7 a.m. Meet friends for breakfast before school
8:15 a.m. First Period
9:30 a.m. Second Period
11:15 a.m. Study Hall
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Third Period
2:15 p.m. Fourth Period
3:30 p.m. Fifth Period
4:40 p.m. Track practice
7:00 p.m. Dinner with your family
8:30 p.m. Work on project with classmates
10:30 p.m. Watch TV/talk on the phone
12:00 a.m. Sleep
If this could easily be a page out of your student planner, have you ever considered taking a breather?
In our high-technology world, we have cell phones, beepers, palm pilots, and planner, all in competition to "schedule" our time and attention. Although it's honorable to be organized and efficient in how you spend your time, you also have to guard your time closely so that you don't lose sight of what is really important.
Sure, the schedule above looks pretty good. It has a balance of friends, schoolwork, family time, fun time, and leisure activities (such as track), but it is missing two key ingredients: time with God and time alone.
We get so used to packing our days and nights full of time with people that we forget the goal of a Christian life: to get to know God and make Him known. If you are not spending time with the Lord, you can rest assured your mind is going to be far from Him. And if your mind is far from Him, chances are your witness for Him will not be strong.
When you start your day spending time with God in prayer and Bible study, the rest of your day will be established by Him. Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
So take some time each morning, even if it's just a few minutes, to spend in prayer and Bible study with the Lord.
Another important aspect of slowing down your routine is making sure you have time just to be alone. You can reflect on what God is doing in your life, take time to pursue some outside interests, and evaluate where you're headed.
Reflection (thinking about the past and how God has shown Himself faithful) and projection (thinking about the future and where God is taking you in ministry involvements, school goals, etc.) are two great habits to develop early in life. Try setting aside an hour a week to do this and see what happens. You will likely be less stressed and not feel like you're just wandering through life without direction.
8:15 a.m. First Period
9:30 a.m. Second Period
11:15 a.m. Study Hall
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Third Period
2:15 p.m. Fourth Period
3:30 p.m. Fifth Period
4:40 p.m. Track practice
7:00 p.m. Dinner with your family
8:30 p.m. Work on project with classmates
10:30 p.m. Watch TV/talk on the phone
12:00 a.m. Sleep
If this could easily be a page out of your student planner, have you ever considered taking a breather?
In our high-technology world, we have cell phones, beepers, palm pilots, and planner, all in competition to "schedule" our time and attention. Although it's honorable to be organized and efficient in how you spend your time, you also have to guard your time closely so that you don't lose sight of what is really important.
Sure, the schedule above looks pretty good. It has a balance of friends, schoolwork, family time, fun time, and leisure activities (such as track), but it is missing two key ingredients: time with God and time alone.
We get so used to packing our days and nights full of time with people that we forget the goal of a Christian life: to get to know God and make Him known. If you are not spending time with the Lord, you can rest assured your mind is going to be far from Him. And if your mind is far from Him, chances are your witness for Him will not be strong.
When you start your day spending time with God in prayer and Bible study, the rest of your day will be established by Him. Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
So take some time each morning, even if it's just a few minutes, to spend in prayer and Bible study with the Lord.
Another important aspect of slowing down your routine is making sure you have time just to be alone. You can reflect on what God is doing in your life, take time to pursue some outside interests, and evaluate where you're headed.
Reflection (thinking about the past and how God has shown Himself faithful) and projection (thinking about the future and where God is taking you in ministry involvements, school goals, etc.) are two great habits to develop early in life. Try setting aside an hour a week to do this and see what happens. You will likely be less stressed and not feel like you're just wandering through life without direction.
