Some resources I’ve come across lately:
David Murray entry on a book by Bill Hybels called Simplify: Ten Practices to Unclutter Your Soul. Energy levels, friendships, scheduling are the key subjects David pulls out.
A mom over at Lots of Scotts talked about service and doing things that aren’t specific to our gift set or even seen as critical and important. And yet they are necessary. “Somebody has to blow up the kick balls.” She has some good thoughts on the fact that most of our day is not spent in the sweet spot, but doing the stuff that just has to get done.
This summer I read What’s Best Next by Matt Perman. Some interesting thoughts about getting things done and how the gospel should transform what we do and how we do it.
A blog article about that book actually led me to The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris. The first half was stronger than the second half, but it really spoke to me and introduced the term “acedia” which describes where I was a two years ago in some languor or lassitude funk.
Like everyone else this year, I read Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung. Some good thoughts about prioritizing. Similar to What’s Best Next and The ONE Thing in that you have to know what you are here for and make sure that’s what you spend your time and energy on.
Early this morning while trying to get back to sleep, I started reading another book, The ONE Thing by Gary Keller.And of course it has an article about multitasking not being good. I have talked about that in the past, too. And as I’ve aged 2 years since then, I have to admit that multitasking wears me out and I’m not that good at it. But I can’t figure out how to do my job without it. Interrupt driven is the other popular term these days. I can’t finish one thing before I have to go to the next meeting or answer the next instant message. Or I get off a meeting to find I got 25 emails while I was on the phone. I look forward to seeing what the rest of this book has to say.
Then there was this blog post about stay at home moms and complaining.
And this article about why we should stop saying we’re busy. It’s focused on the work environment, but the concept is still true.
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I have a few thoughts go through my head when I think about this. Why am I so busy should really lead me to ask Am I that busy?
I can list out all the things I do, but the I can never identify any that I want to stop doing. I can have weeks that seem like I have something to do every single night. But they are good things that keep me with friends, held accountable, having fun, and in the Word. What’s to complain about? That I didn’t get to sit at home and read a pointless novel?
The other side of that, is that I do need time to think these things through. What’s the point to reading all those books or articles if I never actually do anything with what I read? I need to test theories, meditate on revelations, maybe even write a blog article or newsletter article. 🙂
I had yet another full weekend planned. Dinner with friends and a Presbyterial meeting. But always remember it happens as God wills. He decided to change my plans. I ended up canceling the dinner and missing the Presbyterial meeting, and then having the energy and time to do other things I had been trying to get to. Most of the time, God lets my plans run as I expect, I think I’m using wisdom in making those plans. But this was a reminder that when I tell God “I don’t have time for…” some issue, He can make the time. And I’m glad I slowed down and accepted His timing this weekend.
