Time management is on my mind these days. Or maybe the lack thereof. Or maybe the fact that sometimes it just doesn’t feel like there is enough time. Thoughts like this usually creep up when I’m on a tight deadline. (Like now.) I have these moments when I think through what I need to do and divide everything up in my head. It just never seems to work out like I plan. I try not to stress too much. Because things always seem to get finished–albeit sometimes later than originally intended.
But it seems like whenever time starts to feel stretched thin–those things that are really important to me get pushed aside first. You know how it goes. Running out of time? Skip those few minutes for prayer in the morning. Working within a short timeframe? Forget about time for writing. Not enough hours in the day? There’ll be time for relationships and friendships later–maybe next month.
Normal, right? But when there’s not enough time for those parts of living that matter to you, you start to feel like you’re not really living. Lucky for me, these times come and go in relatively short spurts. It’s manageable. And I’m glad. Because I need time for all those things that make life so much better. Without them, time starts to feel wasted. I remind myself that time felt wasted is not the same thing as time that is wasted. Because being productive and doing what you have to is not wasting time. I think it’s all about balance. I feel better when I’m able to do both those things that must get done, and those things that I enjoy doing. And very often those things blend. But not always. Sometimes I just need to push through, realizing that it’s not going to be this way for long. But, then again, I think that sometimes I might need to reexamine my priorities. What should I be willing to push aside, and what should I rearrange my schedule in order to hold on to? It’s something worth thinking about.
