At the beginning of the year, I set some goals. I didn’t share them because I wasn’t sure it was relevant to you. I still don’t know that all of them are that compelling to anyone but myself. I did want to share one with you, though.
Simplify and maximize my schedule.
Why? To give focus to what matters most and stop wasting time on things that aren’t necessary.
How? Add and subtract things to the calendar deliberately.
A week before New Year’s, I started thinking seriously about how this would play out. I knew there were things I was doing that needed to be cut. For two weeks, I wrote, “simplify schedule/quit something” on my list of things to do.
I’m fully aware that saying “Yes” can be a great faith-building step forward. It has been for me many times. But this time? Let me tell you. Faced with saying,”No” to someone is 1,000 times harder for me. What do I say no to? Who do I choose to let down? I hate disappointing people.
It turns out choosing to not do something is painful.
I think it’s because the things we need to stop doing can be good things. The problem with good things to do is that there is no end to them. We fill up our schedules with lots of good things and step back and realize we don’t have time to do the best thing.
I want that to be different this year. May this be the year, with God’s help, I learn to say no to some wonderful things to make room for the best things. This is the year I work just as diligently on my “do not do” list as my “to do” list.