace had it not been for living with this long term illness. 

I think Martha was a woman who found it hard to pace herself: "Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]! ⁴¹ But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; ⁴² There is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42 (Amp)

I want to make the most of my time, the most of my day - I really do, but running myself ragged on a list of things to do is not actually making the most of my time.  Pacing myself is a way of making the most of my time and energy.

Reflecting on this as I write this blog, gives me time to stop and think, to consider what's really important and what's unnecessary pressure I'm putting on myself. 

We all need times of relaxation and reflection on how we are living, to consider whether we really are making the most of our time.  You may find it helpful as I share what has come out of my moments of reflection.
 
1. My priority is my time alone with God, to have real, deep meaningful conversations with him, and what better time is there for me than when I'm completely on my own at home with few distractions.  If that happens to be the only thing I feel I've accomplished in my day then it's time well spent.  Jesus often made sure he had time alone with his father at the start of the day, for example we read in Mark 1:35 "Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray." (NLT)  If Jesus needed to do this, how much more do I?  How much more do you?

2. I need times of complete rest through the day so that I manage my health and the strength and energy I have. That means total bed rest, resting both body and mind (not reading or listening to music).  I know I need this, but I can find myself resenting this, feeling like I could be "doing something", but if I re-train the way I think, I can use the time positively, because I know it makes me more productive in the long run and I can also consider it as a time to just rest in God's presence and allow him to restore me, body, mind and soul.  "The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. ² He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. ³ He refreshes and restores my life (my self);" Psalm 23:1-3a (AMP) We all need to build rest times into our day, for you it may not necessarily be bed rest, but it may be putting your feet up for a few moments with a cup of tea in your hand.

3. Rather than try to rush through tasks and push myself past my limitations I need to remind myself to slow down, to give myself permission to go at a slower pace and have regular breaks between tasks, even if it's just a 5 min break.  We all need to know our limitations and to work within them, to be familiar with the way our body works and not work against it.

4. To decide that I won't keep working until it's almost time for bed, but to have a cut off time so that after that point I do something for me whether it's put my feet up and read my kindle, or meet up with friends etc.  One reason why some of us have difficulty sleeping at night is because of the pace we have gone during the day and not giving ourselves time to unwind and relax before we go to bed.

5. To ask God to help me make the most of my time and my day.  So often I find myself working out how I think the day/time will be best spent, when actually God knows how I can best use my day, so I need to approach him honestly and openly, with the intention of following through with how he directs me, rather than asking him and then just going ahead anyway with what I think needs to be done.  "He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to his name." Psalm 23:3b (NLT)

6. Sometimes it's about looking at my priorities and asking God to help me assess which ones I continue with and which ones I am to lay down or not to concern myself with for this particular day.  I can so easily get caught up in the trap of thinking I've spent the day well when I've ticked off a large number of tasks on my list, when really the effectiveness of my day is not down to quantity but quality.

7.  With not being responsible for my husband and children for the week I found myself replacing the time I would usually spend on doing things for them, with other things to do, and perhaps this is not what God wants, perhaps he is saying, this is time I've given you, it's my gift to you, not to use up on other tasks but spare time just for you, and you don't need to feel guilty because I've made sure your family are being cared for where they are. I'm giving you this extra time for rest and relaxation, use it this way and you will be using it as time well invested.

You may find it helpful over the coming week or two to reflect on how you are using your time and how pacing yourself could be a way forward in helping you to make the most of your time.  I always find that having time alone with God near the beginning of the day helps to set me off on the right foot and then it's disciplining myself to keep in step with him which helps me to continue to use my time wisely during the rest of the day.

To Think About:
Rather than planning out what you think needs to be done today or this week, spend time asking God what he wants you to do.

Are your priorities God's priorities or is there some rearranging you need to do?

How can you build the life skill of pacing into your life?  Can you see how you would benefit from it?

Vicki