“There just aren’t enough hours in the day.” I hear that all the time. I used to say it myself. But it’s not true. There are just enough hours in the day. If we had more hours, we’d complain that there still wasn’t enough time.

The secret is not to add more hours to the day. Rather, we need to be good stewards of the time we have.
In ministry, one big time waster is saying yes to things we shouldn’t. If someone asks you to help with a project, do not say yes right away. Get out your calendar and decide when you will help. Estimate how much time it will take, and then double your estimate (it always takes more time than you think). If you can’t figure out where in your calendar you can schedule all that time, say no.

Check out this webinar recording: “Catechizing Baptized Candidates in the RCIA.” Click here for more information.

Part-time means part-time

Here is another good stewardship practice. If you are paid to work part-time, work part-time. By working more hours than you are paid for, you create the false impression that the job can be done in the time the parish has budgeted for it to be done. And besides that, you don’t have the free time you deserve to commit to your family, your hobbies, or your second job.

For some people, television is a big time waster. For others, it’s Facebook or Pinterest. If you cut back 30 minutes a day from a combination of TV and social media, you would gain three-and-a-half hours a week of free time. With that much extra time, you could read a novel, learn to cook French cuisine, teach a child how to sew or throw a curve ball, or take a daily nap.

Or you could do something bigger. What is your dream? What have you always wanted to do but didn’t have the time for? If you want to do it badly enough, you’ll make the time for it. Take writing, for example. From the time I was little, I wanted to be a writer. But by the time I was in my late 20s, I hadn’t written anything. Then one day, I read a definition of a writer: “A writer is someone who writes.” Seems simple, but that was a light-switch moment for me. I stopped watching TV after dinner, and I started writing. I’ve been writing ever since.

Own your dreams

What do you want to be? A dancer? A musician? A chef? An artist? Maybe you want to do what you are already doing, but at a higher level. Maybe you want to do something totally new. Whatever it is, stop making excuses. Take responsibility for your hopes and dreams.

Most of all, stop waiting and procrastinating. The right time is never going to come. If you are too old, you won’t be any younger tomorrow. If you are to busy, you won’t be less busy tomorrow. If you are too broke, you won’t win the lottery tomorrow. If you are always waiting for tomorrow, you will always be waiting. Stop waiting. Start doing.

Check out this webinar recording: “Catechizing Baptized Candidates in the RCIA.” Click here for more information.