Remember a couple weeks ago when you were saying you wish you had more time to do all the things?

I realize so many of us are living reactionary lives right now; cleaning up all the details and responsibilities from all the canceled and postponed events that once overwhelmed our calendar.
But besides that, so many of us have been gifted with a few extra precious moments that once constituted our daily drive to work or school.
What are you doing with this time?

Are you spending it doing that Bible study?

Reading that book?
Practicing your art?

One of my favorite quotes I stumbled upon a couple of years ago encourages –

“You know all those things that you always wanted to do, you should go do them!”

E. J. Lamprey

I loved that!

And that is what I am encouraging you to do today. You’ve griped about your hectic schedule. You’ve  prayed for extra time to do the special things you never got to do. You’ve
wished for quality time with your loved ones.

Now it’s here, don’t waste it away.

To help you out here are three proven ways to redeem the time –

1. Limit your time on social media. Social media can evaporate Time like nobody’s business. The updates and the news will be there when you get back. Set specific times 2 to 3 times a day to check in and don’t stray away from those time slots.

(Bored scrolling steals your most precious commodity only when you let it.)

2. Make a plan. Determine right now two or three action items that you would like to pursue with this gift of extra time. Don’t have the time to write? Schedule it. Have a friend or two you’ve been meaning to call? Schedule it. Even if it’s learning a foreign language, you can break it down into 15 to 30 minutes segments to practice every day. And… You’ve got it, schedule it!

Now that you have a plan and a schedule – do it!

3. Reflect. I know at first glance this may seem counterproductive but hear me out. As you begin to slow down and breathe (having come off your hamster wheel life) you will begin to recognize which things that previously filled your schedule were simply busywork or time stealers ( see #1) and which ones actually added value or were productive towards fulfilling your work or life goals.
As you reflect you’ll be able to sift through these items until you find the ones that have true value like a miner panning for gold. Hold onto the gold for dear life!

And maybe, just maybe you’ll recognize that some of the items you wrote down For #2 are the goals that deserve to remain on your calendar even after this season has passed.

I’d love to see what you are doing or working on – drop me a picture in the comments!