13 Tips for the Overcommitted, Overloaded, and Overwhelmed part 5

Read part 4 here.

And now for the tips!

Just Do It
Change can happen. Especially when we realize getting our priorities in order makes us available to God and to those most important in our lives. To summarize, we can stop the insanity by 1) focusing on what’s most important, 2) concentrating on key people, and 3) using ministry as family bonding time. Only then will we be truly available to the work of God in our lives, in our families, and our service.

Major on the Majors
Want to focus on the most important? Try this:
1. List everything you do in your day, your week, your month.

2. Rate these items on a scale from 1 – 4. “1” being most important, with “3-4” things that are nice but you can live with out. (For example, cooking dinner, giving kids baths, reading your Bible, spending time with your spouse would all be “1s.”)

3. Ask yourself: “Will this really matter five years from now? Ten? Is God at work here, or is it my own ambition?” Also, “How does this task rank in light of eternity?”

4. Eliminate out all the “4s.” Consider which “3s” you could put off for now. This may mean taking your toddler out of dance class. (Will she even remember it a few years from now?) Or cutting down on your television usage.

5. Revise this list over the coming weeks. Ask God to show you what tasks to focus on.

Top Tips
1. Get a good night’s sleep.
2. Take control. Don’t blame others for your overload.
3. Say “no.” Prayerfully consider every request.
4. Set boundaries to protect your family time.
5. Seek solitude in order to sift through your daily problems and brainstorm solutions.
6. Ax the guilt. No one can do it all.
7. Refuse to compare your weaknesses with someone else’s strengths.
8. Decide what things matter most in light of eternity.
9. Realize that kids will someday be grown up. Enjoy them now.
10. Spend quality time with your spouse. Encourage each other.
11. Don’t get caught up in the “extracurricular activities” trap. There are many successful adults who never played t-ball or took piano lessons.
12. Realize the values children learn from down time and home life will set a foundation for their future households.
13. Seek God. Our limitations remind us how much we need Him.