Never Mind Your “To-Do List.” Battle Busyness with a “Stop-Doing” List

For many of us, busyness is like a badge of honor. We take pride in running from the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning to the moment our heads hit the pillow at night.

But busyness can also be a tool of the enemy. It distracts us from what really matters in life. We can’t do it all. Sooner or later, something has to give.

Recent surveys detail what people say they’re sacrificing to their busyness:

• 56 percent lost sleep
• 52 percent cut back on recreation
• 51 percent quit hobbies
• 44 percent spent less time with friends
• 34 percent sacrificed time with their families

The secular survey didn’t ask about faith, but time with the Lord is often one of the first things to go when we’re too busy. When we’re distracted from God, we’re distracted from our purpose and our calling, too.

Author Alli Worthington will be our guest on our radio program “Finding Peace and Purpose in the Midst of a Busy Schedule.” She’ll share some practical tips for making a “Stop Doing List.”

If your schedule is out of control, she suggests running everything you’ve said “yes” to through what she calls the “Five F’s of decision making”:

• Faith.
  Look at your options in light of Scripture. Is this something that God wants? Pray about it.
• Family.
  If you’re married, what does your spouse say? If you have children, how will your choices affect your kids?
• Future.
  What could be the future rewards and consequences of your decisions. The right decision today can help you say no graciously to other opportunities.
• Fulfillment.
  Contentment doesn’t come from overextending ourselves but from living in the center of God’s will.
• Friends.
  Many counselors make for good decisions, but too many make for poor choices. Limit your counsel to two or three people who’ve earned the right to speak into your life.

You can hear more about Alli’s ideas when you join us on your local radio station, online, or on our free phone app. Alli Worthington is a popular author, speaker, and blogger, and the executive director of Propel Women. Her book “Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy” will equip men and women alike to get their life under better control. And our conversation with her will help you get off the hamster wheel and slow life down.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, relationships September 1, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura