In search of … lost time

Oil. Earth. Water.

What is our most valuable asset?

Time.

Non-renewable resource #1 for the Christian minister (that’s all of us - full-time or otherwise).

Don’t pass it. Don’t waste it. Don’t spend it. And certainly, don’t kill it.

Genesis reminds us that, as human beings, we are stewards of all the resources God has given us, and a deep appreciation of stewardship is the essential “why” of time management.

Our times are in God’s hands, and we are to invest our time wisely.

The science of time management is relatively simple: Identify your priorities. Allocate your time according to your top priorities. That’s it.

How can technology save you more time?

Here’s some time management help and productivity boosters from the Internet:

1. GetOrganized.com has a number of nifty tricks and time-savers, as well a free weekly newsletter to help you get organised.

3. The FranklinCovey organisation have a neat software package (and now, even an online version) called PlanPlus, which they offer on a 30-day free trial basis, after which you can decide whether to pay for it or to cancel. There are some nice features in it (including clarifying roles and mission statements into a weekly planning format), but can take a little while to get familiar.

And, the latest cutting-edge stuff on how to get things done? The productivity and time-management guru himself David Allen…

4. David Allen’s web site is worth checking out for tons of freebies and some truly profound ideas.

If all else fails, try this old-fashioned PDA: wad of paper, bull-clip, and a pen. Time is free, but it’s priceless. Once you’ve lost it, you can’t get it back.Thanks for taking 5 minutes to read this. May it save you hours in return.

Happy to hear about other ideas you’ve tested and found effective in time management!

Andrew is Sydneyanglicans.net’s resident digital scholar and the pastor of the Asian Bible Church (ABC), a congregation of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney. ABC, it’s easy as 1-2-3, do-re-mi…

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