S.M.A.R.T. START THE NEW YEAR!
The righteous keep moving forward.
(Job 17:9 NLT)
Whoever said, “Procrastination is the thief of time, “ was right. We keep postponing, promising ourselves we’ll do better. Be honesty, how many of last year’s resolutions did you keep? This year do things differently. Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. In other words, make them:
Specific: Get up earlier in order to read your Bible and pray before going to work. Make time for your family. Exercise. Eat right. Take care of your body; it’s God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) (NASB) “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
Moderate: Tackling more than one project at a time dilutes your focus and makes it harder to stick with. When you start too much you finish too little. Start small and build on your successes by mastering and maintaining one thing at a time (Philippians 3:13 ) (NASB) “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,”
Achievable: Don’t try to swallow the whole elephant in one bite. Baby steps are the name of the game. Talk in terms of what you will do instead of what you won’t. For example, instead of saying, “I’m not going to be so critical,” say, “Today I’m going to look for something good in everybody I meet” (Philippians 4:8) (NASB) “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Recordable: You can’t manage what you can’t measure. Documenting your progress (or lack of it!) makes you accountable, shows how far you’ve come and what you need to work on.
Time-specific: Review your goals weekly (or daily if you’re struggling). That way you can trouble-shoot early, and change direction when necessary. The Bible says, “Throw yourself into your tasks so … everyone will see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15) (NASB) “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”
Come on make up your mind, get up off the couch and go for it!
Lord, I have too much to do,
but it’s all important.
Help me to set priorities
so that I don’t feel lost
in the pace and the pressure.
Give me wisdom and energy
to accomplish what’s necessary
without wasting time or effort.
And help me make the
best use of my day,
remembering that time
is a precious gift from You.
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