I’m an Organization Freak, with a Passion for “To Do Lists.”

I confess that I am passionate about being organized and I love to use a “to do list” to help me with time management.

In my last post I shared that I have the fear that I won’t be able to keep up with all the duties that it takes to have a well-run household. You know food on the table every night, clean clothes, a house you can walk through, plus all the other numerous parts it takes to make all of that happen. Some days are so full of things I wonder how it will all get done. If you are a wife and mother, I bet you get me. Not to mention having to deal with the limitations I have from doing all of these things from my wheelchair. So, you may wonder how will I ever keep up?

When I was running my business, I learned the difference between success and failure was getting things done at the right time. That's when I first started using lists. I also found out, that just having a list did not make things happen on time; I had to learn to discipline myself to do the work. As I said in my last post Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…” so with this in mind we know that God intends for us to take care of our matters in a timely way. To get better at time management I read every article I could find on the subject, what I will share with you today is the combination of the best ideas that worked for me.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Before we start any time management project, we need to be sure of our motivation. We need to know that it is being done for the glory of God, and not forget to remember Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” We are responsible for the well being of our family and that work is blessed by God. Now that we have determined what goals and duties we have and have asked God’s help through prayer with our priorities; let’s begin to make our list. I make my list at the end of each month so I am ready to get off running on the very first day. But if this is your first time to do this, start now don't wait!

I prefer to have one large list broken into three categories, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. I have long-term goals but how I handle those will be in another blog. This is about short-term effectiveness. Don’t worry about the order in which you list your tasks, just be sure to put them in the right categories while you are thinking of them. If they are a single item and won’t be done again, put them in the monthly section. Things that you will need to do more than once a month goes under weekly, and obviously the things like cooking dinner and picking up the kids from school, go under daily.

Daily: Weekly: Monthly:

Make Dinner (A) Vacuum (B) Pup to Vet (C)

Pick up Kids (A) Laundry (A) Pay Bills (A)

Here is where it gets a little tricky; you need to decide a priority for each item on your list by using my ABC system.

A stands for the most important task and should be done first.

B is second

C projects come in last.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what is the most important and what is the least, but after a while (trial and error) it will get easier. By assigning these letters beside each task it will keep you on track to do what is essential first, and when a new task comes up (and they always do) you can just add them to the bottom with a letter designation. If you have multiple items with the same letter you will need to decide on the order that works best for you to complete each one. You should also see that there will be more tasks in your weekly and monthly sections because you will need to pick a day in the month that you will get these done.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

I try each day to live by these words. To be less obsessed with the idea that if I miss one deadline or my house is not as tidy as I presume others suppose it to be, I won’t freak out. By using my "to do list" I get to,

spend time in prayer,

take time to breathe,

stop and hug my children and husband,

and that is my hope for you as well. To find a way to use this time management system or use it to develop one that works best for you, so you can stay in God’s will for your life.