Frequently before going to bed I like to sit in my favorite reading chair and reflect on the day.  I thank God for the good things, ask forgiveness when I should, try to identify what God has been saying, and think about the things I need to make sure I do the next day.

It’s a good day when I look back and conclude that I spent most of my time doing things that are really important.  It’s a great day if alot of those important things were completed in a quality fashion.

As I get older I’m determined to have more great days!  Believe me I’ve had far too many days where I looked back and felt like it was one big waste!  Here are three habits I recently picked up listening to a webinar by a guy named Peter Bergmen.

I’VE IDENTIFIED WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT TO ME

For me, it’s having a healthy relationship with God, healthy relationships with my family, giving proper attention to my health, doing ministry in India, and doing the things that enable me to do ministry in India.  That’s it!  In each of these categories there are three or four activities that I want to make sure I always have time for.  They’re the “big rocks” in my life.

I’VE STARTED SCHEDULING THE IMPORTANT THINGS ON MY CALENDAR

It’s amazing to me how much easier it is to stay focused on my priorities if I put them on the calendar.  Usually I schedule three or four big things that I want to make sure I get done, and then I leave plenty of space in the rest of the day for the unscheduled things.  My goal is to spend about 80% of my time on what I sense God is showing me is most important for me.

I’VE STARTED REVIEWING THE NEXT DAY BEFORE I GO TO BED

Starting the day with a good sense of my priorities has really helped me reduce the amount of time I waste.  We are all surrounded by distractions: Facebook, email, articles on the web, TV, phone calls, etc. It’s easy to know what we should eliminate, but what about the hard choices between what’s really good and what’s best.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO YOU?

• WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE SURE YOU GET THOSE THINGS DONE?