Weekly Thought – August 20, 2024
Fred when asked about time pressure responded he rarely, if ever, felt that. Surprised at that response, the friend asked how that could be with all he accomplished. “I know when to say ‘no,’ but more importantly I know when to say ‘yes.’ My God-given uniqueness is the filter… not recognition, or compensation. If I can use well the gifts He gave me I have the time.” Fred outlined in Learning to Lead twenty tactics to use in emergency time crunches. This week we excerpt 10 – the other 10 will come later!
Emergency Time Saving
Most people spend time like they do money. They spend until suddenly they run short; then they seek a way to compensate. The best approach, of course, is a disciplined lifestyle that prevents time (or money) from slipping away in the first place. Books tell us to adopt a philosophy, implement it, and then maintain it as a way of life.
But most people will never be that disciplined. What they need is an emergency checklist to gain a few hours in the week – something to ease the frantic pace, to get them through the crunch.
Here are ten points on my checklist for saving time in emergencies:
1) Clean off the desk. Sweep away everything that I won’t be using in the next six weeks.
2) Stop reading the newspaper. I always ask myself, “What am I getting out of the newspaper that’s worth making my life frantic?” (Editor’s note: Fred would have definitely made the same comment about internet time!)
3) Get up fifteen minutes earlier. Fifteen minutes each morning gives me an extra hour and 45 minutes each week. But I don’t overload my will by telling myself I will get up an hour earlier. We often make resolutions with insufficient will power to carry them out – then discouragement sets in.
4) Delay unnecessary reading. I would postpone all reading that does not directly contribute to what I am doing during this emergency period. Understand this is for the emergency period only. Otherwise, I would starve myself for the rest of my life… this is for emergencies only.
5) Work on the majors only. Not everything in life is of equal importance.
6) Make no radical changes. I want to be careful during an emergency period not to make radical shifts because they require a lot of time to implement. The object of the battle plan is to pick up time, not to change.
7) Avoid the wood-hay-and stubble activities. Things that flatter my ego, satisfy my human ambition, or make me liked are wood-hay-and stubble. If I have time for them, I may include them, but they are not eternal. They use up a lot of time. My emergency time battle plan I assess how much time they are taking and cut them out.
8) Ask permission to say no. When I need to decline something I want to say “no” as simply and graciously as I can. I don’t give complicated answers leading to a decline I simply say, “Let me ask a favor. May I say no?” Generally people give me permission.
9) Deal only with the “driving wheels.” If we know our organizations we can identify the driving wheels and the idling gears. If I am short of time, I deal only with the people who make things happen, who form the opinions. I put the other relationships on hold for the time being.
10) Protect personal energy. During emergency periods, I don’t want to do anything that dissipates vital energy. I eat less and exercise more. I must remember to avoid trying to accomplish more by overworking. A person has only a finite number of productive hours.
This week think about: 1) When do I experience time crunches? 2) What disciplines can I implement to avoid regular periods of running out of time? 3) Which of these 10 points turned on a light bulb for me?
Words of Wisdom: “Most people spend time like they do money. They spend until suddenly they run short; then they seek a way to compensate.”
Wisdom from the Word: “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10 NET Bible)