Sometimes our responsibilities and the pressures of life affect us in a negative way.
We see this in the story of Mary and her sister Martha:
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’ ” (Luke 10:38-42).
We all are faced with this choice, so to help me keep my crazy world on track, here are the 18 steps I use to keep life simple when things are crazy.
Here are 18 steps I use to keep life simple when things are crazy:
1. Set your priorities!
You can’t keep priorities if you don’t have priorities. If you can’t name your priorities by number at gunpoint, then they are not how you order your life.
Arrange your events, tasks and duties by your priorities. My first three never change: my relationship with Christ, my relationship with my family and my pastor’s problems. All other priorities in my life can change daily. I must be willing to make their choices on a daily basis. Could you make a list right now of your top 10 priorities?
2. Keep your priorities in order.
As I said above this is a daily choice.
The order of your priorities may be different at different times; this is where your leadership must become intentional. My favorite Scripture in the whole wide world is Proverbs 28:2: “When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.” Maintaining order is the missing element in becoming a super leader.
3. Delegate to others those things they can do for you, even if it’s short term.
When you’re out of time, use someone else’s.
There are times I need to delegate something long term, and there are times I do it for a season. Make a list of everything you are doing that someone else can do. I hear you saying, “But they can do it as well as me.” I know, I’ve been there. This is why you use a checklist and job descriptions as well as special assignments to get them to do it your way.
If you have not identified where you need help and what you need to stop doing, you’ll just keep doing what you’ve always done and have the same results.
