How do you get more time? Bad news, good news. The bad news is that you can’t get more time. Everyone, from Elon Musk to the guy on the street corner, gets exactly the same amount of time, 168 hours per week, no more, no less. The good news is that you can get enough time. You get enough time by putting first things first.
The word “‘first” has two meanings. It can refer to sequence or it can refer to priority. Often we do first the things that are fun, or easy, or that we will get yelled at if we don’t do them. The most important things we leave for the end, when we either run out of time, or rush and do them poorly. It helps to conduct a time audit with three categories: purpose, people, and prayer. Look at all you do in a week and consider how much goes to your calling, how much to the people you love, and how much to your spiritual life. The rest of what you do can go to the end of the line.
Putting first things first means avoiding distractions. In our time, we have the mixed blessing of phones that are distraction factories. There have always been distractions, even back in biblical time, but the phone will eat away your time and prevent you from doing the things that matter. I like the advice that John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, gave to preachers: “Be diligent. Never be unemployed a moment. Never be triflingly employed. Never while away the time, neither spend any more time in one place than strictly necessary.” John Wesley knew how to avoid distractions.
Finally, trust that God knows how much time you need. God created the universe with a perfect balance. He foresaw the movements of the sun and the stars. He foresaw the lions on the savannah. He foresaw the leaves budding in the spring. He foresaw you, and how much time you would need for your role in the cosmic drama. As the saying goes, where God guides, God provides. God knows how much time you need. God is reliable. Trust God, and put first things first.