I will do it tomorrow.  This is a huge danger.  Many people use this excuse to put off everything from paying bills to accepting Christ as their Savior.  I have fallen victim to that old thief of time before.  Missionaries have to constantly fight against procrastination.  It is so easy to do in a third world country where the only excuse you need for not doing something is to say, “I had a little problem.”  As long as I have been here in Haiti, I have never had anyone question me when I offered that excuse.  Paul states twice in the New Testament that we should be redeeming the time.  (Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5)  Both times he refers to wisdom.  I think we can infer here that it is wise to redeem the time and not procrastinate.  I admit that my ADD brain has its advantages in being able to multitask; so bear with me if I jump from one thing to another.  I promise to tie it all together in the end.  Click here to read the first part of this article.

Take broad tasks and funnel them to days of the week or even a day of the month.  Funnel your monthly tasks to weekly tasks to daily tasks.  For example I know that I am going to have to do my expense report for the mission board before the 15^th of the month so I have that set aside on the first week day of the month.  Sometimes I work at it little bits throughout the day.  Another example is, I know that I am going to need a message for Sunday morning and a Bible study for Sunday afternoon, so by Thursday I want to have these done for Sunday.

Use A, B, C to prioritize your tasks.  A=Must get done today, B=Today if possible, C=Tomorrow if not today.  This has helped me in making and organizing my lists of things to do.  When I finish up early with my “A” tasks, I look at my list and move on along.  This also helps me not to get distracted or overwhelmed by the large amounts of stuff I need to do.

Don’t forget the ministry is the people.  We can get so caught up in doing things for the people we are called to that we do not reach them.  This really hit home when I got angry with a man that needed counsel to deal with a sin in his life.  I was busy preparing lessons for my seminary class, and the Holy Spirit rebuked me when I refused him an unscheduled meeting.  This can also apply to our families too.  I will have more to say about the family another day.

Just because there is a need doesn’t mean that you are the one to meet the need today.  In Haiti we are constantly surrounded by the needs.  I am not talking about “I need a new flat screen TV” type needs; I’m talking about “my kids and I haven’t eaten in two days” type of needs.  When we first came here to Haiti, we were bombarded by the abject poverty surrounding us.  Also the amount of guilt was nauseating thinking about the hungry people around us while we ate hot dogs.  It almost drove us into the ground financially trying to help the entire community.  We even put money on our credit card to help people out (not recommending that just confessing a lapse in judgment). Then when we were on furlough a friend told me that just because there is a need doesn’t mean we are the missionaries that are sent to meet that particular need.  People in need will drain you dry and take all your time before you realize it.

Don’t be afraid to say “no” and “no” doesn’t need an explanation.  I have learned that in this culture one needs to say, “I don’t have the possibility” and not just “I can’t.”  Learn how to politely say no in the culture you are called to and stick to your task at hand.

The most important thing in time management is your time with the Lord.  Do not scrimp here!  When we study Mary and Maratha in the book of Luke chapter 10 we see that Martha was busy serving and doing, but Jesus had to set her straight and said that Mary was doing what was important – at that time.  You see Jesus did not say that we do not need to clean up and cook and all that, but He was saying that we need to prioritize and that our first priority should be Him.

I said all that to say this, there are many systems and many tools out there to help you get organized.  Look them all over and find what works for you.  I have taken a little from this one and have added from that one and have finally found something that works for me but might drive you crazy.  We all look different, and we all function differently as well.  If getting organized looks like an impossible thing to do, find a system, buckle down and quote to yourself over and over John Paul Jones’ advice, “I have not yet begun to fight.”

Serving Jesus,

HGP3