by My husband and I are once again re-vamping our budget. Maybe I’m a slow learner, but it’s just starting to occur to me that the same principles that apply to budgeting our money can apply to many areas in our life.
I’m a Christian, a wife, a home school mom and a writer. I’m also a daughter, sister, aunt and a friend to many people. Budgeting my time is important.
When budgeting, most Christians tithe first and then they allot a certain amount of money in various categories. If there’s not enough money in the car maintenance category to pay the repairs, then they borrow the remainder from the entertainment category.
When the “writing bug” bit me back in December I did most of my writing at night or very early in the morning. Coffee kept my eyes propped open, and I exchanged meaningful relationships (with dh and children) for my new obsession. Getting the story inside me on the screen.
I struggled along trying to be all and do all, but the joy was gone. I poured all my creativity into my writing, and bankrupted everything else. Shortchanging God spills over to shortchanging everything.
In June, writing took a backseat to our busy summer. Ever since, I’ve been reluctant to take it up again. My heart is in homeschooling my children and I’m scared to death that even one little peek at my manuscript will suck me under.
So here’s where budgeting comes in. Time-budgeting.
- God first. When I start my day with prayer and devotions the patience and love that fills me never stretches thin…
- Getting at least 6 hours of sleep at night and taking care of my health. One way I’m being proactive about this is the supplement I recently bought at WalMart: Juice for Life–Power Fruit Formula. It’s full of whole food concentrates and Antioxidants, an energy booster much better for me than coffee. Yesterday, after little sleep (toddler had a fussy night) and a very busy day, I realized I made it through the whole day with NO coffee!!! And no grumps!) I’m also drinking quite a bit more water.
- Plan my day ahead so the important things don’t get shuffled under the carpet. Like kids.
Luke 14:28-29, “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him.”
By budgeting my time and assets, and making priorities of the most important jobs God’s given me, how can I go wrong?
If writing is God’s will for me, I’ll be able to budget it in. For now, I think He’s telling me to lay low and pray about it.
James 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” Then summing up in verse 17, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
My question for you, is how are you making time for writing while keeping your other priorities straight?
Sounds to me like God has given you a writing ministry already and its an overflow not a master(the writing of your novel)/slave(your time and energy) relationship. God bless.
I do a little in the morning between my personal devotions and getting the kids up, a little during nap/quiet time after correspondance and planning, and a little at night while the kids are falling asleep. Of course things often come up — baby wanting to nurse, DH wanting to watch a movie or use the computer himself, mom calling to chat. But, I try to just do a very little at each of my three daily personal times.
And then there are those *wonderful* moments when DH takes the kids out to the park or to a ball game!
I do most of my writing at night after everyone is asleep. I try to write a bunch in bulk to cover a week, and then schedule them. It lets me have some nights off, or a night to dedicate to another priority.
I am considering switching to mornings, though.
Although I’m a Muslim, I totally agree with thus concept of time-budgeting. It is so easy to forget that time is something that slips away and can never be brought back.
… and as always, God does come first.
Thank you for sharing this.
~ Umm Junayd.
When I was a college instructor, Time Management was one of the things I taught; which of necessity includes establishing priorities, God being at the top of the list and self at the bottom. The other key to success is to also be well-organized in all that you do: home, activities, work, every aspect of your life.
I am fortunate that God uses my pen for His Truths (Psalm: God’s mouth is the pen of a willing writer); so, I write when the Spirit instructs that I write, 3 of the books already published. I also am fortunate that my children are grown and married with children of their own; also, I retired early due to MS and other health issues. Thus, my time is a bit more flexible than is yours.
Thank you for posting this article. It is well-written and makes some very good points. Visit my blog sometime, One of God’s Pens at http://www.bonnieq.wordpress.com
Love in Christ,
BonnieQ
Unicorn Haven
Still trying to figure that one out. But my husband is great and lets me get away a couple of weekends a year to write and on Fridays and Saturdays if I feel the need.
