Time Management the iPod Way

Last weekend I spent some time adding new music to my mp3 player. My player is pretty small, it’s a 2 gig, which means it will hold about 500 songs. I know that, that sounds like a lot of music, but I have discovered that it doesn’t take long to fill up. So, when I saw yesterday that I was nearing capacity I knew it was time to make some tough choices…time to delete some files.

I have found that each song falls into one of three categories…The first category is songs that I know are keepers…these are my favorites, the ones that always put a smile on my face. The second category is comprised of songs I have no problems deleting, these are the ones that, for whatever reason, I’ve lost interest in. The third category (most of the songs fall into this one) are the songs in between…these are the ones that I like a lot, but not so much that their space in my player is eternally secure.

As I was organizing my tunes…I realized that if I applied the same system to managing my time, my life would probably be a lot more balanced. Think about it…like my mp3 player’s memory, our time is limited. We each get 24 hours a day, that’s it. And, like the thousands and thousands of really good songs that I could choose to add to my playlist, there are countless events, commitments and other worthwhile things vying for our time.

The bible encourages us to plan our time wisely…listen to this verse from Ephesians, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” We cannot do it all, my friend, and sometimes tough decisions have to be made so that we can at least get to the important things. Is your day filled to capacity…and then some? Start by making a list of everything that occupies your time. Then decide which things are so important they hold a permanent position on your calendar, which things are working in your life for the time being, but could be cut if needed. Finally, decide which things add nothing but dead weight to your day. Those are the things that are ready to be deleted from your life.