Redeeming the Time

Doug Wilson has written a thoughtful article on the fruitfulness of plodding. Reluctantly, Doug gives a few helpful principles and methods for being productive with your time. If you are like me, this is an area that you struggle with more often than not. I found this passage to be particularly challenging yet true.

Second, maintain boundaries for everything, boundaries that suit the circumstance. When the kids were little and still at home, the daily routine was completely different than it is now that they have families of their own. Generally, pastors need to set boundaries to keep their work from spilling into family time, and not the other way around. So, for example, when we were first married, we set the boundary that I would not allow my work as a pastor (Bible studies, speaking engagements, etc.) take me away from home in the evenings more than three nights a week. Flipped around, I would be home with the family a minimum of four nights a week. My work was restricted to specified reservations, and as my responsibilities grew I had to figure out ways to be more fruitful in those alloted times. When an extra load developed, the idea was to have it land on me and not on the family. If it has to get done now, then get up at five, and nobody else pays. So if you need to, get up at five, but always try to go home at five.

It will be well worth your time to read this article. So enjoy…then go be productive.

(HT: Ray Van Neste)