Ever find yourself with too much to do and not enough time? It can be draining. You struggle and rush and try to get it done, but end up exhausted at the end of the day berating yourself because something didn’t get done.

Sound familiar? 

What if I told you there’s a way to not be exhausted and berating yourself?

Time has a way of controlling us, but we need to control it. Easier said than done; I know. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.

Object Lesson

One of the ways we explain to kids about time is with a jar, various sized rocks, and sand. The teacher’s already made sure that all of it can fit in the jar. Then the instructor tells the kids to put it all in the jar. 

Inevitably the students can’t get it all in. They start with the sand and then work their way up. After the time’s up, the teacher explains by doing.

We empty the jar out again. Then we pick up the largest rock and set it in the jar, then the next largest, working our way down to being able to pour in the sand and allow it to fill in the gaps.

We then explain that the jar is our day or the 24 hours given to us. The rocks and sand are the things we could do with our day. By starting with what’s important, and then filling in with the least important, we can actually be content at the end of the day.

In Real Life

This played itself out last week. I normally schedule my blogs and newsletters over the weekend, using my freer time to write, but as I’d mentioned before, my youngest son got married last weekend. And I forgot about a writing publicly altogether until Tuesday (when my newsletter usually goes out).

I placed my biggest rock in the jar–family, wedding, extended family–and let the other things fill in–school, writing, getting Bonded Crowns ready for the Kickstarter. Although the email to you didn’t get written, I wasn’t stressed out about it.

What About You?

As you go about your busy week, think of your priorities. Schedule those in first, and then fill in with the non-essentials. Each week that might change. Like this week–I’m back to writing you.

Let the stress ebb away as you intentionally focus on what’s important.