Time management is a continual issue for those of us who live in the sports world. How to balance work, family, ministry, travel, practice time, game days, study, church, exercise and leisure is a dynamic, daily process. Added to all those factors is the ever-changing nature of our station in life. The proportions of time for each of the above listed matters is drastically different for the twenty-five year old father of a new born than for the fifty-five year old empty nester.
Throughout my adult life, making choices related to time management has been an important issue. In my twenties I didn’t give much thought to it beyond, “Do I have enough time to get from work to the ball park in time?” I would leave work at 4:30, be at the ball park by 5:30 for a double header fast-pitch softball game and not get home before 11:30. That all seemed very reasonable to me until I was the father of a two year old son and suddenly time was getting squeezed a little. It seemed like a good idea to prioritize some time for my wife. Goodbye fast-pitch, hello slow pitch. In that game, a double header could be played in two hours. Good move.
In my thirties, after a couple of job changes, I was the father of a son playing two sports at the same time. As I looked at a potential career change with lots of travel and nights out of town, I instead chose to be home more, to play basketball with Jason in the driveway, to have time for playing catch, for playing hockey (complete with facial scars), for soccer games and more. That was one of the best decisions of my lifetime.
In my forties, I had already started my work in sports ministry and was getting my feet on the ground when the Head Football coach asked me to travel with the team to road games. That privilege brought on even more adjustments to my schedule and shifting of priorities. It also came with some criticism and misunderstanding. It cost me every weekend for fourteen to sixteen weeks each fall. I would review my calendar from time to time and find that I had worked every day for several weeks. It was wearing me out. I had to find time to rest, but it was not easy.
Now, well into my fifties, I am constantly budgeting time and making decisions about where to invest my time, my energy and my heart. Not everything weighs the same to me. Some matters are very important and others are less weighty. I have to prioritize my calendar like any other commodity of great value. Of late, I’ve been prioritizing time for those who seem to hunger most. Last week I wrote about the economy of opportunity and this is a major factor in my decision making. Over the last several years, international ministry and travel has been added to the mix and with it has come an even greater need to budget time wisely. Having become a grandfather just over a month ago radically changed my priorities and I’m constantly looking for a reason to make the one hour drive to see Addison Faith Lipe.
So, how do we manage time? Like it or not, each of us only has twenty-four hours in any day. Some of that is given to sleep (a discipline as important as any), some to work, some to family and the remaining to a wide array of other priorities. The issue is constantly: Setting priorities and holding tightly to them. I would challenge you to live purposefully and to shape your calendar, appointment book and wrist watch by your priorities. Once those priorities are set, write them down and keep them where you can see them. Tell someone else about them for accountability and then hold tightly to them. Each day has the same twenty-four hours, each week, seven days and each year fifty-two weeks. Each life has X years. The X factor is more an issue as I approach fifty-five than it was at twenty-five. Let’s follow Moses’ wise advice in his prayer from Psalm 90. In doing so we can fulfill the Lord’s purposes for our lives as mentioned in Acts 13:36.
Psalm 90:12
12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Acts 13:36
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.
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