By: Pastor Schmalz
(The following is the handout given at the lesson on Time Management by Pastor Schmalz.)
“Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise – sensible, intelligent people; making the very most of the time – buying up each opportunity – because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the Will of the Lord is.” Eph. 5:15-17 Amplified
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that is the stuff life is made of.” -Benjamin Franklin
* Time Management is the key in fulfilling God’s Will for your life, to accomplish what God has ordained for your life – Go For The Gold!!
G*O*L*D
(1) G – Goals
(2) 0 – Organized Priorities
(3) L – Listing Activities
(4) D – Do It Now!
(1) GOALS – Unless you have definite, precise, clearly set goals, you are not going to reach the maximum potential that lies within you.
-A person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder. Both drift, ending on the beach of despair, defeat and despondency.
* Types of goals:
Spiritual, Family, Financial and Social
* How to start:
1. Get alone for a few hours
2. First list your lifetime goals, next – 5 years, 1 year, monthly.
– Write fast, allow your imagination to run free
– Remember your lists are written on paper, not carved in marble.
3. Be specific and realistic
4. Write out your plan (steps) to accomplish your goals
5. Name a deadline
6. Develop roads around the obstacles
7. Visualize yourself successfully reaching your goals
8. Persist – with a will to win
* Phil. 4:13
* Make sure your goals are God’s goals, spend time in the Word and Prayer. Be willing to conform to God’s plan for your life.
* Jer 29:11, Rom 12:1-2
(2) ORGANIZED PRIORITIES: –most important to reach goal
* The most important single step in reaching your goals is learning how to organize priorities.
* Most of us have some goals written down, our problem comes in handling our priorities so that we reach the goals successfully. We not only want to do things right, we want to do the right things.
* Framework for Priorities Matt 22:36-40
1. God
2. People
A. Immediate family I Tim 5:8
-Spouse Eph 5:21-22, 25
-Children Eph 6:4
B. Family of God Jn 13:35
C. Non-Christians Gal 6:10
3. Material things III Jn 2
* Key – Not All Tasks Are Created Equal.
After studying your priorities and goals we quickly see which tasks will help us to accomplish the most. Many things no longer fit in our schedule. (Acts 6:1-4) Be Quick to delegate or eliminate.
* Key – Goal Visualization
Setting priorities and sticking to them is by no means easy. The choices and efforts required are difficult. But if you are serious about reaching your goals, you can learn to make these choices effectively. Part of the trick is to keep your eye on the goal, on the ultimate reward, so that you don’t get stopped or sidetracked by the tasks that lie on the way.
THE POWER OF PRIORITIES
Charles Schwab, President of Bethlehem Steel Company, granted an interview to an efficiency expert named Ivy Lee. Lee was telling Mr. Schwab how his firm could help him do a better job of managing the company, when Mr. Schwab broke in to say something to the effect that he wasn’t managing as Well as he knew how. He went on to tell Ivy Lee that what was needed wasn’t more knowing – but more doing. He said, “We know what we should be doing; now if you can show us a better way of getting it done, I’ll listen to you – and pay you anything within reason.”
Lee then said that he could give him something in twenty minutes that would increase his achievements by a least 50%. He then handed Charles Schwab a blank sheet of paper and said, “Write down on this paper the six most important things you have to do tomorrow.” Mr. Schwab did as requested. It took about three minutes.
Lee then said, “Now number them in the order of their importance to you and the company.” That took about five minutes. Then Lee said, “Now put the paper in your pocket and the first thing tomorrow morning, take it out and look at item number one. Don’t look at the others, just number one, and start working on it and stay with it until it’s completed. Then take item two the same way, then number three, and so on until you have to quit for the day. Don’t worry if you have only finished one or two. You’ll be working on the most important ones. The others can wait. If
you can’t finish them all by this method, you couldn’t have finished them with any other method. And without some system, you’d probably take ten times as long to finish them – and might not even have them in the order of importance.
“Do this every day,” Lee went on, “After you have convinced yourself of the value of this system, have your men try it. Try it as long as you like, and then send me your check for whatever you think the idea is worth.”
The interview hadn’t taken more then an half-hour. In a few weeks Mr. Schwab sent Ivy Lee a check for $25,000.00 with a letter saying the lesson was the most profitable that he had ever learned in his life. It was later said that in five years this was the plan that was largely responsible for turning what was then a little known steel company into the largest independent steel producer in the world. It also helped make Charles Schwab a hundred million dollars.
From “Total Church Growth” by Tim Massengale
(3) LISTING ACTIVITIES
* There is an easy way to remember goals, things you must do, things you want, to do, and coping with everyday life – make a list.
A. Monthly List – at the beginning of each month analyze what you have accomplished toward your goals in the last month and what you hope to do this month. List all the tasks you hope to accomplish. Number all the items on your list by priority, starting with highest priority as number one.
B. Daily List – some people prefer to organize their daily list the first thing in the morning, others do it the night before. The list must be written down, and carried with you throughout the day.
