“Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.’ Ephesians 5:17 NLT

 How often are you distracted by something that is calling your attention away from what you really want to be doing? Perhaps you are in the middle of deep work on a passion project. All the gears are clicking. The ideas are flowing. The strategy to accomplish this long-held dream is pouring out onto the page or your hands are busy creating what you see in your imagination. Then the phone rings. You hesitate for a moment and then you answer it.

The telemarketer on the other end of the phone doesn’t care that he just interrupted a moment of Spirit-inspired genius. He doesn’t care that you were in the middle of coming into the light after years in a tunnel of doubt. He is just trying to do his job, which is to convince you to buy what he is selling. An item you don’t need or want — like a new satellite TV system or gutter guards on the house that you added those to three years ago. All he cares about is selling to you and he doesn’t take no for an answer.

Finally, you realize that the only way to end this conversation will be to hang up on him. You hate the idea of that rude action, but there doesn’t appear to be another way. Your stomach is in knots. You politely tell him that you need to go and then you hang up the phone.

When you turn back to your project the gears that were clicking are still and silent. Your mind is a blank and your stomach is still in knots. All forward motion has ended. You decide that it's time to check the laundry, or some other everyday task, and walk away from your desk feeling defeated and frustrated.

Answering that call interrupted what you really wanted to be doing, what you feel called to do, and you wonder why you even answered it!

My friend, there are legitimate interruptions that have the same effect on your progress. Those are the ones you have to accept, resolve, and then do your best to get back on track after. Those interruptions are immediate and important. Like a backed-up drain that needs a plumber’s attention. I found myself in that position this week after an “aha” about what was preventing me from moving forward on a passion project. Even though I was motivated to move forward I had to stop. There was nothing else I could do about that. I didn’t have a choice about that interruption. However, you and I have control over plenty of the things we allow to interrupt us, like phone calls and text messages to name the most frequent offenders.

When you and I interrupt the important for the immediate we often squander one of our most valuable resources: TIME. What if there is a better way? Would you take it?

The first thing you must do is decide what is truly important to you.  This begins with having a clear sense of purpose. Your personal purpose statement becomes your guide. When you know what you are called to do, you know what is important. Your personal purpose statement keeps the big picture in mind. If you haven’t taken time to clarify your purpose, start there!

My purpose statement: To nurture, equip, influence, and inspire others to fulfill divine potential for God’s glory. This statement has become my guide as I plan and schedule. The most important thing is to fulfill God’s purpose for me and help others to do the same so that He is glorified. I want what I do to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. I firmly believe that when Christian leaders fulfill their divine potential, the potential God created them with, the Kingdom of God is advanced.

That is what is important to me. It may not always be in the front of my mind, but it is a current running beneath the surface of how I plan my time.

Choosing to ignore the immediate and focus on the important happens before the immediate interrupts. You need a plan for staying focused. And once you create that plan, you need to stick to it. That’s actually the harder part! Believe me, I know!

I am great at making plans for my time, but not always great at following through. I have a standing calendar appointment with myself to work on editing my writing. An appointment that I routinely ignore. I haven’t committed to keep that appointment so the immediate creeps into that space on a regular basis.

I am reevaluating that appointment slot. Perhaps that isn’t the best time for it. But writing work needs to have regular space on my calendar because writing is one of the ways God wants me to express my purpose. I am confident of that. So, I am going to make space to reevaluate that writing slot on my calendar and then make a commitment to keep it so that I am fulfilling God’s purpose for me.

Once you decide what is important, block out times on your calendar to get the important done. I’ve often heard it said that what gets scheduled, gets done. That is not always true, but it sure helps! When I put something on my schedule it becomes a constant reminder that this is something I need to do or want to do…even when I ignore what I have scheduled. I have done that more times than I’d like to admit. What about you?

I keep a digital calendar so that my phone reminds me of what I’ve scheduled. Then I can choose to do or ignore what has been scheduled, but I don’t forget it. I have never forgotten that writing appointment. I also like to keep a paper planner with monthly and weekly pages. The act of writing things down helps imprint on my brain what I want to do. And I like the good feeling of seeing checkmarks next to completed tasks! It also gives me a place to make notes of the things I want to schedule but have not yet put in my calendar.

There aren’t any perfect systems, but because I do have a system, I have found myself able to accomplish more than I ever thought possible. I still have a long way to go, but scheduling what is important keeps me accountable to myself…and to God…for forward motion.

Don’t allow distractions during that time block.  This is the hardest part, but if you and I can discipline ourselves to ignore the distractions and deal with them later we will find ourselves traveling the road to accomplishing our goals, the goals that are inspired by our purpose. I am still working on this one. I could set my phone on “Do Not Disturb” during a planned important work time, but I haven’t. I am pretty good at ignoring unimportant calls and messages, but sometimes I don’t prioritize my important work over the work someone else is asking me to do. I have to prioritize, and I haven’t done that yet! I don’t want distractions to derail me from God’s purpose. I am going to keep working on this. What about you?

Dear Friend, YOU are important and that makes your purpose important. Prioritize your purpose and you will know what is important. Then schedule time to work on what is important and don’t allow the immediate to distract you. You’ll know when what is immediate is also important. You’ll know when that call is not a distraction, but an urgent need. You can trust yourself and the Holy Spirit to help you choose the right task at the right time. You’ve got this!

 Key Question: How often do you allow the immediate to distract you from the important?

A Scripture to Consider: “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.’ Ephesians 5:17 NLT

A YES Challenge: Review your goals for this year. Do they line up with your purpose? Evaluate your schedule and plan blocks of time to work toward your purpose-driven goals.  

Prayer: Father, my greatest desire is to fulfill your purpose for me. I want my goals and my time to line up with that. Help me to recognize the difference between the immediate and the important. Guide me in how I plan my time for Your honor and glory. Amen.