I’m always looking for a way to get more out of my day. More out of the time I have available to me. Ways to be more productive or time efficient. I’m not exactly sure how I came across this book, but Organizing Your Day by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims ended up at the top of my To Read in 2023 stack.
This book does a great job of walking through good time management. It talks about having dreams, setting priorities, and getting things done. There are some great techniques for prioritizing a to do list, dealing with interruptions in the day, and scheduling your day and week in a way that completes necessary tasks and reaches goals. With real life stories, the authors share practical wisdom for time management.
The two pieces of information I found most helpful were the ways to prioritize a to do list and the ideas for managing papers. I get a LOT of paper that comes into my life – papers for home and for work! I’m a terrible paper stacker, always thinking I’ll deal with it later. The ideas in the book gave me practical ways to manage the “I’ll deal with it later.”
Perhaps my biggest take away came from a friend’s social media comment when I shared what I was reading.
My friend said “You could have written that book!” And while I don’t think that is exactly true, I do think I didn’t “need” the book like I thought I did. While I’m constantly looking for better ways to stay on top of all the things I manage, reading this book (and my friend’s comment) helped me realize that I’m pretty good at managing what I have been given to manage. Sure, I pile papers and miss things sometimes. Sure, my home is not pristine nor magazine worthy. And that is ok. I’m actually pretty organized for what I have to manage!
And for me, landing in a place of contentment with that is a really good thing. I don’t have to keep striving to “be better organized” or “fit more in my day.” I’m actually ok.
I’m curious though, what is your biggest time management “tip” that you would share with others?
Rev. Kris Mares 