“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
With only 24 hours in the day, it’s almost never enough, especially when you have been unable to leverage the time of others in order to expand yours.
With this limitation, what we eventually do is identify what we believe is most important to us and focus on that for the most part of the day, leaving everything else as a distraction.
Nothing wrong with that.
But when our definition of what should be important is flawed, we spend most of our lives satisfying our desires and the rest living in regret.
For every activity you choose to focus on, something else gets sacrificed. If something in your life has to take the hit, what will it be?
There’s no comprehensive list of sacrifices that most people make, so I’ll just list the common ones.
1. Family
The transition from being single to becoming a husband was a big one for me. With more hours and fewer worries, I could drown myself in work as a bachelor and not feel like I was sacrificing anything important.
Then I got married and didn’t redefine my priorities because addictions never really allow you to think clearly.
Time spent working became the reason for several arguments. And because I had just taken a new role in which I needed to “perform” well at, performance at home wasn’t on the list.
It took me a year and a half to realise my mistake. As someone brought up with strong family values, this wasn’t ideal. And for many, it isn’t.
Our mantra is usually that we put in the extra time at work because of family. That’s our definition of sacrifice. But in the end, the currency of family is the time spent creating memories.
2. Health
In my experience, I’ve never really seen a workaholic that makes health and wellbeing a priority, unless an illness knocks at the door. Even with that, self-care is usually short-lived.
From the mental battles of depression and the need to always perform, to physical exhaustion and stress (which is almost always ignored), the work must go on. Those who are intentional about self-care have most likely received a revelation of how it boosts productivity at work.
Yes, time is limited. But it is also enough. As Solomon said, there is time for everything. We can multiply it, optimise it and be very intentional about it. The balance scale will always be tilted, but you determine the direction in each season of your life.
No book, thesis or public speaker can define what’s important for you because your life, circumstances and experiences are unique. You know in your heart what your priorities should be. You alone can make the decision and live with it. In the end, your heart will remind you. When it does, what would be your response?
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