“I’m busy.” How often does that singular reason keep us from doing something? A key to overcoming the “busy beast” is finding intentionality. Being intentional takes discipline and thought, but it frees us from becoming slaves to our schedules. Here are a few questions that help us be intentional:
1. Does this matter? Always contemplate an opportunity’s value and importance. Certain things just don’t deserve our valuable time on a regular basis (mindlessly scrolling social media, etc.). Asking what is important highlights our most necessary tasks but also reveals our biggest priorities. However, remember there are times we need things that aren’t pressing or important that give us rest.
2. Who does this benefit? This question helps us avoid selfishness and self-neglect. There are many times we become unbalanced because we get carried away giving too much time to our career, to ourselves, to our children, to a problem, or to others––to the determent of other things that matter. When we serve people and priorities in balance, we are practicing intentionality.
3. What’s missing? If you have a deficiency in your diet, you ask, “What am I not getting?” and then you supplement. Being intentional about spending your energy forces us to make sure we are checking all the boxes on what matters and is necessary. By surveying what all you are doing, you’ll probably see what you are missing.
4. Where does godliness fit? As a Christian, this is more reminder than question. Don’t ask, “Where does God fit?” If that is the question, the answer can easily become a frame of time (think 8:30 or 10 on Sunday morning). Instead, the quality of godliness should show up across our week and it demands we also spend time with God. Being intentional on how your “Christian light” shines in your work/school week, in your leisure time, in your most pressing and least pressing tasks is a must for followers of Jesus.