有意義的一分鐘或塞滿行程的一分鐘？

為什麼我們會感到時間不夠用呢？因為我們喜歡把時間用在一堆不重要的事上。除了工作，我們又要上臉書、推特，又要載孩子去上各式各樣的才藝課，又要看電視，結果我們總是趕來趕去，把時間都浪費掉了 ！

我們的生活很少留白，我們總是拼命地將每一件事塞進行程表裡。忙碌的行程會使我們錯失最重要的一件事，那就是關係。

但是，我已經決定要經常問自己：「什麼才是最重要的？」來跳脫這一個惡性循環，不要像倉鼠在跑滾輪一樣不停地忙碌。我發現自己有時去做某些事是因為我已經習慣去做，而非因為它們很重要。一方面，以目標導向去做這些事某個層面來說對我的生活是有幫助的，但是另一方面太忙碌已經傷害了我的人際關係了。我將人放在事情的後面，但是其實人才是最重要的。

我開始去評估我所做的事是否真的是最重要的，你是否也願意開始檢視自己的時間表？

對我們很多人來說，這樣的檢視可能會令人不安甚至是很恐怖的。但是事實是，如果我們繼續維持過去的生活方式，我們永遠就是這樣。

我們在世上的日子有定時，我們無法給一天多加一分鐘，也無法給我們的生命多加一天。所以時間是我們最寶貴的資產。你是否願意加入我的行列，檢視自己如何使用自己的時間並好好利用自己的生命？我們要創造有意義的每一刻、而非把每一刻都塞滿行程。如果我們只注重把每一刻都塞滿行程，我們就不大能建立關係，尤其是長期的關係。當然我們做事要很有效率，但是人際關係不需要太有效率，就是這些「不大有效率」的時間創造了「有意義」的時間。

在舊約的詩篇裡面，我發現了一個很有智慧的建議：「求你指教我們怎樣數算自己的日子，好叫我們得著智慧的心。」(詩篇90篇12節)

© 2012 版權屬於 Jim Lange. Jim是「職場真理」事工的聖經理事長www.christianroundtablegroups.com這個事工的對象為職場人。Jim在 www.5feet20.com的部落格上定期發表文章，他也是「Bleedership」這本寫給領袖的聖經書的作者。他和家人住在美國俄亥俄州 Toledo附近。

The problem with most of us is that we have become addicted to filling our time with things that do not matter. We fill it with tasks at work. We fill our time on social media like Facebook and Twitter. We fill it by transporting our children to numerous events and after-school activities. We fill it watching TV. We find ourselves constantly in motion, squandering precious minutes and hours.

We have allowed very little margin in our lives, so we frantically rush around trying to squeeze everything into our schedule. Sadly for many of us, at the end of the day we have missed out on what really matters: relationships.

I have three questions for you to ponder: 1) How do you spend your time? 2) How is that working for you? 3) When you are on your deathbed, will you be happy with the way you have spent your time?

I heard this subject discussed recently and it got me thinking about my life and how busy I seem to be. I do not think God desires me to be this busy. I do believe He wants me resting along the way and taking time to enjoy the journey, but sometimes it seems so hard.

However, I have determined to jump off this “hamster wheel” by frequently asking myself what is truly important. I have had a tendency to do things simply because I have always done them that way. I have been very task-oriented which, on one hand, has been helpful in some areas of my life. However, it has hurt some of my relationships, as I have erred in emphasizing tasks at the expense of people I genuinely care about.

As a result, I have begun a process of evaluating all that I do and asking myself how important each opportunity really is. Would you be willing to do the same?

For many of us, such a process of self-evaluation can be unsettling, perhaps even frightening. But the bottom line is this reality: If we continue doing things as we always have, we will continue to get the same results we have always gotten. And this includes the way we use our time.

Our days are all numbered. Just as we cannot add a single minute to a 24-hour day, we cannot add even one day to the span of our lives. Time is the most precious commodity we have. So would you join me in trying to make the most of the days you have left – by looking to create meaningful moments rather than maximizing your minutes? If we are focused on maximizing each minute, this will lead to us trying to create microwave relationships. Trust me, this does not work well, especially long-term. We can be efficient with things we do, but we must learn to become very inefficient in our relationships. This is where moments are created, and they cannot always fit a convenient schedule.

In the Old Testament book of Psalms we find this wise advice: “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

© 2012 by Jim Lange. Jim is a chapter president with Truth@Work (www.christianroundtablegroups.com), a ministry to people in the workplace. He writes a regular online blog, www.5feet20.com, and is the author of a book, Bleedership: Biblical First-Aid for Leaders. He and his family live near Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A.