Time Keeps on Slipping...
I was talking with my sister yesterday about the last time we traveled together. We took a trip to
Evergreen, Colorado and from there saw the Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak and the
museum of Nature and Science in downtown Denver. I have tons of pictures and brought home
several ornaments-I try to pick up a Christmas ornament everywhere I travel as a sort of
catalog of the memories-and I asked, "How long ago was that? Two years ago?"
"Two... Noooo," she said. That was 5 years ago!" "No way!" I said. And I realized that BC
time had struck again. Not BC before Christ, or even BCE, before the Common Era, which I've
never become accustomed to.
Have you found that time during and after the covid pandemic has compressed in some way?
That's why I've started calling it BC time. Before covid, time seemed to have had a rhythm of
seasons and events and activities, but the isolation and sheltering in place and working and
schooling at home made each day blend into the next with no discernable beat. Random notes
on a keyboard that never consolidate into a song that you can recognize or sing. If we were on a
competition like Name That Tune, only it would be Name that Year, I'd say, I can name that
year in 3 words, and they are "I Don't Remember!" YES! That's it! What did I win? Mary
Lou, you are a year older and deeper in debt! Congratulations!
For people who DID experience something significant in the Year of our Covid-those who
lost loved ones or endured long-term sickness and symptoms-time still compressed. Life was
one way BC-before covid, and different AC, after covid. I find that all of us have this skewed
sense of just how much time has elapsed between what we called "normal" before and what
"normal" looks like now.
So, my conversation with my sister got me thinking about time. My mother warned me that
time would speed up as I got older, but I didn't expect it to slip away completely. Cue my
1970's soundtrack and the Steve Miller Band's Fly Like an Eagle, which I can remember...
Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping, into the future.
The Apostle Paul encouraged the church at Ephesus to "redeem the time." (Ephesians 5:16
KJV) I like that translation because of the idea of redemption. Inside the word "redeem" is the
idea that you can "buy back" time. Redemption is the story of Jesus buying back our eternal life
by laying down His life. We are "purchased with a price," and the Amplified version continues,
"you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own" 1
Corinthians 6:20. And isn't our life made up of time? We live so many hours, days, weeks,
months, years on this planet. So, it stands to reason, that if our lives can be redeemed by Jesus,
our time, too, can be redeemed.
There is still time to become all that God has created us to be, and to accomplish all that He has
called us to do. I sometimes quip that I'll need to live to be 273 years old to finish all the
projects I've started, to do all the things I dream of doing. No matter my age, I can be sure that
ALL God has for me, His agenda for my life and times, and yours, can be completed in the time
He has given us.
So, how do we redeem our time? Scripture gives us a prescription for how to do that.
Moses prayed, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm
90:12 NIV) Moses, of burning bush, ten plagues of Egypt (that mighta felt a little like Covid to
the Israelites and Egyptians, huh?) and author of the first five books of the Bible fame, prayed
TEACH us to number our days. So, managing ourselves and our time is a skill.
I was talking to my daughter about her writing-she's nearly finished writing a fantasy novel-
and we landed on the subject of outlines. "Some people," she said, "are plotters, and some are
pantsers." What she meant was that some people plan what they will write with a plot outline,
knowing beforehand what their characters will do and when they will do it, and others write by
the seat of their pants, letting the characters lead and often surprise them.
I think we often approach time in the same way. You're either a planner or a pantser. Planners
tend to know how their time is spent, and pantsers get surprised! Where did all my time go?
As a recovering Time Pantser, I feel the pushback for planning every minute of my day. My
rebellion goes so deep I don't even want ME to be the boss of ME! But that is what self-
leadership is... I'm both the employer and the employee, and if I want to redeem my time, I'll
need to trade some submission to the boss, which is me, for the privilege.
When my sister and I traveled to Evergreen we had an agenda. We didn't want to miss seeing
the sights, but we also didn't want to come home exhausted, needing a vacation after our
vacation. So, we planned how we'd spend our time. We had a finite number of days to explore
and eat and rest... and we planned accordingly.
Why don't we do that with our "real" time? We can lead ourselves well during vacation (we
even planned our eats, taking advantage of nearby The Fort restaurant so we could taste bison
and other exotic meats and dishes). But back at home, we pants it like we have all the time in
the world!
So how do we learn to number our days?
I think it begins with Awareness. Do I know how I'm spending my time? Broadly, yes, but
there is much lost time with things that don't matter. I hate to even mention the rabbit holes of
social media and the internet! I used to say that the downfall of America was the drive-through
window because it changed how we cook and eat at home as a family, but technology continues
to make life both easier and more complicated with social media, YouTube, and everything in
the world at our fingertips on the world wide web, giving the drive-through window a run for its
money. Distraction is a powerful force, and Squirrel! Syndrome has hijacked many a morning
or afternoon. Numbering my days, then, must start with awareness of how my time is used.
One of my mentors starts her day with this affirmation:
This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is
very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day
will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it.
I want it to be a gain, not a loss-good, not evil. Success, not failure, in order that I shall not
regret the price I paid for it.
Isn't that a powerful affirmation? Mindfulness that I'm trading my life-my life made of
minutes and hours and days-means I make better choices for my time.
Next, how you use time should be consistent with what you value most. As a Christ follower, I
want to spend time in studying scripture and in worship. As a wife and a parent, I want to invest
in my family with my time. As an entrepreneur and writer, I want to spend time developing my
skills and being valuable to the marketplace.
My priorities have shifted some through varying seasons of life. When I was a homeschooling
mom, time teaching my kids was a premium because I didn't want to send them out into the
world without the necessary skills to be successful. Now, as an entrepreneur and empty nester,
my priorities are different. As I age, my fitness and health are higher priorities than when I was
a young mom. As retirement approaches, I will invest more time in making money and
preparing for old age. What is most valuable in this season of life is where you'll want to lead
yourself well with the time you invest.
Awareness and knowing my values help. The old pantser tendencies, however, still rear their
ugly head. I know the truth of the edict, "What doesn't get scheduled doesn't get done," but I
still find myself resisting. Steven Pressfield wrote in Do the Work, "...any act that rejects
immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health or integrity" will incite Resistance.
I feel the truth of that when my time starts slipping, slipping, slipping.
To fight the rebellion, I keep my schedule loose...identifying priorities for the day and week,
tracking habits crucial for my season, and concentrating on moving the needle on my goals. I
plan before I go to bed, mapping out what's most important for the following day, and laying
out what I need to accomplish that day's work. Just those small steps-placing my devotional
book in the center of my desk, laying out workout clothes, a list of the day's writing
assignments and tasks to be completed-sets me up for better use of my time.
I also pay attention to my energy levels throughout my day. My military husband talks about it
in terms of "battle rhythm." It's important that I use the time I am at my best for my most
important work. My energy is zapped in the afternoon; I'm not usually productive between 1:00
and 4:00 pm. That figures into how I manage my workflow. If you find your energy lagging,
that's a cue that your highest priority work probably won't get done in that hour. Notice when
you have more energy and schedule accordingly.
Managing myself well in the use of time is always a challenge. But I've noticed that small
habits or steps generate time wins. And small wins accumulated produce bigger wins. Choose
one or two routines, systems, or habits that redeem time for you. There's an old joke... it goes,
"How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" Answer, practice, practice, practice! A bad joke, maybe
even a dad joke, but wisdom for managing yourself in time. Start small, practice, practice
practice, and watch the rewards of leading yourself well accumulate with your use of time.
Moses prayed, teach US, which means you and I are not alone... The struggle of managing
ourselves in time is universal. Stop beating yourself up about it. It's not just you! I've found
having an accountability partner for my schedule helps. She'll ask, "Have you put that on your
calendar? What is your next step, and when do you plan to do it?" We check with each other
regularly to stay on task. Who might be someone you can be accountable to? Check with your
mentors to see what works for them and give it a try; ask them if they will keep you
accountable. Just that step often improves our ability to use time wisely.
Moses's prayer reveals the results of numbering our days: "That we may gain a heart of
wisdom." What can be wiser than leading yourself well and knowing there is time enough for
all you've been called to be and do!
When you feel time slipping, slipping, slipping into the future, redeem it by becoming aware of
your priorities, values, and rhythms and taking small steps to manage You better. Leading
yourself well first is the wisest of all leadership and time management principles. You'll find
that self-leadership will make time your friend.
Father,
Wisdom comes from You, and You tell us in Your word to seek it above all, and that if we lack
wisdom, we have only to ask. I ask for wisdom to manage myself well, to be aware of the value
of time, and of my values when spending my time. Teach me to number my days.
I pray for awareness of my rhythms, when I'm at my best and when I need to rest and recover to
be more productive later. I pray that I am mindful that I'm trading a day You've given me for
the activities I choose. Help me choose well so that I grow in the nurture and admonition of
You, and grow the talents and opportunities You've given me, for my good and Your glory.
In Jesus's name,
Amen
