Keeping Track – Wednesday in the Word

Keeping track of everything we have to do should be easy. We have calendars on our phones, which we program to send us alarms and take them everywhere we go. We have planners in our bags and calendars on the wall. There are scheduling apps, countdown apps, and progress tracking apps. To-do lists fill notebooks, and shopping lists hang on our refrigerators. With all of these wonderful tools at our disposal, it should be simple. But it’s not.

At least, it’s not for me. I realize there are probably people out there who thrive with all the virtual and physical reminders of what needs accomplished in the day. Don’t get me wrong. I love being organized. But what seems to work for everyone else only partially works for me. I’m simply not wired to handle alarms going off. Of course, that would mean I had to set them in the first place. If a system requires multiple steps or keeping a phone/computer in my possession, it won’t work for me for long.

I tend to be hands-on. Old-school. I like to write out a list of things to accomplish each day. Recently, because I’ve acquired many different areas of life that need my attention, I’ve created a printable document that separates my tasks into their categories. I’ve got mini-lists for housework, writing, marketing, ministry, podcasting, and my virtual assistant work. It’s not because each one has to have their own space. It’s so when I’m thinking through what I need to do each day, I remember to consider the needs in each section of my life.

A hand-written list is the best I can do, and I’m not consistent or proficient at using that. Tasks get out of order or slip through the cracks. Maybe I set aside a job on my list for another day in favor of more pressing matters. And thenI put it off again and again and again. Soon, falls off my list, and I’m not sure how. Then I scramble completing today what I should have finished a week ago.

I’m not great at keeping track of my to-do list, but I try. And in that trying, I’ve noticed something. When I take to heart Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”, my day goes better. When I sit quietly with God in His word and prayer to start my day, it calms my racing thoughts.

By the time I finish my quiet time, I make my to-do list with fewer frantic or jumbled thoughts. They’re more ordered. I can think through what I need to do without as much frustration and forgetting. Starting with God not only gives me proper perspective, it helps me keep track of all I have to do in the day and get to those tasks with greater ease and success.

Keeping God first helps me in keeping track of all I have to do. What tricks have you found to help you do the same?