Monday Meditation – Planning - 1/9/2023

I’ll bet each of you plans things in your life. I certainly do. I planned out which college I would attend, I planned job interviews, and oh my, what planning was required when I got married! Every day I plan for something – what I will wear and what I will make for a meal are my most common planning rituals. And of course, I plan what I will write for this blog!

Of course, I coordinate with my husband when planning large purchases, and I work with my family and friends regarding travel plans. But I do most of my planning on my own.

I got to thinking about planning this week because I have so much to plan for right now. I have to get my personal and volunteer accounting activities for year end completed. I have a few trips coming up (so I want to get a few blog posts written ahead of time) and I am hosting a gathering at my house this coming Friday evening.

But as I was thinking about all this planning, it occurred to me that maybe I’m not planning in the best way.

When I plan, I usually make “to-do” lists, which lay out the tasks that need to be done, and I note the deadline, if there is one. This helps me ensure I accomplish things in a timely manner. The things left undone at the end of the day move to tomorrow’s list.

To most people this type of planning makes a lot of sense. And it did to me, too, until I noted one thing that was MISSING from my list.

God.

Don’t get me wrong - I definitely plan for my spiritual things, such as my adoration hour on Fridays (and planning for a sub when I cannot be there), choir rehearsals and Sunday masses. But regarding my other tasks, I wasn’t considering God. Is this a task that God wants me to do? Am I considering God when I say “yes” to some activity?

That thought had me searching my computer for a blog post I wrote just a few short weeks ago about “Good, Better and Best.” As I reviewed my plans this week, I realized that I had somehow slipped back into my old way of thinking – just doing tasks without considering how they fit into what is Best for me. And I certainly wasn’t bringing God into my planning.

So I sat down with my current to-do list. I compared each item to the chart I had started which identified things that were Good, Better or Best. Sadly, many of the items on my current to-do list are not necessarily “Best” items, although many were items for commitments I had already made (and I always try to keep my commitments.) So I left them on the list.

And for all of the items I wrote “God” next to them, even if they weren’t necessarily spiritual items. I did this to remind me to keep God in the forefront of my mind as I work on each task. For example, I can pray for the person or organization for whom I am doing the task. If the task may not be a “Best” item, I can pray about it right then and there, and maybe God will give me strength to say “no” next time. Or better yet, I can ask God ahead of time (that’s a novel thought!) if this is a task I should be doing. He might give me some direction!

I hope you are not surprised that I am still struggling with my planning and activities. It takes time for me to change my habits, and I must be patient with myself. I need to keep God in mind throughout all my planning so I focus on my “best.” And I need God’s help to do that, so I am praying for His blessing on my planning and on my work.

If you find yourself struggling with planning and prioritizing your tasks, know you are not alone! We all struggle with this. Just ask God to help you as you plan – always keep Him in mind so that you can accomplish your “best” tasks.

Have a blessed Monday!

Faye

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