Squandered Time

The definition of Productivity (according to dictionary.com):

Productivity: (proh-duhk-tiv-i-tee) noun- the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services.

We all know this. I am not trying to teach anything new here, only trying to teach myself and share my experience with you. I am learning a lot already through this challenge. I am learning a lot about productivity, but even more about myself.  These are probably things that I already knew, but was either ignoring or just being naive about them.

This will be a short post because I only have 10 minutes before I have to get the girls up and ready for the day. I got up at 4 this morning. Well, I woke up at 4 am and laid there for an hour trying, in vain, to go back to sleep. So once I got up, I got my coffee, turned the news on, and grabbed my bible, books, journal, computer, and phone. I took care of some to-do things, scrolled Face Book, and worked a bit on my bible study before turning to my writing challenge. Why, if I got up at 5am, do I only have 10 minutes to write this blog? I only have 10 minutes because I wasted my morning. I enjoyed most of my quiet time this morning, but I was very wasteful with my time. I spent way too much time on Face Book and doing other things that seemed important at the time (like planning our next trip, and catching up on news), but really could have been skipped all together. I should have spent 5 minutes on the Internet, and 1 hour spending time writing rather than the other way around. I am learning that I have this lazy side to myself where I like to read what others have written and just “veg out,” as I call it, rather than doing the work that I need to do on myself and for myself. It is hard to be self-motivated and keep myself in a productive state when I do not have restrictions or deadlines. When I began my morning, I felt so happy and inspired that I had two hours in front of me with nothing but me on the list. I had two hours to study, write, pray, journal, and accomplish. But I squandered at least an hour of the time, and so, after a morning that looked so full of potential, I now begin my day feeling disappointed with myself. What a shame, and I wish I had only insightful, beautiful things to tell you, but I also want to be truthful, so there you have it. I need to have self control and manage my time better.

I do not want to leave you on a bad note, so I will give you this little gem that has been floating around my mind for a couple of days: Titus 2:11 & 12 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…” Here's to a great day with better time management!