Where do I find the time to do what I need to do?

Most of us don’t struggle with laziness—we struggle with too many meaningful things to do and not enough hours to do them. 

In this episode, I tell the story of a day when ministry duties, family needs, study, and hospital waiting rooms collided—and the prayer that reshaped my approach to time ever since. 

If you’ve ever wondered how to choose wisely, refuse kindly, and end the day at peace with what you did (and didn’t) do, this conversation’ll give you a simple, practical philosophy for putting first things first.

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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen

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Transcript

096 Where do I find the time to do what I need to do?

Most of us don’t struggle with laziness—we struggle with too many meaningful things to do and not enough hours to do them. 

In this episode, I tell the story of a day when ministry duties, family needs, study, and hospital waiting rooms collided—and the prayer that reshaped my approach to time ever since. 

If you’ve ever wondered how to choose wisely, refuse kindly, and end the day at peace with what you did (and didn’t) do, this conversation’ll give you a simple, practical philosophy for putting first things first.

Some time ago, I faced a day with typical responsibilities: studying for sermons and Bible classes, reading, and visiting.

I talked to an older sister in the hospital who was having an operation the next day. She asked me to sit with her family during surgery.

There were two funerals I wanted to attend, connected with people in the congregation. But, unfortunately, they’d be going on at the same time as her operation.

How would I do all this? I couldn’t!

How should I decide how to use the time, opportunities, and responsibilities I had?

Early the following day, as I awoke and thought about many things I had to do, the following prayer came to my mind:

Father, there are so many things that could be done today, and a limited amount of time. Help me to do the most important things in an excellent way and willingly leave the others undone. Give me the wisdom and courage to choose and refuse. Give me the confidence and compassion to face the consequences and the grace to enjoy the benefits.

This prayer has become my philosophy of time management.

• There are so many things that could be done today, and a limited amount of time. This is true every day of life. There are things to do in my family, work, recreation, spreading the gospel, benevolence, and then there’s eating and sleeping. I have hundreds of books in my Wish List on Amazon. I won’t be able to finish all those today. There’s just not enough time!
• Help me to do the most important things in an excellent way and willingly leave the others undone. Here’s the key. What’s the most important thing for ME to do TODAY? After I’ve listed the most important things and decided the order I want to do them in, will I feel good about my plan for the day, or will I second-guess myself all day, wondering if I’m following the best plan? Will I leave the other things undone willingly or reluctantly?
• Give me the wisdom and courage to choose and refuse. First, the wisdom. With so many things to do, how do I decide what’s most important? I like to begin with this prayer — then proceed to a ritual that helps me. Soon after rising, I look at my to-do list and arrange the tasks in the order I want to do them. Second, courage. After I’ve decided on the most important tasks for the day, some people won’t agree with my list or the priorities I’ve given the items. Will I do what I’ve decided is most important, or will I try to keep everybody happy by doing what they want me to do? What if others don’t agree with each other? Whom will I follow? Do I realize that for each task I decide to do, I’m refusing to do thousands of other things I could be doing at the same time?
• Give me the confidence and compassion to face the consequences. Do I believe God will keep His promise of James 1:5? Will I have compassion for others who want me to violate my best wisdom?
• Give me grace to enjoy the benefits. Since I don’t know a better way to use my time and’ve seen this plan be effective for many years, will I listen for the Master's approval: “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

How Do You Put 1st Things 1st and 2nd Things 2nd?

The simplest system I know is Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen.

Mr. Allen says the human brain isn’t made for remembering lists. His suggestion — get everything outta your brain and onto paper: everything you need to do, learn, organize, file, and coordinate. Put items in “buckets.” Prioritize what you need to do and where you need to do it. Assemble the tools you need to work.

List what you need to do today that’s most important. then decide what comes first. Send ahead what you should do tomorrow and beyond. Schedule tasks and projects to be completed by deadlines. Coordinate what requires cooperation from others. 

Start on #1. When you’re finished or completed what needs to be done today on #1, go to #2. What isn’t done today, plan when you’ll work on it until it’s completed, or decide it wasn’t that important and delete it.

Tomorrow, repeat the process.

The best app I know for time management: Things 3  for the iPhone: $9.99.

I’ll put links in the show notes for David Allen’s book, and you can find Things 3 in the App Store.

What delights me is the ease of arranging what comes first each day. Unfinished tasks appear the next day. When I first get up, I do a few things every day. I put my finger on the #1 task for the day and move it to the top. The same with #2, #3, etc. I can move each task up or down by swiping it on the phone screen.

What I need to delay or delete, I do that. I move the things to do from today to next week by sending them to the date for next week. I won’t see them again until the day I want to work on them.

I leave on my “Today” list what I plan to do today, in order of importance. I work on the first one. As soon as I complete it, I delete it or move to the next time I want to do it. For instance, early each morning, I do my daily Bible reading. As soon as I finish, I move it to tomorrow to do again. For a weekly task, once I finish it today, I move it to next week.

I enjoy seeing the number of tasks reduce as I complete each one.

When I prioritize well in the morning and only finish one or two tasks, I know I’ve worked on the most important things. 

All I can do is all I can do. 

I’ve spent time on what matters most. 

That’s better than spending all my time on #s 13, 26, and 53 and never beginning #1.