(Guest post by Pastor Brandon)
God has created all of us with unique personalities and propensities. It’s not surprising then that when it comes to planning our schedules, some of us prefer to use a monthly planner and some of us prefer to use a pen and the palm of our hand.
Fortunately, the Scriptures do not prescribe only one way to manage our schedules. We are free to employ whatever strategy fits our unique design and helps us honor God and love others.
Through this Time Out Series, some of us have recognized the need to improve out scheduling system, but we may not know where to begin. Rather than recommend a single method to stay organized within the workbook, we’ve decided to open up the conversation to the entire congregation.
If God has given you wisdom that has helped you manage your own schedule, this is an opportunity for you to be a good steward of that insight and bless others with what’s worked for you. Not every system will work for everyone, but if enough people share their own tips and tricks, you may find some technique that works for you.
Let us know what you think in the comment section beneath this post. How do you schedule your life? How do you keep a synced calendar? What tools do you recommend?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Gospel-Centered Life 
I begin every work week by looking 3 months in advance to see what’s coming. I’ll list important projects and deadlines. Some of these are big projects that I can break down into smaller projects with unofficial deadlines. Some of these are small weekly projects with pressing deadlines. I list everything onto a yellow pad. It can take up to an hour to make a thorough list. This is my to-do list for the week.
Everyday, the first thing I do is prioritize the to-do list based on when the project is due and make daily goals to complete certain tasks. Prioritizing the list takes very little time if I’ve done a good job of listing all assignments.
As I complete a task, I cross it off. If I get new assignments during the day, I add them to my list. It doesn’t matter how small the assignment is, I write it down. So if someone emails me and wants a reply, I’ll write on my to-do list, Email _______. Even if the response takes less than a minute, I write it down. Why? I get a major sense of accomplishment when I’m able to cross things off. The more I cross off the more motivated I am to tackle other assignments.
I find I’m able to stay focused when I know exactly what I need to do. I also don’t waste time during the day figuring out what I need to do.
Another benefit I’ve found is that no matter how overwhelmed I initially feel during a busy season, the process of breaking large projects into small pieces makes it feel manageable and less daunting. Without a plan I tend to feel busier than I actually am.
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