Time Management

Hey, this is Tim Pratt Jr. I want to welcome you to the podcast Student of Life. I pray that you hear something that will add value, shape, develop, and cultivate your faith in order to be the person that God desires you to be, as well as the application to see it through. Enjoy. This is episode 6 of season 3, and we're going to call this one Time Management. So this episode, I believe that you will be able to come back and reference this one a lot. You know, this is always going to be something that I feel like we all basically wrestle with, and basically trying to manage our day. You know, we get the same 24 hours, so we're just trying to basically make sure that we're productive, you know. But at the same time, we also know that we waste a lot of time, and time is you know, the most precious asset that we have because it's something that we can't get back. And I'm probably not really telling you nothing that you haven't heard, but like I say, you know, what's easy to do is what's also easy not to do. So if anything, it's a good reminder, and you can, you know, basically like I say, just come back and reference this one when you feel like you're struggling, or, you know, like I say, you feel like you're wasting time, or it's just, you know, getting away from you. Uh, that being said, our foundational text today will be James 4:14, and it basically reads as, "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanish." James is basically telling us that time is important. We're here one minute and we're not the next. I mean, when you compare it to eternity, even if we live to 100 years old, it's, it's really mute. Like, it's, it's nothing at all. I don't even think it would register. You can't even really do a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. So it's important, and we all have purpose. So, and time management plays a huge part in that. Now, we do have a God that can redeem time, meaning that he's not probably going to add years to our life but he can do more with the time we have left, if that makes sense. We have a God that can expedite things. We have a God that does have us waiting. So this time management thing, it has to be submissive to the pace of grace, is what I'm saying. That's what I'm learning in my life. I want to move at the pace of grace. I don't want anything before it's time, and I don't want to be too late. I just want to be right in that, that like the pace of Grace, where if I'm off, you know, or if I'm on, his pace covers it. I guess what I'm trying to say, like, I'm not necessarily trying to make anything happen and be outside of that, uh, you know. So for example, you know, people— many of us then had kids very young. We often say if we could have waited, you know, if we could have had them with the right person, of course that wouldn't be the technically the same kid because, you know, you get into different DNA and all that type of stuff. But I'm just gonna be truthful with you, uh, even knowing what I know, and as much as I love, you know, uh, my boys, you know, my oldest is my biological, uh, I do wish I would have waited, you know. I wish that I wouldn't have made him come before his time, uh, but however, all in all, thank God for his grace and mercy. You know, my bonus son, my youngest. Uh, like I said, my wife and I are one plus one, you know, and we have both talked about this. Uh, and now that, you know, not getting too much into our details, but it's just things that we say, man, you know, if we would have known. And I know I'm kind of seem like I'm going tangent, but I promise all this gonna make sense. But at the end of the day, it's all about, you know, Like I say, it all falls into the time management concept. So managing your time is what I'm guessing saying. It— decisions matter. Like, we just think about it in like, oh, I gotta get this done, this done instead. But I'm talking about the time spectrum from start to finish, you know, basically, especially when we really come into, you know, the age. And as well as, like I say, just truly knowing God, we have an appointed time. That we are here and we want to basically fulfill that. You know, back in, I think, season 1, I said that I don't want to get to heaven. And basically God said that, you know, you wasted so much because I wanted you to accomplish this within your spectrum of time. So all that being said, let's really jump into the content. I just— I don't know where that came from. I just really want to be obedient and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. So how we spend our time determines how we spend our lives, and both are limited. Our time and our lives— that's what I basically just said for like the first, what, going up almost 5 minutes of this episode. Both are limited. How we spend our time determines how we spend our lives. This is why we must learn to live each day with an eternal perspective. So now you're going to see I wasn't just rambling, tying all of this in. Moses prayed, I believe it's in Psalms, that he said, teach us to number our days, that we, uh, what was it, teach us that we may number our days, that we gain a heart of wisdom. All this is, like I say, dealing with time, to number our days, to know how to count the cost and, you know, make the proper decisions, to make wise decisions. You know, like, I wouldn't— what I was just saying about making things happen before it's time, so that certain things change the trajectory of our life. You know, like right now, if I say yes to something that I really should be saying no to, it alters something else because I can't be in all places at once, right? So I have to pray for wisdom. I need wisdom from Most High to make sure that I'm effective, that I'm numbering my days, that I'm doing the things that God wants me to do, that he desires me to do. Like, because like we all can know, especially when the noise is turned up in our life, there is no doubt that the responsible— the responsibilities and pressures of this world, they basically fight for our attention. Day in and day out. You know, you can go look at statistics out there with social media, you know, almost 2 hours and 30 minutes a day. You know, that's including YouTube. If you take into consideration the streaming service and stuff like that and watching sports and games, you can almost get to 4 and a half, 5, or 6 hours a day. So if you're doing— running both of those together, that's almost 6, 7 hours a day, you know, cutting into our sleep and things like that. And then, you know, when you say yes, you know, because consider if you work a full-time job, getting the kids, and you know, if you have kids, you know, if you are single, you know, and you working a full-time job, but, uh, trying to go on dates, trying to, you know, just on and on and on. It's always something fighting for your attention, your quiet time, the time you need to study, the time you're trying to build something, and most importantly, the time that we have dedicated towards God. All of this, it rolls up into this, it rolls up into the grand scheme of things. And that's why, like I say, if we're not careful, our time will get lost in the day-to-day things, just the lesser things that matter. We won't be efficient and effective, you know, especially the things that God have called us to do. And so, you know, if you struggle with this, what are some practical things that you can look at I mean, I'm pretty sure you can write down top 10, you know, time management hacks or whatever you want to call them. But I would just say it's this simple. If you're seeking to change your use of time, the first step is just reflection. It's reflection and it's making a basically a true consecrated effort to consider your time management. That simple. Like I said, what's easy to do It's what's also easy not to do. Basically, it's just a list and you tracking your time. How much did I spend here? And when you look at that list and be truthful with it, I promise you, it's only two things gonna happen. Either you gonna be denial and denial and just say, no, that's not true, lie about it, or you gonna be like, man, I really need to change some things. It's not hard to get done what really— what we know we really supposed to do. The truth of the matter is We don't really want to face the fact that we are addicted to being distracted to do what's truly important. So like, if that's the truth, how much more truth is it with our time with God? From a faith perspective, could you be praying more? Could you be praying in the car when a lot of times you're probably talking on the phone? Like, I'm so quick to always turn on a podcast and listen to someone else's content or audiobook or read a physical book, you know, or just notes, you know, as soon as I go into the office. But that could be time that I commune with the Father first. Could I be reading my Bible more and choosing that instead of looking at TV before I go to sleep? Could I be trying to get that, get that podcast in, in that time versus getting it in, in a time I could be communing with God in my car? You know, could I be practicing more of a Sabbath versus always want to be out with people? Could I have a dedicated day and say, no, you know what, I'm gonna just rest, this day is dedicated for it? You don't always have to get away to rest. A lot of times we can't have our, you know, practicing the Sabbath today is because we just always want to be busy, like a busybody. But busy doing what? And truth be told Sometimes rest is productive if you schedule it, and your body needs a break to be more productive and, you know, more efficient at what you do. Schedule resting, and that's a part of time management. But we got to understand that every moment is a chance and a gift from God when we truly realize, like, things from an eternal perspective. So like with me, my time is precious. I mean, I don't try to say yes to everything anymore. Like, I'll hit you real quick, but I have to check my schedule because I do. I really do, man. Like, people don't know. Like, they look— yes, we make time for what we want to make it for. But at the end of the day, man, when you look at this world and you can go start to read like a lot of minimalist books, you can read Uh, I believe it's The Ruthless Elimination of Harry. You can read To Hell with Hustle. You know, these some of the latest reads. You can read Clay Scroggins, you know, I believe it's like How to Lead in a Distracted World. On and on and on. But, uh, what's the guy named? Gateway Pastor. Um, I can't think of it, but I think it's like Take a Day of Rest, but it's the title of the book. But whatever you subscribe to, you can listen to podcast after podcast, read blog after blog. But we have to be more basically productive and efficient when it comes to managing our time. Like Essentialist— that's the book I was looking for— a book I read some years ago, one of my— well, actually was one of my favorite books for a long time, and really it still is up there. But Essentialism: Distinct Pursuit of Less is that It's all about being essential. That's what it's all about. Because if I say yes today to something right now, someone calls me and I'm like, yeah, I can get that done. That yes, depending on how often I'm doing this, am I thinking about the constraints that it put on my wife, my kids, my family, my friends? Going back into work with the right mentality. I'm just overloading myself, you know, because I feel like I'm losing out on life and things. And like I say, once again, we get caught up into making things happen. I get it in this proper context. I understand the grind and all of that, but I'ma tell you this: I don't care how hard you grind or whatever, nothing can account for the pace of grace. The favor of God. It can't, like nothing at all. So like I say, just take some time in the practical application and remember what I said, you know, in this whole thing is that it's not necessarily that we don't know what to do. That's not the case. The truth of the matter is that we are addicted. We are addicted and we're distracted. From doing what's truly important. That's the truth of the matter. And so if we truly sit there and have— and reflect on our day-to-day, I'm telling you right now, and have a life of intentionality, I believe by a default, a byproduct, or whatever, our time management will get better. Hey, so I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to this content today. If it has impacted you in any kind of way, I want to encourage you to share it on your social media feed with family and friends. And if you desire to connect with me on a more deeper level, go to www.timothyprattjr.org where you'll get more information on how to do that. With that being said, continue to have a blessed day, and Lord's will, I'll see you next time.