My hubby is really encouraging too, but not that fond of spending the night alone! He’s good about taking the kids outside, or going fishing with them so I can write “uninterrupted”! ;O)
LOL you don’t want to know the answer for me. While I was pregnant with Kyle I wrote way more often…right up till he was a few months old I was fairly consistent. I would write at least weekly, but more often once (or twice sometimes!) a day. Now it is spaced across months…I can’t remember the last time I’ve wrote. Sounds like a goal for me, I will have to try to write a little now, because these are the days I want to remember most when my Lil Man is still little!
Yes they are! I’ve never been consistent at journaling, though I have several diaries. I wish I’d done better. Thankfully all the girls’ baby books have a collection of memories, but I wish I had written more. We were given a video camera when our first daughter was a month old, so we’ve got a treasure field of videotapes. Watching them takes me right back, and reminds me of so many things I’ve already forgotten. So let that be a lesson to you…don’t put it off, get the cute things recorded now or you never will! 😉 (If you’re like me, that is!)
LOL yes…if it were up to me I would not have anything, but thankfully DH is very good at bringing out the video camera often! We got ours while I was pregnant and then we lost the charger for it pretty much right away…between moving and unpacking and stuff LO was over 6 months old before we actually got him on tape…I was so upset! Plus, I had given up on finding that charger so I kept trying to contact the company to buy a new one but they kept giving me phone numbers of other stores to buy them from, and when I would call those stores they would either make me wait for the person to talk to or say they would call me back and never would. I was SO frustrated! Sad, too, that we missed all those precious moments!
Very sad, but you have many ahead to look forward to capturing! I’m amazed at all I’d forgotten. They are a blast to resurrect! If our house was burning down, after my family, I honestly think I’d risk grabbing my home video stash!
I don’t know if I would battle a raging fire, but I would try if it were smaller…I would rather live with my Lil’ Man than leave him all alone because I wanted the tapes LOL. But yes I agree it is a blast to watch the videos…hmmm that’s a great idea for this weekend actually!
That would be the smart plan, of course!
It’s funny, we always get the newborn videos out of our previous children when we get home from having our newest. It’s fun to compare those first moments and see if the new baby resembles the older siblings.
And it’s always scary to see how different I look after each labor!
Hopefully we can do that someday soon! Wade wants another little one so badly…God’s making us wait though I guess…I want to have a big family but it’s taking a little while longer than we had planned. God knows what’s best though.
Yes, He does know best. My dh and I have “planned” all of ours, dh has never been of the “quiverfull” mindset, though we admire others that have huge families. All of our pregnancies have come about b/c we felt God nudging us to have another! Dh wanted to stop at 2, which was way too few for my desires, but when our two older girls began praying every night for a baby sister/brother, it was more convicting than Dh could handle! So we had baby #3. Ours seem to all be spaced out 3 or so years apart, and they are very close in heart to each other. Just last night, dh and I were wondering if that’s why they get along so well. Who knows, I’m just glad they do!
I also want more children. And dh isn’t pushing for a vasectomy, so there’s hope! 😉
LOL well that’s good…that would be so neat if we were pregnant together! I’m sure one day he’ll realise he wants a Lil’ Man just like him!
I bet your right about how they get along because of the age gap. Me and my sister were 2.5 yrs apart and then another 2.5 between her and my brother and the 3 of us were so close growing up. Then my Mom had 2 surprises…spaced over the next 10 years…we’re still really close to them, but my younger sister (16) is always wishing we still lived at home because she feels her Home is falling apart since everyone’s moving away but her and my little brother(8). Poor thing…so evenly spaced like yours is a good idea I think.
Well, it’s worked for us, but who’s to say it’s not a good idea to have them as often as you can, right? I guess you could say I’m on the fence a bit when it comes to family-planning! 😉
I really admire/envy those families that leave their size up to God, what trust they must have! I’m kind of in awe of that. I know children are a blessing, and we could have a dozen more just like the ones we have and I’d be in love with each and every one, but for now I’m willing to let Dh say where the buck stops. May God convict both of us if we’re stalling.
:S