1. Identify your Time-waster’s
Try tracking your activities in detail for a week. Note down all the activities, the time started and time finished. After a week, you'll be able to use this information to analyse your use of time and pinpoint where you've been undisciplined. Use your insights to do things more efficiently in future. 2. Identify the key activities that will generate your results Many of us spend way too much time on unproductive, time-wasting activities. When we consciously choose to focus on the activities that will give us the results we want, and weed out the rest, our 'to do' lists become much shorter! What will you stop doing to create more space in your life? 3. Set clear daily objectives Become clear on what's important to you and set objectives around these key areas of your business and personal life. Be realistic about what's possible and allocate time-frames around achieving each objective. 4. Plan and prioritise Once you've identified your objectives and key activities, prioritise them and create action plans for getting them done. By writing these objectives down, prioritising and scheduling them, we significantly reduce the sense of overwhelming stress that we feel by just working with a 'to do' list. 5. Avoid procrastination There are many reasons why we procrastinate, including an 'all or nothing' mindset. Get started by breaking down your tasks into much smaller steps, and commit to achieving just one. 6. Hold effective meetings Ensure you always have a written, prioritised agenda and that a copy is provided to each attendee in advance, to allow them to prepare beforehand. Also, set start and finish times and stick to them. 7. Focus and concentrate Stay focused and concentrate on the task at hand and give 100% of your attention. Don't multitask. By jumping from one activity to another leads to confusion and overwhelm, as you leave incomplete tasks behind you. 8. Control interruptions Create and exercise strong boundaries so that others will appreciate and respect the value of your time. Discourage unscheduled meetings or visitors by asking people to make an appointment with you. Allocate a few 'quiet periods' in your day or week when you don't allow any interruptions. 9. Get organised Any time spent getting organised now, will save you time looking for things later. Create and use systems both in your work and personal life. Automate whatever you can, for example, regular monthly payments, so they'll happen without you. Use technology to activate reminders, use standard templates, checklists and scripts for regular tasks and processes. 10. Delegate/outsource Get clear on any tasks that you're currently performing that can be handled by someone else. Don't limit what you can delegate only to the things that you're not good at. Even if you're good at a task and like doing it, consider how much of your valuable time could be freed up for other, more important tasks, by having someone cheaper than you doing the task for you. But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy. 1 Pe 1:15
I have something against the lying voices that noise our world. You've heard them. They tell you to swap your integrity for a new sale. To barter your convictions for an easy deal. To exchange your devotion for a quick thrill. They whisper. They woo. They taunt. They tantalize. They flirt. They flatter. "Go ahead, its OK." "Don't worry, no one will know." The world rams at your door; Jesus taps at your door. The voices scream for your allegiance; Jesus softly and tenderly requests it. The world promises flashy pleasure; Jesus promises a quiet dinner … with God. Which voice do you hear? In the Eye of the Storm (Max Lucado "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God." (1 John 3:21 NIV)
You've probably noticed that your confidence ebbs and flows. It varies greatly from day to day — one day you're up, and one day you're down. What causes that? In part, it's about what is going on inside of you. The Bible teaches, "If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God" (1 John 3:21 NIV). When we face life's hurts, habits, and hang-ups, it's important that we walk out of self-condemnation and into the faithful confidence that God forgives us. What causes self-condemnation? Unresolved guilt. King David wrote, "There was a time when I wouldn't admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration" (Psalms 32:3 TLB). This reminds me of a sign I saw the other day: "A clean engine produces more power." That's true in humans, too. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who wrote "Sherlock Holmes," once pulled a prank on 12 prominent Englishmen. He sent them an anonymous note that said, "All is found out. Flee at once." Within 24 hours, eight of those men had left the country! Guilt destroys your confidence. Unrealistic expectations. This is also known as perfectionism — the feeling that I must be flawless, that I must be perfect, that I must please everybody, that I always have to do more, that I'm not allowed to relax. If you're a perfectionist, your favorite phrase is, "I should ... I must ... I ought to ... I have to …" You're always doing more. If you're an average person, you have three things on your daily "to do" list. You get one of them done, you leave one of them unfinished, and the third one you just forget about. You go home and put your feet up at night and feel good about yourself. If you're a perfectionist, you have 29 things on your daily "to do" list. You finish 28 of them and you go home and feel like a failure! The Bible says, "Even perfection has its limits, but [God's] commands have no limit" (Psalm 119:96 NLT). Both guilt and perfectionism cause a lack of confidence in our lives. Tomorrow we'll look at how we can replace condemnation with confidence. Psalm 121:7
The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. - God is your protector and the preserver of your life. - We must rely on Him to do this for us. - Our help comes from God, in His own time and His own way. - We can remind ourselves of this, especially in difficult times. PRAYER: Lord, I thank You that I can live securely knowing that You keep, preserve and watch over my life. I commit this new week into Your hands. Amen John 15:16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you (I have planted you) that you may go and bear fruit... You are chosen by God to make a difference He chose you because you have what it takes to be his instrument of Glory. Just be available and have faith in God always.
“The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (James 5:16b, AMP)
God loves it when you come boldly to Him! When we pray with an attitude of faith and expectancy, it shows that we believe God and His Word and that opens the door for Him to move on our behalf. Today’s verse tells us that when we pray earnestly and continually that it makes tremendous power available. Think about a little child asking his mother for something he really wants. That child doesn’t just ask once. Or twice. He asks continually! He doesn’t just walk away if he doesn’t get an answer right away. That child builds his case and gives every reason he should get what he is asking for! Scripture tells us to come to God with the faith of a child. It’s not that we have to beg Him, but our determination is an expression of our faith in His goodness. When we build our case with the Word of God, we are setting ourselves up to partake of His divine blessing. Today, whatever you need, make your requests known to God. Come to Him with the faith of child. Pray earnestly and continually and watch His power work on your behalf! Father God, today I come boldly thanking You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I lift up my heart in faith to You knowing that my earnest prayers open the door for Your power to move on my behalf! In Jesus’ Name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. Psa 32:3
Ask yourself two questions: Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? Confession is telling God you did the thing he saw you do. He doesn't need to hear it as much as you need to say it. Whether it's too small to be mentioned or too big to be forgiven isn't yours to decide. Your task is to be honest… Are there any unsurrendered worries in my heart? "Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you" (1Pe 5:7 ). The German word for worry means "to strangle." The Greek word means "to divide the mind." Both are accurate. Worry is a noose on the neck and a distraction of the mind, neither of which is befitting for joy. When God Whispers Your Name (Max Lucado) My Lord and my God! John 20:28
Can a believer in Jesus who has occasional doubts about matters of faith ever be effective in serving the Lord? Some people think that mature and growing Christians never question their beliefs. But just as we have experiences that can build our faith, we can also have experiences that cause us to temporarily doubt. The disciple Thomas had initial doubts about reports of Jesus’ resurrection. He said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, . . . I will not believe” (John 20:25). Christ did not rebuke Thomas but showed him the evidence he asked for. Amazed at seeing the risen Savior, Thomas exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” (20:28). After this incident, the New Testament is silent about what happened to Thomas. A time of doubt doesn’t have to become a life pattern. Allow God to lead you into a deeper understanding of His reality. Renew your faith. You can still accomplish great things for Him. Learn to doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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