#WordsOfWisdom

"If you had the cure for cancer wouldn't you share it? . . . You have the cure to death . . . get out there and share it."

~Kirk Cameron

How I'm Scheduling for a Productive 2021

For most of my life I've enjoyed pursuing a variety of interests, and it isn't uncommon for me to have a sizeable collection of projects on the go all at once. I like it that way. As projects became larger, commitments increased, and life became busier overall I realised I was spending time and mental energy keeping everything organised that I would've preferred to spend on the projects themselves. I also found that I would get excited about one thing at a time and have lots of ideas for it. Forgetting the plan once I shifted my focus to something else seemed like a waste of time. How could I use that time of intense focus to lay out effective plans that I could follow regardless of where my focus lay and the number of commitments on my plate?

Five or so years ago I began this system for keeping myself more organised and staying on track. I've refined it over that time and am finding it successful, so I've decided to share it. 

I got started on this before the bullet journaling craze, so I just purchase a standard diary every year. I find week-to-view the most useful layout, and always spiral-bound so I can turn it back on itself. Aside from that I look for a diary with plenty of additional blank/notes pages, and then choose my favourite cover from the remaining options. Then when I'm ready to set it up, I find myself a ruler, and three pens: blue ink, black ink, and one for fun, in this case purple gel. Ultimately this would work with as many colours as you like, and colour-coding could provide added organisational benefit. Personally I find the more colours and other details I add the more I think the page looks cluttered, and I don't want to spend a whole year looking at them. I try to go for a fairly minimal, clean look to my pages so I'll enjoy looking at them regularly. I set up my pages with black ink, purple for the odd touch of pretty in headings, and standard blue for filling in and marking everything off.

Most of us have things we would love to learn, do, or experience and it's easy to think, "oh, maybe one day I'll give xyz a go." But someday and one day are a bit like tomorrow; they never come. 2pm next Wednesday will though, if time doesn't end first, so schedule that thing you've always wanted to do for then. Turn those hopes and dreams into goals with a place in your schedule and watch them become reality. 

I like setting aside some time around the end of a year and beginning of a new one to refocus and consider what I need to work on over the coming year and make sure I know what are priorities and what are not (at this time). It feels like a natural time to reflect, assess, and set goals.

First off let's take a look at how I make goals for the year. For easier reading I've divided the page into categories, but choose those based on your goals--don't make a list of categories and then fill in goals that really aren't your goals at all, just for the sake of filling in the page! In a year's time, what would you like to have done/tried/learned? This is the spot to record those things. These could be big things (like a year-long course) or small things (like visiting that coffee shop you've always meant to try and never have). Include anything here that you just want to do once at some stage during the year. That bucket list? Pick one or two things and make them happen this year.

(Fill goals in with blue ink)

Next we move to a smaller scale. Monthly goals are anything that you want to do (at least) once every month. Are there any big projects on your list of goals for the year that should be divided into smaller goals for each month? Otherwise what habits are you trying to build that should be included here? Is there a space you always mean to clean or tidy each month? Include that here. Again, decide on your goals first, and then sort them into categories. Some diaries have graph pages included at the end, and these are perfect for this chart. I added dividing lines to make everything tidier. In a diary without these handy graph pages I would do the same set-up, and rule the graph myself so I still have all the boxes where I can tick off my goals as I complete them.

Of course, there are some things that need to be done more regularly than monthly, and some habits I want to build into my life on a weekly basis. Due to the graph measurements I currently have three pages titled "Weekly Goals." Some business diaries have a "Staff Annual Leave" chart which is perfect for this! Otherwise, I am back to ruling everything out again. (Maybe one day I'll end up doing all the design and printing my own diary huh!) This works the same way as the "Monthly Goals" page; goals down the page on the left, and time periods along the top. In this case the dates can be read as "week beginning . . . " Around our place a lot of household chores are weekly activities, so they fit perfectly into this spread. Other things began as monthly goals in the early days of this system, and once they became easier I shifted them to my weekly list instead.

I actually do also have small daily goals, but since there are nowhere near enough blank pages to record them in the same format as above I'm still doing it the slow way for now. My section for each day can end up with a lot written on it, so I came up with a format for that as well so I know exactly where to look for each type of task. 

