Many people are stressed and beginning the phases of burnout because of a lack of time. However, if we take ownership of these issues ourselves, it would be lack of planning. I know not all things are plannable. For instance, one of the highest rates of employment turnover is in the field of childcare. I experienced this field first hand, and I can tell you, there is no telling when or why a traumatized child may choose to throw a fit. As we were getting ready to take a family photo with our 8 girls, one decides it was time to start throwing things and screaming at the top of her lungs. While we were used to this child’s antics, and had someone on standby to come watch her, it was still a disruption. Not all disruptions plannable.
The good news is most of the day can be, and there are benefits that make taking the time to plan, worth it. Zig Ziegler tells us, in his audio publication Goals, that taking ten minutes a day to plan tomorrow will save 3-5 hours a week. He suggest getting note cards, and writing the six most important task on them, and no matter what, make sure you accomplish the first one. After all, you have already decided for that day, it is the most important opportunity for accomplishment!
In the same way, most motivational speakers recommend setting long term, short term, and daily goals. One of them is my favorite comedian and gameshow host, Steve Harvey. In his book, Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success, Steve recommends using SMART Goals. He credits these to business guru Peter Drucker, and tells us a goal should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. For instance, your Specific goal could be to reduce stress. Measuring that should depend on the person’s personality and their way of handling stress. One could say, I will notice that I yell less and sleep better. An extra hour a day is Achievable. Writing down my daily goals helps me see what are Relevant in daily life. When setting a Time Boundary of a month, I will be sleeping better by the end of that month.
I hope you enjoyed these quick tips. I highly recommend each of these books. If you have a unique way of managing your time and stress, please let us know. Feel free to comment and join the conversation. Please be in prayer for this ministry, and please feel free to sign up for our free newsletter. Thanks again for reading, and as always – To GOD Be The Glory!