The previous post’s question, “What do my routines communicate about what’s important to me?”, leads to a second:

“What’s important to me that’s not a part of my regular routine?”

1. Time with Ernie. I see him on the weekends when I can but that often gets compressed by out-of-town travel, errands, time with family and friends, etc. That’s why I’m looking forward to moving into my new home. “Stealing away” minutes here and there with Ernie will be much welcomed.

2. Time with my boyfriend. One night together on a weekend is not nearly enough to strengthen our relationship. He works a lot though, so this isn’t likely to change any time soon.

3. Sleep. It often gets crowded out by my routine. I need more.

4. Giving back. I often wish I had more time and energy to volunteer with organizations that support the underprivileged and hurting.

5. Relaxing. It’s very seldom that I sit and do nothing. I don’t tend to watch TV or movies. I don’t read many books. Leisurely days wandering through small shops or sipping coffee are rare. These times are needed, however.

Now the challenge is to make small changes in my routine to incorporate these things more inconsistently. Perhaps I can combine social time with volunteering, recruiting family and friends to volunteer with me. Or I can meet friends or my boyfriend for a horseback ride. Time is always short so we need to be creative in maximizing it. I often pray that God will help me prioritize my activities and focus my mind so that I’m able to make the most of my time.

There’s a saying that often convicts me: “When God made time, he made enough of it.” I always feel like I never have enough time. Could it be because I’m taking on things that God never intended me to do? Let’s wait for God’s direction before we commit to everything that comes our way. What do you say? Let’s ask him to show us what needs to be eliminated from our schedules. Something has to give. He’ll make it obvious what that something is in your life and schedule if you ask.

Question: What things are important to you that aren’t a part of your regular routine? How can you work them in somehow? What might need to be eliminated to accommodate what’s truly important?

A recent Sunday sermon was about creating healthy routines. “Routines communicate who and what’s important to us,” the pastor said. I’ve often said that we make time for what is important to us.

So I’ve been thinking…

…what do my routines say about what’s important to me?

1. Spending time with God and learning his word are a priority. First thing in the morning, is my Bible study and blogging time. When I’m running or riding, I’m often talking to God. I rarely miss church on the weekend, attend Bible study on Mondays, lead Alpha on Thursdays. And I close each day with a focused time of prayer.

2. Staying fit and healthy is important. I exercise every day. Some days an hour, some days more. It’s a non-negotiable in my life.

3. Work is a necessity in life. Within work there are even some routines: responding to emails and cleaning out the inbox. If there’s a message there, that means I need to respond to it or take some action before I can delete it. So you might say that a sense of order is important to me.

I also spend the first part of my day reading the news or blogs. I share items of interest with others. Being informed is important to me.

It’s important to me to be responsive to clients and colleagues. The rest of my day is about making a difference in my clients’ businesses. Meeting deadlines. Creating awareness and opportunities.

Throughout my day or week, I also make a point of connecting with people. I can get pretty isolated in my home office. So, I get out to meet new people or reconnect with networking contacts. It’s also helpful for cultivating new business.

I do need to be careful at times, however, because it’s easy to work late being that work out of my home. Making a routine of working late may say that money is important to me. Material gain and greed can become idols.

4. Contributing to relationships with friends and family feeds my soul. It’s important to stay connected to my support network. It honors God when we build up our relationships. I try to meet friends or family once a week for coffee, lunch, dinner or something. (Counting my boyfriend, I guess it would be twice a week.)

5. Time alone restores my soul. Nearly two years ago, I began the habit of having at least one night a week at home alone for relaxing. No laundry. No errands. No appointments. It’s a practice that I highly recommend and will likely continue as long as I’m working.

Question: What do your routines says about what is important to you? Do your routines reflect what you value in your heart?