The day is almost over! Where did the hours go? “Time flies so fast” won’t be a cliche if it weren’t so true.
Just how exactly do we redeem the day? How do we make our days more fruitful, more purposeful, more seized?
These three questions developed by John Maxwell have been particularly helpful to me. Just wanted to share this with you 🙂 He shared that before deciding where to invest his time, he asks himself three things, the 3R’s for Decision-Making. I believe if we consider these questions we will be able to use our time more wisely. The following are adapted from his book, Today Matters:
1. What is REQUIRED of me?
“Any realistic assessment of priorities in any area of life must start with a realistic assessment of what you must do. For you to be a good spouse or parent, what is required of you? To satisfy your employer, what must you do? If you lead others, then what must you personally do that cannot be delegated to anyone else? ”
These are the priorities we must make time for.
2. What gives me the greatest RETURN?
“As you progress in your career, you begin to discover that some activities yield a much higher return for the effort than others. After determining requirements, focus on choices with a high return on investment.”
I believe that relationships are the greatest investment of our time as well as responding to our calling or mission in life.
3. What gives me the greatest REWARD?
“If you do only what you must, along with what is effective, then you will probably be highly productive. But you may not be content. I think it’s also important to consider what gives you personal satisfaction.”
We must also make time for joy, for the people and things that renew and recreate us, for the things that make us whole and balanced.
Someone once said, as we schedule our work, we must also schedule our rests. So true.
There’s another valuable insight I learned from a good friend, Reyna Francisco-Tio, the creative mind behind Creative Styles on Shapes Inc. who designs and manufactures artisan jewelries from the Philippines to the world.
She said, “No matter how much our toil, if God does not bless it, we will only be grasping winds.”
“I agree that we ought to do the steps now that would lead us to achieve what we hope for in the future. But more than this, I also believe that God is the ultimate author, the beginning and the end. The finisher of our fate. What would be best though is to ask God to align our plans, hopes, dreams and efforts to HIS will and plan.”
This is the true secret to success. I think it’s one of the best advices I’ve heard that can help us as we seize and make the most out of each day.
May God bless the plans of our hearts and the work of our hands! Carpe Diem!
Our Pearl of Truth: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3)
Special thanks to http://alcpdx.com for their wonderful photo.