Any event with a specific time commitment or involving other people goes on the left, and those get sorted in chronological order; early events at the top of the section, working down to later events further down. For a while I used a different pen for commitments at set times and that was visually helpful, but since it's only the one pen that I usually carry around I'm using only that one at present for simplicity's sake. 

On the far right of this day's section, imagine a column; that's for all computer-related tasks. Having my computer set up uses space that could otherwise be useful for plenty of other things, so it's easier to get everything completed at once and then pack up again. I also find it's easy to "just quickly check something" and all of a sudden hours have flown by, and/or I'll turn everything off and then remember something else I was supposed to do. So I find it most practical to create a list of everything I want to do while my computer's on, and then work through that all in one go and pack up again. 

To the left of that there's another imaginary column; this one's for those daily tasks/goals that don't require my computer. These are a combination of habits I'm building and household tasks I'm responsible for. 

Other tasks specific to the day and not recurring belong anywhere on the remaining space to the left. Usually I try to place them closest to where they're likely to happen relative to specific-time events. On my example day I had dishes to do, and I needed to make dinner. I planned to sort the dishes before my 3:30 booking, and dinner after it, so I placed them on the page to reflect that.

Sometimes I work on my weekly and monthly goals as I find myself with a free moment, but other times I look at my goals and assign them to specific days, in which case I'll write them somewhere in this section as well. On the graph pages I can see what I completed in a week or month, and by looking back over each day I can find the exact day each thing was done. This particular layout also includes tracking space for water intake and while I initially wasn't interested in that, I ended up giving it a go and have found it incredibly beneficial. I now have a far better idea of which days I will easily stay hydrated, and which ones will take more effort and may be worth having a bottle with me.

It is true that this takes time to set up, but after several years of doing so I conclude without any doubt that it is time well spent. Making time to plan like this enables me to keep everything heading in the right direction later in the year, through the incredibly busy times. I haven't perfectly met every goal and ticked every box, but I've definitely made so much more progress on the things that are important to me than I otherwise would have. 

Usually as we reach the last few months of a year I'll begin thinking ahead to the coming year and listing goal ideas on a fresh page at the back of my current diary. Then when I draw up the new one I can include them in the correct places straight away.

Ephesians 2:10 is a good reminder: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Are we making time to search out what these good works are? Do we prioritise walking in them? Is that something we consciously make time for? Putting pen to paper and scheduling and setting goals are methods I've found incredibly helpful for maintaining focus on the import things, regardless of how busy I am or what is going on around me. 

I enjoyed this podcast by Leslie Ludy on Godly Goal Setting a few weeks ago; give it a listen if you're into podcasts.

Reflecting on 2020 & Looking Ahead to 2021

Wow, what a year 2020 was. It dawned so bright with possibility, only to shock us all and show the fragility of so much we depended on and took for granted. Plans, goals, hopes and dreams shattered before our eyes. 

The "my body, my choice" crowd all of a sudden started living according to: "your body & mine, the government's choice." Job security turned out to be a lot weaker than we believed. "Home where they belong" stopped being only a homeschool viewpoint. People were so afraid of dying they became willing to stop living in hope of avoiding it. We voted on smiles and personality instead of policies, because after all, policy is written by viruses, right? I always thought legislation and the like belonged to the realm of politics, but hey, I guess we'll have to update the biology textbooks. No-exception pro-lifers discovered they had an exception after all, and were willing to vocally promote it too. Pastors closed churches and Christians promoted bloodying their (and everyone else's) hands with the brutal slaughter of of God's image and creation. A little pressure and a whole lot of fear certainly showed the depth of our convictions. 2020 sure wasn't integrity's year.

I think the greatest revelation and discouragement for me personally was the response, or lack of, from the church. We, who claim to be followers of and have a personal relationship with the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Saviour of the world, for the most part responded to events in the same manner as everyone else. Those who of all people should've had answers, didn't seem to.

On a lighter note, all my reading of time management books culminated in many positive improvements to my schedule and life. I dedicated more time to friendships, read more, and threw aside my previous claims of not having time to plant a garden. I discovered Arthur W. Pink (honestly a highlight of my year. Definitely reading more of his work in future!) I spent less time mindlessly scrolling (anti)social media and more time with my knitting needles and Mum's sewing machine. My garden ripened and I transferred my harvest to the kitchen and then the dinner table.

