Let's get organized:

Day 3

Organize your Mind:

Some goals for this week: 1) Keep your thoughts on things above; things that draw you higher in your walk with God -- Philippians 4:4-8

2) Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. If you have a new baby or some other circumstance which interferes with a normal sleep routine, work out a plan to get extra rest when you can. You will be more productive, happier, and more focused if you take care of your need for sleep.

3) Somewhere near the beginning of your day, set specific goals for that day. If you have already set daily schedules, weekly schedules, and monthly schedules in place, you shouldn't have to spend a lot of time thinking about what needs doing with regard to the daily running of your life. However, it is still wise to spend a minute or two tailoring your schedules to fit the uniqueness of each day.

4) Don't become frustrated with interruptions. Look at them as unforeseen opportunities. Take care of them and get back, as best as you can, to the schedules you have set in place.

5) If an extra opportunity to spend time with husband, children, extended family, people to whom you are reaching out presents itself, consider grabbing that chance -- even if it means delaying the next thing on your to do list. You don't want to be so happy-go-lucky that you never accomplish anything on your agenda; yet, you don't want your agenda to become an inflexible idol. Consider what's eternally important in your thinking.

6) Say a quick prayer and think for a moment before saying yes or no to something that arises.

7) Limit the amount of television you watch. Think to yourself, "Do I really want to watch this program, or have I turned on the TV out of habit or as a mindless escape?" If the show will add concrete enjoyment to your life or enrich your life in some way, it might be worth watching. If, however, you're merely going to "veg" in front of the T.V. without really enjoying it, you might find that something else will be more satisfying.

8) Eliminate energy drainers from your life. Are you depressed by the sight of clutter? An overwhelming stack of unfinished projects? A to do list that seems to go on and on and on? One way to take care of these things is to allot 15 minutes here or an hour there to work on the extras in your schedule. When the time comes to work on a project or whip out two or three items on your overall to do list or de-clutter a particular space, focus on that with full attention. Otherwise, pray about these energy drainers and give them to the Lord. Let the worry go.

9) So often, it's not our to-do list that gets us down, but our attitude toward it. We may not trust that the Lord will help us accomplish His purposes for our lives, and we may fret needlessly about getting everything done that we need to get done. Or, we might -- with or without good reason -- resent some of our responsibilities. We may divide our mind so that when we are doing one thing, we worry about something else that needs to be done, and when we do that something else, we worry about even something else that needs doing. Surrendering our life and time to the Lord and focusing on what He has put in our path at the moment eliminates a lot of joy-sapping, energy-draining fretting.

10) Learn from others, but don't feel defeated if you can't do all that they do. Some women have a great gift for organization and productivity. Others have a high physical energy level. Some are in stages of life where they can accomplish a wider variety of tasks than women in other stages of life can. Whenever we see a faithful, energetic, vigorous, and fruitful woman, we learn much. We are inspired, convicted, and invigorated by her example. We make changes in our own lives based on what we learn from her. However, at the same time, we must realize that the schedule of a woman with several young women at home won't look exactly like that of a woman who is an empty nester or who has never had children. Nor, will the woman with physical challenges do in her day exactly everything that a vitally healthy woman will. We must learn the secret of learning from others without becoming discontented with our own present circumstances.

Today's task: Go through your email and sort ones you want to keep into files. Eliminate old files that you no longer need. Eliminate emails that you no longer need. Unsubscribe from any mailing lists that you no longer wish to hear from.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth