"A millisecond has been defined as the period of time between when a stop light turns green and when the guy behind you begins to honk the horn.
Small periods of time, such as when you’re waiting at a stoplight, can be important because lots of little things combined together eventually make up a big thing. That’s why it’s wise to have a strategy for redeeming those small fragments of time most people loose during the day. One way to accomplish that is to create a list of things you can do in one minute or less and keep that list in your wallet, purse, or organizer.
Here are some ideas for starters:
Pray
Give someone a gospel tract
Share a funny joke
Write a post card or an email
Plan the remainder of your day
Trim your fingernails
Memorize Scripture
After Jesus fed the multitude he ordered his disciples to gather up the fragments. Let’s follow His example by gathering time fragments so we’ll redeem the time.
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"A new receptionist returned from the coffee shop with a slushy mixture of juice and coffee in a thermos. She explained that she had seen it behind the counter and asked what it was. She then purchased it and combined the orders together after the owner explained it was a device that keeps hot things hot and cold things cold.
Certain things were not meant to be integrated. Time management however requires that we integrate four essential functions into our daily planning device. They are:
1. Datebook or calendar for scheduled events.
2. Task list for “to do” items that don’t have a date attached.
3. Addresses and contact information
4. System for taking notes and organizing them.
Whether you use a paper date book or an electronic organizer such as a Palm or Windows handheld, make sure your system integrates these four functions: Date book, Task list, Contacts, and Notes.
You’ll need each of them to be fully effective for the Lord and to redeem the time.
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"A flashlight has been defined as a holding case for dead batteries. All too often that’s true.
Preventive maintenance is one of your best investments of time. Changing the oil in your car, checking the batteries in your smoke detector, or quickly repairing a leak in the roof, are all examples of investing a little time now, to avoid spending a lot of time later doing expensive repairs.
But preventive maintenance also works in the spiritual realm. Prayer and Scripture meditation are examples of activities that don’t normally consume great chunks of our day, but they are just as vital as oil to your car’s engine or batteries to your flashlight. You may not notice it much if you miss just once. But when you develop a pattern of neglecting God’s Word, you are setting yourself up for a crisis with a long recovery period.
Remember, taking time for preventive maintenance, in spiritual as well as material matters, is a smart way to redeem the time.
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"Many executives and office workers identify telephone tag as the number one time waster in their workday. You call Bill and leave a message. Then Bill returns your call but misses you. Back and forth you go until you finally connect and neither of you remembers who made the first call or why.
To break out of the telephone tag game, try sending a fax. Unlike mail or email, fax messages tend to get read immediately and often you can say everything in a fax you intended to say in person.
Maybe you’re calling from home and don’t have a fax. But if you have a computer, there is a very good chance you do have a fax. Check your list of available printers to see if you have a fax listed which you can print to, just like you would print to a printer.
At times, God uses various means to get His message through. Maybe we should too, if we want to redeem the time.
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