Two of my sisters graduated and two were baptised. My little brother turned 21 and Juliana started talking. We replaced a fence and built the most heavy duty washing line in all of New Zealand. (Not that I've actually verified that last one.)

We hosted March for Life Auckland's first march with incredible success. It really was an amazing day. I have so many great memories and I'm grateful to have been involved. It was an honour to work alongside a wonderful team to pull off such a huge and successful event. You know who you are, thank you.

2020, the year singles went extinct. LOL. With wedding season kicking off I probably have some dress shopping to do (not white, sorry). But seriously, if you've made an announcement recently, I'm excited for you--congratulations.

As 2020 came to a close I reflected on what the year held, what I learned, and how I changed and grew through it all. I learned more deeply to keep my focus on Christ; that He is the One I am following: not those who claim to be Christ's preachers, Christ's ambassadors, or Christ's followers, but Christ alone. Also, no amount of church services, conferences, or Christian acquaintances can replace seeking and following God personally. Satan doesn't mind if you ride to hell on a church pew. 

Twenty-twenty was quite the roller coaster and I'm so grateful to have peace deeper than my circumstances, and hope beyond emotions or news headlines to carry me through. As the battle between good and evil rages all around us, we don't have to give into fear and hopelessness. You know what? I've read the last chapter, and I know Who wins.

As a new year begins, I'm taking time to refocus. How can I best prepare for the work God has for me? What is the next thing He is asking me to do? How will my time and energy be best spent this year? What belongs in my schedule, and what should get the boot? Which opportunities that present themselves are worthwhile, and which are just distractions?

In 2021, I want to protect my private time with God even more. Having a strong and deep foundation is so much more important than attending every good or expected event that arises and Christianity isn't for show so I'll guard this portion of my schedule carefully. I want to read, study, and learn more from my Bible. I want to improve my prayer life and read more material by heroes of the faith and those who've experienced God's incredible power. I want to revive Bible memory in my life, although I haven't yet chosen passages or converted this to a measurable goal. If this is a habit in your life, do you assign specific amounts to a period of time? (eg. verse/week, chapter/month.) Please share in the comments below; I'd love to hear!

I expect this battle between good and evil will intensify during 2021. And recently, I've thought a lot about how Scripture refers to us as the light of the world. Light appears to shine brighter as the darkness deepens. Are we ready and prepared? Will 2021 be the year that integrity makes a comeback? Will our lights (lives) shine increasingly brighter as our world darkens around us? Or will they flicker and be snuffed out? What are we doing today to prepare and strengthen them?

As a new year begins I'm excited for the fresh page it offers, full of possibility. I'm looking forward to a whole new year of learning, growing, and fulfilling my life's purpose. I know there will be bumps along the way, but for now this is a time of dreaming, goal-setting, and rejoicing.

May your 2021 be filled with blessing and growing in Christlikeness. Happy New Year friends.

Christmas Dinner at Church

Our church's annual Christmas Dinner was a pleasant way to finish up the year as 2020 drew to a close. As always, there were a few games, good food, and fun. Several of us brought our instruments along to provide live music. 

Most of these photos were taken by my siblings who enjoyed carrying my camera around.

 

Favourite Reads of 2020

Every year I try to maintain some level of regularity and variety in my literary consumption. Most of the time I have a book or two I'm reading through. Some are read quickly from cover to cover; others are taken a page or two at a time. Some are easy to read, others are heavier going. Some are practical, some are thought-provoking, some are educational, and some are inspiring. Some get passed around the family after I finish them. Some are old, and others are new publications. Let's take a look at some of my favourite titles read throughout 2020.

 

The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

By Timothy Ferriss

I'm almost in two minds about including this one. My worldview is in many ways different from the author's, and I disagree with some of the main premises (such as everybody wanting to reduce or eliminate work as much as possible), BUT there are so many practical suggestions that I find myself implementing and successfully improving my own time management, so I've decided to go ahead and include it. As the title suggests, this book is about learning to finance your life with minimal time spent working. Mostly this is discussed in terms of drop-shipping type start-ups, but there are suggestions relevant to other career paths as well. I particularly appreciated the author's distinction between work and things that only look like work, something I still consider somewhat regularly. If you feel like you're always busy but never really moving forward, this book may provide useful insight.

