Our Values drive our time Management.

Our Values drive our time Management.

Posted on by Matthew Laker

time 3Many people I speak with are struggling with time management. Often there is a tension between unrealistic expectations and the many responsibilities people have or are given.

In all of our lives, we have values we wish we had or want to embrace and then we have the real ones. Sometimes those real ones are destructive. Sometimes the real ones are good. Sometimes we wear a mask and are ashamed or are not willing to actually admit what we are valuing in life.

 

Try this exercise:

Take a piece of paper and take a look at your schedule over the last 30 days. Where are you spending your time? Here are some examples of things to look for:

How much time did you sleep? How much time did you work? How much time was there for fun and relaxing? How much time for investing/serving others? How much time checking email or watching media? For a moment, think that you are looking at someone else’s schedule. Based on where they spend their time what would you say are things they value?

 

We see whatever we deem important. Whatever we deem more valuable, that is where we spend our time.

 

Does where you spend your time align with what you have stated are values in your life?

 

For the Jesus follower, the question becomes do we trust Jesus enough to lead us to a different set of values? Is how we use our time guided by the reality of the gospel in our life? Are we investing in the things that Jesus has said will lead to a full life?

 

As you do the above exercise you may notice you need some changes in your life. The first step to moving in that direction is to understand the “why.” Why do you need to change? Why will seeking a new habit, or embracing a new value in your life, be good for you?

 

Whatever you value will be what determines your direction and use of time.

 

Check out this post on why identifying Values is important.

Why Identifying Values is important.

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Understanding our values can help us engage life.

What are values and how can understanding them help us better engage in life?  Why are they important to know?

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Values are the guidelines that help shape our goals and objectives in life.     They are part of a source that helps bring fulfillment in our life.

Values affect all areas of our life.  For example, how we use our time and to whom we spend our time with are all shaped by our values.  Our values will play a major role in our decision making. They are part of our identity as individuals as well as every organization. .

Juan Carlos Jimenez shares: “When we truly believe that a set of behaviors constitute an essential cornerstone to life, we act accordingly, and don’t care what others say about it.”

For many, our values are formed in our early life as children.  As we watch our guardians, we will often take on their worldview.  As life moves forward we will be influenced and challenged by peers, which is not a bad thing.  Experience can also shape our values.  For example, if someone has a bad experience in a situation, it develops behavior in that person. Perhaps this has more to do with a natural protection of their self, but that experience creates a foundational belief and value in their life.

Values are foundational beliefs in our life that effect behavior.  Values can be changed, but that is a hard road to walk.  Change can occur as people honestly think about the implications of the things they stand for.  Sometimes values will change because of new influences in one’s life.  However changing those foundations takes work and time.

Often the greater challenge is our lived-out values compared to our stated values. They are not always the same.

It is good to spend some time reflecting on your values.  As you do that ask yourself, why do you have that value?  Why do you want to have, or live out , that value?  We hold to values because of their benefit to us, so what benefit does it bring?

Values are the things that matter most to us.

When we understand them we begin to understand the things that drive us.

Understanding them will help us to be in a better position for ourselves to enter, engage, and experience life as we were created for.

Here is an exercise to help identify your values. Click here