ENGAGING THOUGHT
If you're anything like me then the thought of adding something to your weekly or daily schedule sounds like a slim-to-nothing chance. There are some weeks when I would consider sacrificing my left-foot if it could buy me a few extra hours. The truth, however, is that unless we do add the pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives to our regular schedule then we probably will never get a round to doing it at all. There's always something else clamoring for our time.
I'm not a naturally organized person - I've had to learn to organize my schedule and time more out of survival than inclination. I'm a creative, artistic personality-type so I tend to prefer cluttery surroundings and fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants schedules - but to be honest, that has gotten me into trouble more times than I care to recollect, not to mention the times it has frustrated others who are depending upon me. I've had to learn (painfully) the necessity of organizing my time and attentions, and (I hate to admit it) it has made a world of difference for my ability to accomplish tasks regularly.
We are creatures of habit and, regardless of our personality, thrive better when we approach any task or pursuit with regular, consistent efforts. That means we need to be the masters of our schedule; owners of our time. If we're serious about pursuing and living God's DREAM for our lives then we need to give it regular attention and effort - and that means regularly scheduled time. I know, that doesn't sound very romantic (unless you've got one of those Type-A, regimented personalities, in which case you're probably already salivating and can't wait to grab your weekly calendar and start scheduling!).
The specific times that you schedule for your DREAM will depend greatly on the nature and requirements of your unique DREAM, as well as where in the process you are. If you're in a season requiring more study or practice or skill-development then you'll want to take into account when you are in a better mind-set for mental focus - perhaps earlier morning, for example; if you need silence or solitude then you'll need to consider the schedules of those you live with and when you are more likely to avoid interruption. Don't underestimate the impact the schedules of others can have on you. Maybe others in your household who are also on a DREAM-pursuit can arrange for common times when you're all focusing on your tasks.
There will likely be phases or stages of your DREAM-pursuit when you will need one "kind" of time and then other seasons when you need something entirely different. Obviously that's fine - you are the master of your time, after all. You might even find it helpful to create your schedule one month at a time, maybe longer, maybe shorter. There is no magic formula - only that you intentionally create that time in your schedule.
You'll most likely have to be brutal with cutting some other things in your schedule from time-to-time. Those "things" will probably kick and scream to not get axed, forcing you to make some significant priority decisions. The most important thing to remember is this: it is the nature of God's DREAM for your life to NOT clamor for attention and demand that you focus on it right now; there will always be things that are more urgent - but are they as important? Remember our discussion of "practice makes permanent" from Day 14? Do you want to get in the habit of putting off the pursuit of God's DREAM or would you rather develop the positive habit of making time for it?
If you aren't the type of person to have a written weekly schedule or plan this may be a bit more difficult (or maybe it's time for you to start one!).
I'm not a naturally organized person - I've had to learn to organize my schedule and time more out of survival than inclination. I'm a creative, artistic personality-type so I tend to prefer cluttery surroundings and fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants schedules - but to be honest, that has gotten me into trouble more times than I care to recollect, not to mention the times it has frustrated others who are depending upon me. I've had to learn (painfully) the necessity of organizing my time and attentions, and (I hate to admit it) it has made a world of difference for my ability to accomplish tasks regularly.
We are creatures of habit and, regardless of our personality, thrive better when we approach any task or pursuit with regular, consistent efforts. That means we need to be the masters of our schedule; owners of our time. If we're serious about pursuing and living God's DREAM for our lives then we need to give it regular attention and effort - and that means regularly scheduled time. I know, that doesn't sound very romantic (unless you've got one of those Type-A, regimented personalities, in which case you're probably already salivating and can't wait to grab your weekly calendar and start scheduling!).
The specific times that you schedule for your DREAM will depend greatly on the nature and requirements of your unique DREAM, as well as where in the process you are. If you're in a season requiring more study or practice or skill-development then you'll want to take into account when you are in a better mind-set for mental focus - perhaps earlier morning, for example; if you need silence or solitude then you'll need to consider the schedules of those you live with and when you are more likely to avoid interruption. Don't underestimate the impact the schedules of others can have on you. Maybe others in your household who are also on a DREAM-pursuit can arrange for common times when you're all focusing on your tasks.
There will likely be phases or stages of your DREAM-pursuit when you will need one "kind" of time and then other seasons when you need something entirely different. Obviously that's fine - you are the master of your time, after all. You might even find it helpful to create your schedule one month at a time, maybe longer, maybe shorter. There is no magic formula - only that you intentionally create that time in your schedule.
You'll most likely have to be brutal with cutting some other things in your schedule from time-to-time. Those "things" will probably kick and scream to not get axed, forcing you to make some significant priority decisions. The most important thing to remember is this: it is the nature of God's DREAM for your life to NOT clamor for attention and demand that you focus on it right now; there will always be things that are more urgent - but are they as important? Remember our discussion of "practice makes permanent" from Day 14? Do you want to get in the habit of putting off the pursuit of God's DREAM or would you rather develop the positive habit of making time for it?
ACTION STEP
Today's ACTION STEP is very similar to the Calendar Crunching from Day 20, but instead of the long-term dates for our DREAM-pursuit you need to decide when you will work on the DREAM in your weekly or day-to-day life.
Take a look at your weekly schedule and decide when you will give regular, intentional time to work on the various tasks or study or whatever is involved in your DREAM-pursuit. Be realistic, if you're starting from scratch you probably won't be able to carve out 3 hours a day or 20 hours a week. Two or three hours each week may be a lot - and will likely be plenty if it's good, quality, focused time. There will be weeks that you will struggle to fit in much time at all and there will be weeks when you can do extra - that's life.
TIP: Post your schedule in a prominent spot so that others can see that you have prioritized this time for your DREAM-pursuit - the extra accountability will help you stick to it and they will know when they can stay out of your way.
Tomorrow we take a look at the power of surroundings.
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