Use Your Time Wisely

‘Making the most of your time...’ Ephesians 5:16 NAS

If you’re wise you’ll stop frequently and think about how you’re spending your time. Charles Swindoll writes, ‘In a book I read, The Time Trap, I came upon a list of the most popular time wasters. It helped to pinpoint some specific areas of inefficiency I must watch. Who hasn’t heard the true story of Charles M. Schwab and Ivy Lee? Schwab was president of Bethlehem Steel. Lee, a consultant, was given the unusual challenge, “Show me a way to get more things done with my time.” Schwab agreed to pay him “anything within reason” if Lee’s suggestions worked. Lee later handed the executive a sheet of paper with the plan: “Write down the most important tasks you have to do tomorrow. Number them in order of importance. When you arrive in the morning, begin at once on number one and stay on it until it is completed. Recheck your priorities, then begin with number two, then number three. Make this a habit every working day. Pass it on to those under you. Try it as long as you like, then send me your cheque for what you think it’s worth.”‘ That one idea turned Bethlehem Steel Corporation into the biggest independent steel producer in the world within five years. How much did Schwab pay his consultant? Several weeks after he received the note, he sent Lee a cheque for $25000, admitting it was the most profitable lesson he had ever learned. Try it for yourself. If it works, great. But don’t send me any money for the idea. I’d just blow it on another time-management book…which I don’t have time to read.’