Cutting The Clutter - Picking Your Stuff

Cutting the Clutter - Picking Your Stuff

ARE YOU HABITUALLY late? I’m not talking about occasionally running behind schedule; I mean, if you arrive at your girlfriend’s party on time, would she ask you your mother’s maiden name because she’d be sure aliens had kidnapped you and taken over your identity? If this is you, then there is clutter in your schedule.

Or maybe you ask yourself every day, Why can’t I get more done? I don’t mean an occasional one-too-few things scratched from the to-do list. I mean you’re the last person anyone ever calls to help get a project accomplished. Is this you? If so, then you may be the poster child for procrastination.

Girlfriends, running late and procrastinating mess with your mental freedom. You may not know it, but one or both are likely a major contributing factor to the stress you feel each day.

Here’s what I have learned: if you choose your priorities purposefully, you will be doing only stuff that matters to you. If you’re doing only stuff that matters, you will be on time and you will get the things accomplished that you have deemed important. All the other stuff will just fall away. And it all starts with your personal daily list of priorities.

Each Monday, list those things that are important to do that week; then, put them in priority order. The first thing on your list of priorities this week will be to arrive at your destinations five minutes early. Why? Because this is a priority. Arriving on time is a direct reflection of your respect for the person or people you have committed to meet. In addition, you will have on your list several activities that must be accomplished. If you have seven items on your list to do this week, do three of them by 5 p.m. Tuesday. Absolutely no excuses. Then take the remaining four on Wednesday morning and reprioritize or add new action items to your list; do three of these by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep a running to-do list, but refresh it every two days, since priorities can change. Just make sure that you keep a list so you can see that things are moving off, not just piling on! You’re going to feel so accomplished and in control.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

You know, it’s usually not the doing that overwhelms us as much as thinking about the doing.