* Key – Be specific
– Be realistic
– Keep time and location in mind
– Calendars
Extension of your memory
“To do lists are the common denominator of successful people. They focus your attention on the activities you need to do to reach your goal.”
– Alan Lakein
(4) DO IT NOW!
Today is the day! You can take control of your time and your life; Set the direction and establish its course.
“The man that gets somewhere does so because he has first resolved in his mind that this direction is the Will of God, then has enough stick-to-it-iveness to transfer God’s Will into reality.” -Malcom Forbes
We can make “The Very Most Of The Time” as God requires, if we GO FOR THE GOLD!
“It’s the steady, determined pace, not the made frantic run, that proves to be successful in the end.” Zig Zigler
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF TIME MANAGEMENT
Causes and Cures
THE SIN THE CAUSE THE CURE
________________________________________________________________________
FLOUNDERING (failure | Lack of clear-cut | Crystallize your goals-
to focus attention & | goals | write them down on
efforts in a single | | paper
direction | |
______________________|_____________________|___________________________
FIREFIGHTING (living | Neglecting tasks | Schedule time for
in a state of per- | due to lack of | planning on a weekly
petual crisis) | planning & goals | and daily basis – think
| | fire prevention, not
| | fire fighting.
______________________|_____________________|___________________________
DAWDLING (drifting | Failure to keep | Give yourself a dead-
fiddling, daydreaming | goals and priorit- | line and promise your-
| ies clearly in mind | self reward if you
| | meet it.
______________________|_____________________|___________________________
SWITCHING (changing | Losing goal/plan | Persistence. Develop
horses in midstream; | focus | a Passion for closure.
starting one project | | Don’t let yourself be
and getting diverted | | satisfied until the job
to another one half- | | is done.
way through) | |
______________________|_____________________|___________________________
REHASHING (dwelling | Unwillingness to | Don’t concern yourself
on past problems or | deal with the pre- | with your “trail,” or
accomplishments) | sent | with what might have been.
| | Let the past go.
| | Concentrate on what is,
| | and on what can be.
______________________|_____________________|___________________________
PAPER BUG (handling | Not ready to make | Try to handle paper only
paper many times) | a decision on it | once. Toss it! File! or
| | Move it!
______________________|_____________________|___________________________
PERFECTIONISM (un | Setting goals too | Strive for excellence
willingness to com- | high; fear of suc- | not perfection.
promise; unrealistic | cess; fear of fail- |
expectations) | ure |
______________________|_____________________|___________________________
The following is an outline of the cassette tape from the lesson on Time Management by Pastor Schmalz.
I. Essentially everyone is given the same amount of time
a. Make the most of your time
1. Have direction. Have a schedule.
2. Live life purposefully
b. Don’t allow every little problem to interrupt you schedule
1. Stay focused
2. Have something to keep you on track
3. Don’t just drift
c. Live everyday to its fullest
1. Make your life worthwhile
2. Too many people die before they’re put in the grave
II. Going for the G-O-L-D
a. Obtaining the “gold” requires successful time management
1. Olympists work 5-7 days a week for 4 years straight to obtain the gold medal
b. It’s going to cost us something to see the will of God accomplished
1. Christians should be more willing to sacrifice than anyone else
2. Doing God’s will is worth putting forth any effort
c. Time management is the key to fulfilling God’s will for your life – the GOLD
III. GOALS-must have in order to reach maximum potential
a. Four types of goals: spiritual, family, financial, & social
b. How to start managing your time
1. Get alone for a few hours
2. First list your lifetime goals, then breakdown into 5 years, 1 year, monthly
3. Be specific and realistic
4. Write out your steps to accomplish your goals-many fall short of this
5. Name deadline-flesh likes to coast
6. Develop roads around the obstacles
a. Plan in case of obstacles
b. Don’t be taken off guard
7. Visualize yourself successfully reaching your goals
8. Persist with a will to win *Phil. 4:13
c. Be sure your goals are God’s goals
1. Spend time in the word and prayer
2. Be willing to conform to God’s plan for your life (Jer 29:11, Rom 12:1,2)
IV. Organizing Priorities-most important goal to reach
a. Learn how to organize priorities
b. Framework for priorities
1. God-Matt 22:36-40
a. If we’re to busy to pray, we’re too busy
b. Learn to eliminate from your schedule and delegate to others
2. People-Matt 22:36-40
a. Immediate family I Tim 5:8, spouse Eph 5:21-22, 25, children Eph 6:4
b. Family of God-John 13:35
c. Non-Christians Gal 6:10
3. Material things III John 2
V. List your activities
a. A list makes goals and things to do easier to remember
1. Make a monthly list
a. Analyze previous month’s accomplishments
b. List items by priority
2. Make a daily list
a. Be specific
b. Be realistic
c. Keep time and location in mind
d. Calendars are an extension of the memory
b. To do lists are the common denominator among successful people.
VI Do it now
a. Take control of your time and life
b. Set direction and establish your life’s course
c. You can make the most of your time, if you go for the G-O-L-D.
(The above material was from a lesson taught by Pastor Schmalz of the Apostolic Truth Church, UPCI.)
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