Pages

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Time away. . .

Someone told me once that you can tell what's important to a person if you look at where they spend their time and their money.  Time and money management are among the most difficult tasks in my estimation.  Will it ever get easier?  I think so.  

In order to successfully manage my time, I need to align my time management with my priority list.  When I sit down and think about it intentionally, my priority list goes like this:

1. Faith
2. Wife
3. Kids
4. Work
5. Me
6. Other stuff

Why this order?  Well, faith gives me the strength to be a good husband--sometimes, when I allow it to do so.  Mrs O gives me the strength to be a good dad--I couldn't do it without her support.  My boys are a large part of my motivation for being a good employee and working hard to pay for the things of life.  

Then, there's me.  I mean, I do need to stay healthy.  If you are not on your own priority list, you should be.  

You're probably wondering, "So, what did you learn?"  Well, when things got hectic, I didn't always follow my priority list with my time management.  Wanna know which categories dropped off the list?  Wife, kids, Me.  As we prepared to move, I found myself clinging to responsibilities outside the home and making sure my impending absence had minimal impact on the workplace that I was leaving, for example.  The irony of the whole thing was that my extra absence from home was taking a toll on my family.  Mrs O and the boys were short on security, and I was short-tempered.  The negative effects show up quickly in the high-stress relocation scenario.

The reality is that when I announced my plans to go, I needed to begin to allow everyone to make a plan for my absence.  People come and go all the time and it's rarely a catastrophe.  The bigger concern is the health of my family and making sure we are all well prepared to weather the bumpy roads.

Note to self: When I feel like I don't have time for family, I need to double the time I'm giving them.