Getting Sidetracked

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31.3.10

Getting Sidetracked


Getting Sidetracked 
I feel as if I was the worst possible person to talk about the subject of time management unless you want to know how I get back on track when I find myself having fallen off the deep end and buried with too much to do. I tend to be one of those type A's who can't stop doing whatever it is that they are into, until it's done and done well. It's all or nothing with me, apart from the Lord's grace.


My pastor once described me as the 'energizer bunny' because when I was focused on helping our small church function well and smoothly, I never tired of doing so. There was no job too small that I was not willing to do it. You can count on more for enthusiasm misplaced or otherwise. The result of a focus like that is obvious...burnout! And that's just what happened. I'm amazed how quickly I forget that I don't need to do everything that needs to be done. I need to wait on God's 'assignments'. Those things I am uniquely qualified to do. If I do it all..then other people miss their chance to do what God wants them to do.

Saying No to Good Things
One famous Christian leader once said that " the Good is often the enemy of the Best." There are many good things that we can do and would like to do with our time--so many that we could never do them in our lifetime. We have to choose the best things--the right things. (To me this is one hint at the fact that we are eternal beings..it seems to me that we were made for eternity--this life is way too short!) Mary chose the better thing. We have to learn to say NO to good things, in order to say YES to the right things, which are determined by our own consciences, choices and seasons of life.


Out of Balance
For me personally, my biggest downfall is focusing too much time and effort on one area of my life to the exclusion of other areas. (And I suspect I'm not the only one with this problem!) When I'm blogging..I can never seem to get the posts just right or the blog just right. Or if the house is a mess, I'll start cleaning and that's all I want to do for the next three days--so hubby better run to Pizza Hut or everyone is going to go hungry! And if I'm sewing...well without intervention, I might never come up for air! Now, honestly, most of the time, my conscious kicks in and I keep a happy balance, but the danger is always there for me!

Thank goodness I have three very happy noisy interrupters (a.k.a. teenagers) who want me to read their speeches, cut their hair, watch a movie with them, or go to town..just for the ride. They keep me from getting too focused on my own projects or 'responsibilities'. What I'd do without them I don't know!


Getting Back on Track
My husband is a patient saint in my opinion. When he finds me buried in a closet, bleary eyed in front of the computer or surrounded by scraps of fabric, he just very politely asks, 'Did the kids do school today ? Do we have any clean socks?...What's the plan for dinner? Is there any money left? He keeps me focused in a way that only a steady quiet man can do... politely. When I see him run a load of underwear or start washing dishes, I know some project has probably gone on longer than it should have. But long before that, the Lord is quietly poking at me in the back of my conscience saying, "Donna..are you doing the 'right' thing?..or just a 'good' thing?" He's the best reminder I could ever ask for. I wish I could say that I don't need reminding, but sadly that is just not the case. I'm a happy-go-lucky, take life by the reins, and say Giddup! Let's go! kind of person. Without a proper focus, I'm like lightning..lots of energy and no direction". (Sidetracked Home Executives)

Do you find yourself getting sidetracked? How do you get 'back on track?  

2 comments

Amy said...

Wow, no comments? This is a great post. I feel a lot like how you describe yourself. Which explains my absence from blogging as of late. I've been doing some major organizing and spring cleaning and getting my first garden going. I am such a perfectionist about things (blogging & photography included) that I just don't have the 'juice' to keep it up when all of my creativity is focused elsewhere. And the whole 'hubby better get pizza for dinner thing'...ouch...done that! :-) I think for me, getting back on track requires a lot of prayer & analyzing of priorities(looking to scripture for answers), talking things out w/ hubby, hugging & loving on the children & reading a lot with them, taking walks, etc. Basically step back from the crazy stuff and indulge in the things that really matter most and then reasses. Some things don't make the cut for a while when I load my plate back up. Anyway, this is where I'm at right now...glad I went back and read over the articles I had missed whilst gardening and cleaning my days away! By the way, your new look is AWESOME!!! I'm so proud of you!

Donna said...

Thanks Amy for the great comment! I was beginning to get a complex! I thought maybe I was the only sidetracked person out there. Ha!

Nice to see you back. It's better to be working than blogging you know. Speaking of which, I better get going on mom's cushion covers. :o)

“There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.” ~ Margaret Sangster

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