Psalms 119. 60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
How do we get it all done on the mission field? Church planting, Bible College, family, keeping supporters informed, summer camps and personal goals like learning the guitar all demand lots of time. Here are some things that help me manage time and all these important things.
1. Schedule a fixed time every day for study: I try to do most of my study between 9:30-11:30 AM. In this time period I study: *The Bible in Spanish. I have my personal devotions and then study a chapter or two in the Spanish bible. *Greek. I select a verse in the Greek New Testament to translate and try to do 1 verse a day. *Sermons and Bible Study: During my study, I have open a document called “Sermon Ideas” and I write in there any inspirations I receive while studying the scripture.
2. Whenever I think of something that needs doing, instead of jumping up to do it, I write it on a list of things to do outside of my study time.
3. I use a PIM or Personal Information Manager. It is FREE and easy to use. You can download it here:
http://www.essentialpim.com/ I placed a copy of the icon in the computers start folder, so the PIM opens up when I turn on the computer.
4. “Never touch a piece of paper twice”That means, whenever I pick up a piece of paper it must be acted on, disposed of or properly filed right then. That way I wont have to keep sorting through the same papers over and over again in the future. I also means that I pay my bills ahead of time, as they come in. This also saves from late charges from bills forgotten or letters put aside to mail later and then overlooked.
5. Delegate: In Bible College I assign one student to be my assistant for each class and also have each student give oral reports. This has the students spend some time teaching each other under my guidance. The reports are handed in also. And occasionally, some have served as new ideas for lessons I teach back at the church. I have the church members all do something. One man has the job to open and close the church. Another may get paper supplies and cleaning products. We take turns cleaning the church. I have another man lead singing and a teenager takes the offering. We have a different church member read the Bible passage and I choose someone to read the verses I reference during the service. This way everyone is getting trained and it gives me some added time and energy for other important things.
6. Mine wasted minutes.Those minutes waiting in lines at the store, for doctors, at red lights or even in the bathroom can be put to good use. I have an ancient Palm Pilot that has bibles in 3 languages and a Greek vocabulary program. So while waiting in line, I can do Spanish or Greek bible studies. It also has a nice chess program just for fun. In the car I keep a tonettte, or recorder above the sun visor. When I stop for a light, I take this down and play a song. It helps my music and my attitude. Sometimes I am even sorry the light turn green when I am playing one of my favorites! We keep the Readers Digests and light reading material in the bathroom, like all the material you get in the mail you aren’t sure if you should keep or not. Not exactly an elegant reading area, but a good way to use otherwise lost minutes.
Conclusion: So it all adds up to getting a lot done. But getting a lot done is a lot easier if you can find more time somewhere and have more energy for the task when the time is found. By being orderly, organized and willing to delegate, and by God's good grace, we are getting some important stuff done down here in Puerto Rico.
