Near Miss

There are a couple of indicators in my life that show when I am too busy. One of them is my car and the other is my desk.

When my car gets really, really messy and you can’t see the floor for all the Wendy’s bags waiting to be thrown away, it means that I have been on the road too much. I’ve been consumed by events, Scout meetings, family functions and various other showers and birthday parties. And it most likely means that I’m running on empty, I’ve been stretched too thin and I need some rest.

The other indicator is my desk. When my desk gets messy, it shows that I am too busy and I’m probably not managing my time well. When I have a lot to do, I feel the pressure of needing to get it done. When I finish the main part of a task, instead of seeing it to the end and filing what needs to be filed, I leave it on my desk thinking I’ll file everything at one time and I move on to the next task. This situation occurs because I get great satisfaction out of being able to check something off of my “to do” list.

Yesterday evening, my pastor called and needed to know where a set of plans were. They were rolled up under my desk and he had to go in and get them. The first thought that ran through my mind was a mental picture of what my desk looked like when I left the office. The next thoughts were of my pastor being buried alive under an avalanche of papers. He would most likely sustain serious, if not critical, life-threatening injuries and wouldn’t be found until the next morning when the first of the staff arrived at the office.

Thankfully, he was able to retrieve the plans without incident. It served as a good reminder, though that I’m not helping myself by moving on to the next task. I’m really only slowing myself down because of the extra time it takes to find things in the mess.

So, how are your desk and your car? It’s good to have a couple of indicators to let you know how busy you are and if you are making time for God, for your family, and for your best work.