Next Door Saviour: Near Enough to Touch, Strong Enough to Trust

By Max Lucado

Mum gave me this book and I thought it looked less intellectual than I felt like reading ha! I was right, but once I got into the swing of it, I did end up enjoying it. Max Lucado reminds us of Jesus' humanity, and how He experienced many of the things we do, and can relate to us. Great reminder and encouragement if God feels distant or difficult to talk to.

 

God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe

By J. Warner Wallace

This book's author, J. Warner Wallace, grew up an atheist. Later in life he decided to apply his training as a cold-case detective to examine the claims of Christianity. This book lays out the results of his examination in a clear and easy to follow format with plenty of illustrations. Such a fascinating read. Highly recommend!

Wrestling Prayer: A Passionate Communion with God

By Eric and Leslie Ludy

Do we just "say a prayer" now and again, or is real prayer a regular part of our lives? What would it take for us to communicate as closely with God as biblical heroes of old? Or to see miracles worked in answer to our prayers? Eric and Leslie Ludy share some biblical principles of prayer that are mostly forgotten in modern culture.

Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us

By Donald Trump Jr.

Plenty of language I'm not fond of used in this to communicate some important concepts we would do well to remember. Also interesting personal anecdotes from the campaign trail and elsewhere. I didn't realise Don Jr. had grandparents in Czechoslovakia and spent childhood summers visiting them there, but he draws some relevant insight from those experiences.

 

Practical Christianity

By Arthur W. Pink

Probably one of the oldest books I had read for a while, Practical Christianity was heavier going and took longer to get into. Once I did though I discovered it to be a treasure trove of information. So good, and so convicting.

The Devil's Nightmare

By Ray Comfort

When it comes to evangelism, God's way works far better than anything flashy and glittery that we can dream up. Funny that.

Unborn. Untold.: True Stories of Abortion and God's Healing Grace

By Ruth Coghill and Sara Davison

I saw this mentioned in a few places and eventually decided to grab myself a copy and see what it was like. So glad I did! This recent publication compiles some absolutely incredible true stories of abortion. Refused by some, chosen by some, survived by some. Powerful and important testimonies that need to be shared. Although heart-wrenching in places, this book is woven through with hope.

The Final Choice: End of Life Suffering - Is Assisted Dying the Answer?

By Caralise Trayes

Kiwi journalist Caralise interviewed a number of people on both sides of the euthanasia debate, in New Zealand and abroad for this book. This is a great resource for learning what's in our new legislation, and what all the debate surrounding its introduction was about.

 

Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done

By Laura Vanderkam

If that subtitle doesn't describe my ideal, I don't know what does. This is relatively quick to read, and another book with practical ideas I'm applying to my own life with success. I've spent more time relaxing and reflecting since I read this, and kept up with demanding commitments and knocked my goals off one by one at the same time. Are you practicing alignment?

Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to do with You

By John MacArthur

Meet the apostles like never before. Who did Jesus choose to continue His ministry? No one we would've selected. This was such an amazing book to read. John MacArthur digs into the gospels and other historical records to find out who these twelve men were, in far greater detail than I've previously been aware of. Interesting, easy to read, and relevant to us today. I came away feeling like I needed to get into the gospels and compare them myself.

It's hard to believe I read some of these titles almost a year ago; they still feel so recent. I enjoyed some pretty amazing books during 2020 and looking over this list brings back good memories. I'm glad I made time to acquire and read all of these.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them I will receive a commission, at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I've found helpful in my own life and think you will too.

#MusicMonday

"Holy words long preserved

For our walk in this world

They resound with God's own heart

Oh, let the ancient words impart"

Our fast-paced, digitised world draws our attention quickly from one thing to the next. Brightly coloured videos flash across our screens, there one moment and gone the next. Scroll, tap, swipe. A seemingly endless supply of content keeps us returning to our backlit devices hour after hour,, day after day, week after week. It's easy to forget that book on the shelf and let the dust settle on it. And then we go about our life, agreeing we're Christian if anyone asks, but finding we don't know a whole lot about our God. Sometimes we wonder how our faith connects to our life. All the while, the book with the answers remains forgotten on the shelf.

Preserved down through the ages, the Bible reveals our God to us. His character, will, and plan are communicated through His Holy Word. This inspired book can answer so many of our questions about how we should live, if we take the time to read it. Do you treasure your Bible as a revelation from your Saviour? Do you make time to read and study and think about it regularly? When was the last time you took it off the shelf and opened it?

Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith