It is rather sheepishly that I come here today to write this post.  Who am I to speak on Time and Balance, when I struggle so much with it all myself?  As I shared in last week’s post, I am still a work in progress and the Lord keeps me humble and He continually teaches me new things in this (and countless other) areas.  And it also seems that as soon as the routine is found, something comes along to mix it up again.  So I hope you will graciously, and prayerfully, read my words today and be able to put at least some of them to good use.

We have talked in previous weeks about the most important place to begin and about striving to slow down life and slow down time.

The first thing to do when trying to tame time and all of life’s activities is to make a schedule.  Organizing your days leads to a (more) organized life.  I am a “paper person”, so I like to keep an old-fashioned day planner on an easel in my kitchen.  Obviously, the more modern method would be to use your smart phone, the calendar on your computer, or any other number of electronic options.  I thoroughly enjoy the process of writing out all that needs to be done and the (very satisfying) act of marking those items off.

“A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.”

~ Annie Dillard

I keep a variety of schedules and lists that relate to our daily lives.  I have schedules for school (daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly).  Most of that is on the computer and only the week’s lessons are printed off each Monday morning.  I have the day planner in which I keep track of personal and family events and appointments.  I also write my to do list in this.  I do enter far off appointments and library book due dates into the computer so that it can pop up a reminder to me.  I am simply not faithful enough to sync my phone with my computer to use iCal for everything.  That, and I just don’t enjoy the process as much.  I have lists and schedules for projects that need to be done around the house and items that I am saving up money for.  Keeping little goals over time results in great progress when we are faithful to stick with the process.

The number one rule of a schedule is to make one.  The number two rule, though, especially with children involved, is to keep it flexible.  Don’t be so bound to your list that you can’t bend when life demands it.  Don’t be like Henry Kissinger who said, “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.”  Which takes us back to the concept of saying “no” to things so that we still have some margin left in our days.  😉

What about you?  What systems have you found to be helpful in keeping your schedule organized?

Come back next Tuesday when we will share more practical tips for taming time.

For His Glory ~

~ Sara