Is Your Calendar Sick?

Hey Dad, in case you didn't know: Your time is important! You only have a limited amount to use for yourself and to share with others. Your daily job duties are vital to your family's survival and prosperity. Weeks in advance, your commitments to family and friends often fill those empty white boxes of your calendar. Your children have practices, doctor visits, award ceremonies, and rehearsals. By the time all these appointments and plans are completed, Monday strikes at your heels like the neighbor's pet chihuahua! All the while your asking, "Why do I never have enough time?" Dad, it could be that your calendar is sick.

As a husband, father, minister, student, writer, and yard trimmer I found myself circling in this revolving door of not having enough time left at the end of each week. There was little to no time nor energy to spare for my wife and children. I came to the hard realization that I was giving my family the rest of my time instead of the best of my time. Then one crazy day, I jumped out of that revolving door of busyness, turned, and looked through the glass in hopes to critique my own time management flaws.

Since we all have the same amount of time in a day, I wondered how other dads seemed to have good quality time with their children, while many of them had more of a time-demanding job than I.

What did I find out?
I had a sick calendar! I also discovered the things gobbling up my time were the things not even important to me such as TV times, naps, and time-consuming hobbies not involving my family. I then looked at things that should be important in my life such as time with God and His Word, and time with with my wife and children (just being a dad and not a chauffeur). Through this process I discovered this truth: The thing that had become the most important to me was my Schedule over and above the appointments written on it!      

It was time for me to get seriously committed to a life of parental non-regrets. I grabbed a pen and started making radical marks through my calendar. I scheduled in my routine the major goals I wanted to accomplish for each day.

For each day, I schedule block times for:
1. An hour alone with God including prayer time and morning devotional.
2. An hour for exercise.
3. Three 15 minute prayer breaks.
4. One sit-down-meal with my family.

For each month, I schedule block times for:
1. At least 2 Family Fun Days (an entire day devoted to hanging out together as a family)
2. A complete reading of a book aimed to help me be a better parent and husband.
3. A date night, lunch date, or DVD on the couch with my wife (you know it!)

These above appointments get scheduled in each week and month BEFORE anything else is penned for that week or month!  Since implementing this scheduling discipline I have found I actually have more time for work and I'm more productive at work. My schedule was finally balanced by penning the appointments that needed to be important in my life. Did you notice what I did not schedule on my calendar? That's right: TV time, naps, and time-consuming hobbies without the family. These time-gobblers quickly faded away and have never been missed!

As Dads, let us not give our families the rest of our time but let us give them the best of our time!