As written and presented by Mary Whelchel

PROGRAM D-6081

Have you heard the slogan 'Plan your work and work your plan'? I remember having that drilled into me early in my career, and there's an awful lot of good advice wrapped up in those few words. I'm going to talk about a rather practical subject-time management.

At first you might think that time management is not a biblical or spiritual topic, but nothing could be further from the truth. Time is our most valuable resource, the one we can never replace once we use it. And God will hold us accountable for our use of time. We've all been given twenty-four hours each day, but some use those hours more wisely than others.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians in chapter 5:15-16 that they should 'be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.' We need to learn practical ways to 'make the most of our time,' and in so doing, we will become approved by our Lord as wise servants.

So, I'm going to pass along some practical ways to make good use of your time, whether it's on your job or in your own personal life.

Well, 'Plan your work and work your plan' is a good place to start. No matter how busy you are, you should always take the time to plan. The less time you feel you have to spare, the more important it is to plan your time carefully. Spend a few minutes at the beginning of the day to make a plan and set your priorities.

There is always time to do God's will, I keep reminding myself. God wouldn't give me more to do in one day that I can get done. Therefore, if I'm constantly running out of time, letting important things slide, it's probably because I've gotten my priorities confused. We can stay very busy doing things that aren't important, or doing less important things, because of poor priorities. Even with the best intentions, without good planning, we can squander our time and not use it wisely.

What about this very day? Do you-or did you-have a plan for the time given to you today? Would you be able to show that you made good use of that resource today, that you planned your work and worked your plan? It doesn't require some fancy system or a lot of expertise and time to plan your day. Just a few minutes of thinking through what needs to be done and how best to schedule those things so that you use your time wisely.

It will help greatly if you will write your plan down and keep it with you all day. So, start that simple discipline today if you haven't done it already: Plan your day to use your time wisely. Don't just let the day happen.

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