Scheduling
Sabbath
Time “For six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, and
rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and
sanctified it” The Sabbath represents our
wish to imitate God’s example and rest on the day which He had sanctified by
His rest. You will find references to the importance of the Sabbath
throughout the Old and New Testament. The important truth here is that God
thought it so important that required rest was needed after laboring for six
days. Rest and renewal is very important in everyone’s
secular and spiritual life. After God spent six days creating the world, he
took the 7th day off to rest and reflect. God then pronounced that
“it was good. The day of rest provides the balance for you to get recharged.
In your spiritual life, this gives your time, through worship, personal
devotion, bible studies and similar activities that help you recharge you
spiritual relationship with God. This period of rest also provides you a
period of reflection to reconnect, to examine what we have done and plan the
activities ahead of you. Renewal –
Apostolate Cycle This a way of describing a central dynamic of
Christian Life. The cycle focuses on our attention to be renewed by renewing
our Baptismal Identity and purpose and living as instruments of God’s grace
and love in our daily life. The Cycle is interested in both the individual’s
movement and in ways the parish church supports and facilitates that movement.
The cycle shows the conscious and intention
attention to God, prayer life, our relationships, Christian Formation and a
subconscious reliance upon God in the workplace, family, civic life and
congregational life. This cycle is a model for us as a way to practice
spiritual discipline in daily life and understand the benefits of it to you
and those around you. Speaking for myself and probably many of you, we do
a terrible job of scheduling yourself. We constantly have activities and tasks
on our plate that seems to be a never ending. We feel, that as long as we
keep busy, that we are getting our list accomplished. However since your list
goes on forever, and you end up like a dog chasing its tail. What
questions do we need answered: Scheduling Time – What is the best way to make
time for your priorities and not get lost in the underbrush. Where do
you spend your time? How do you take
control of your time or does your time take control of you. Your
checkbook is your theological document of your giving habits, and you
schedule book is your theological document of your time. How you spend your time? Pick a day last week and write down everything you did. How
does that match up to your priorities?
Do not get upset if your schedule does not match your priorities.
Relax. Look at your schedule and
decide how to fit in your priorities. What are
the obstacles that get in the way of keeping an effective schedule? Here are a list of issues: We…… Schedule too many tasks Do not allow enough time to complete each task Let others control our time Do not prioritize tasks Do not schedule rest times Center you schedule only around your work and not
your whole day. Using
Time Wisely You
might have all the time in the world, but if you don't use it wisely, it
won't help you to create a more manageable existence 1.
Make Time a priority in your life. How important in your life is your time. Do you show up
early for meetings 2.
Clear your
schedule. Don't overextend yourself.
Recognize that your obligations and resulting stress are as important as
other people's needs. Set limits around being interrupted or rescheduling
your work time to accommodate others. Omit or reschedule some of your other
obligations. You want to give full concentration to your schedule without
feeling guilty about what you're NOT doing. 3.
Leave extra time
for the completion of each task or appointment. Use the maxim; “Things that you plan, always take longer
to do” Put time in your schedule from interruptions, appointments or meetings
starting late, getting stuck in traffic. 4.
Get motivated. Create a schedule that is flexible and allows for
distractions and additional activities. If you get side-tracked, remind
yourself how this activity will help you to meet your goals. 5.
Prioritize. What has to be done first? When is it due? What is worth
more in terms of your vision and priorities? What is worth more in terms of
your personal, educational, or career goals? Keep schedule simple, show only
the ones that need to be accomplished or scheduled tasks. The others, keep a
list and fit them in as you can. 6.
It doesn't have to
be perfect. Some people are
so afraid that they won't perform perfectly; they won't do anything at all.
Make sure you understand the expectations of your task. Then evaluate how
important the task is and what level of performance is acceptable to you.
Then just do it! 7.
Schedule Sabbath
Time. Plan down time and stick to it. 8.
Schedule Renewal
and Apostolate Time. Plan time in your
work for your own spiritual renewal, and work of the church. |
