Every day, we make dozens of decisions about, “What do I do next?”
“Do I finish that work project or spend quality time with the family?”
“Should I pay the bills, visit with friends, or relax and watch some TV?”
“Do I start on that church service project, get some exercise, or read a book?”
At these times, there are some strategies we can use to help us decide what to do next:
1. Be intentional with your time. Prioritization of your time should be something you do “on purpose” by consciously deciding what to do next rather than mindlessly wandering from one activity to another. You can get done the things that you declare as important if you schedule time for those items, work on them first, and get them done.
Think about and identify (write them down) what things will be most important to you in the long run. When you look back on your life, what will you want to have spent your time doing? Each day, plan time in your schedule for those activities.
2. Identify the important things. The blog post titled “Just Another Day” describes how to use the five STEPS to include important activities in each day. In summary, here are three things to focus on as you allocate your time:
- Honor God – Schedule quiet time alone with God every day.
- Invest in relationships – Spend quality time with key people.
- Serve others – Spend time serving others at least each week.
3. Thoughtfully not do some things. Each of us has bad habits including many that waste our time. Pick one and choose not to spend time on that value-less activity anymore. One temptation at a time, choose to do something positive instead.
In addition, practice ignoring more tasks. Don’t work on everything on your to-do list, work on the important things. On less important activities, either get them completed in “good enough” fashion quickly or simply let them go undone.
4. Be balanced about what to do. Wisely choosing what to do next should not be a heads-down pursuit of “productivity at all costs.” Weigh your choices to balance your overall well-being personally, emotionally, mentally, socially, and spiritually.
These approaches can guide us to make good decisions on how to do the next right thing each day. They have helped me become more productive, but I still sometimes obsess about what to do next, and I often struggle with questions such as:
- How much do I really need to get done today?
- When is it okay to relax, and when am I procrastinating?
- When do I slow down and enjoy the moment rather than working on something?
- Does God care about what I do next, or am I worrying about all these decisions for nothing?
How Does God Think About What We Do?
Spiritually, I’m still conflicted at times on how productive I am supposed to be each day as I try to balance guidance such as:
God does not need our assistance in order for him to accomplish his purposes.
But he has asked that we seek to do certain things while we are here on earth.
God does not want us to worry about how the future will turn out.
But he wants us to work hard and do the best we can at all we do.
God does not love us more when we are productive than when we are not.
But he does want us to be good stewards of our time and talents.
To help achieve the right balance spiritually, we need to remember that God is in control, and he is more concerned about our heart rather than the outcomes of our decisions. Which brings us to a few additional points to consider:
See everything you do as holy. Whatever you work on, it is important to God, and any task you do can be done for him. From an eternal perspective, WHAT you do is less important than WHY you do it (to honor God or serve others) and HOW you do it (by giving it your very best). It is important to work on the right things, but you can honor God in whatever you do.
Stop giving into excessive worry. Worry is when we feel anxiety or unease and allow our mind to dwell on something we are unsure about. If you are not sure about what to do next, just pick the thing that feels right and do it. Ask God to guide your efforts, do the best you can, and feel okay about it. You can adjust later if needed.
Be a good steward of your time. The key is to treat your time as a gift you have been given and out of gratefulness do the best you can to use it wisely. Sometimes, that may be to slow down and spend time with family or friends. Other times, it could be to rest and recharge. Whatever choice you make, do it intentionally, thoughtfully, and prayerfully.
For me, there’s probably not a perfectly right answer to my personal productivity dilemma, and it seems that God wants me to work it out as best I can along my daily journey. In fact, thinking about what to do next helps keep me focused on God’s direction for my life. He uses even my own uncertainty to do something good, so that’s pretty cool.
But the question for you now is, “What should you do next?”
Next Right Steps: Each day, if you are trying to use your time wisely, give yourself a break. God is in control, and everything does not depend on you, so just do the best you can making good choices. Then, relax and enjoy the journey.
