Time Stewardship: 3 Steps To Greater Time Management

The following post was written by Daniel Passini.

Enjoy!

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Stewardship is often thought of in terms of only finances with little regard for anything else. There is often little thought on how we spend our limited resource of minutes and hours each day. What if stewardship isn’t just about money but encompassed how we managed our time as well?

I can’t tell you how many times I hear people complain that they don’t have any time to do what they love, no time to read, or to do what they are passionate about. This is what I have come to know is true. What gets scheduled gets done. But here’s the thing: it’s not just writing down a list of things to do, it’s a matter of prioritizing based on the principles you want to live by.

Here are the three steps to greater time management.

Perform a time audit

As a fitness coach, a tool I use to help clients lose weight is to account for every morsel of food or liquid that goes past their lips. It’s a calorie audit. You cannot fix a problem if you don’t know where the problem lies.

Managing your time better begins with performing a time audit. Sit down and account for every minute of the day. Dave Ramsey is known for saying, “give every dollar a name,” and the same goes for your time. Give every minute a name. Track when you sleep, eat, scroll Facebook, go to the restroom, binge watch Netflix, even your time at work, and how much work you are actually doing.

When you find out where every minute is going you can then begin to prioritize what’s important.

Prioritize what’s important

Let’s face it. Facebook is not important, but for so many it often takes up countless hours each day; 10 minutes here, 18 minutes there. All of those snippets of time add up quick. Yes, there are times when Facebook or social media is necessary for your business, blog, or to share something, but do we really have to scroll past the same feed 47 times before we close it?

If you want to have a greater relationship with the Lord, your spouse, or even a friend you have to prioritize it. If you want to be smarter, but never pick up a book but rather binge watch Netflix you are setting yourself up for failure.

After you have performed your time audit, assess how you spend your day, and then begin to prioritize what is most important to you. Remember, what gets scheduled gets done. Find what is most important to you and make it a non-negotiable.

Dr. Stephen Covey provides an illustration in his book First Things First about placing rocks, pebbles, sand, and water into a jar. To obtain the highest level of filling in the jar you have to begin with the biggest (highest priority) items first and then work towards the smallest and eventually the water (Facebook scrolling, etc).

In the book Covey breaks down items into 4 quadrants: important & urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and finally not urgent and not important.

Schedule your most important items first and then use the other things in your life as filler for your schedule. Most people prioritize the “urgent but not important,” and the “not urgent and not important” items rather than what is important. What helps you prioritize the responsibilities and goals for your life is to live by principle.

Live by principle

A principle is a value or standard that determines your direction. When you chose to live by principle you begin with the end in mind. You determine what is important and strive toward that excellence. In living by principle you prioritize the important things rather than prioritizing the “fillers” of life. It is a matter of understanding your greater yes to the questions you will be asked each day.

Every time you say yes to something you are in essence saying no to something else. Living by principle allows you to say yes to the right things and no to the wrong things.

To become a better steward of your time, and manage the time that the Lord has given you here on earth, perform a time audit, and begin to prioritize the important things in your life by living by principle. These are the three things that will make you a better steward of the limited resource of time you have each day.

ABOUT DANIEL PASSINI

Daniel resides with his wife and 2 dogs in Texas. His mission is to equip believers to go deeper in their walk with the Lord, and build thriving marriages so they can leave a lasting impact on their world. If you liked this article and would like to read more by Daniel, you can connect with him at danielpassini.org.