I often go to bed at night thinking of all the things I need to accomplish the next day. In fact, sometimes I fall asleep without finishing those thoughts. When I wake the next morning many times it’s with a groan of despair thinking of all those items I need to check off my list for the day.
How many of you also make to-do lists, either mentally or written out? If you are like me, it seems as if that list is never complete. At the end of the day it is rare that I have checked off all my to-do items. Most of the time I look at the unfinished list and I feel like a failure. Why couldn’t I do more? Where could I change? I know I have some lazy down time in my days; why am I not more productive?
That night I go to bed thinking of the things I didn’t do as well as the things on my list for the next day. The list just gets longer as I tack on the unfinished chores from today onto tomorrow list. It’s a never-ending cycle.
How do you measure a day?
We all have the same amount of time in a day. There are different ways to measure it though. We know that a full day is 24 hours long. This works out to be 1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. We can measure a day from sun up to sun down or from the time we rise to the time we retire. Every day is the same. We each get the same amount of time; it never changes.
It’s easy to look at our day and see all the things we did not get done. It’s easy to measure our day by our failures and shortcomings. But maybe there is a better way to measure what a day truly is.
Instead of measuring the day by the number of hours, minutes, or seconds we have, we should measure the day by the number of times we smiled, laughed, and rejoiced. Instead of measuring the day from sun up to sun down, we could measure the day by how often we uplifted those who were feeling down. Instead of measuring the day from the time we rise to the time we retire, we can measure the day by the number of times we lift our hands to the heavens to thank God for His gifts.
Our daily list of things to do should include more than just the chores and the mundane aspects of life. I propose that our to-do lists include the more important daily goals- finding God in the beauty around us, making our children smile, doing something nice for someone else, giving ourselves a compliment, making lasting memories with those who mean the most to me, sharing God’s love with those around us. When we do this we stand to make our days more meaningful and more joyful. We also stand to accomplish more on our list than if it is simply a list of chores. When we find joy in what we are doing we are more likely to actually do it!
How do you measure a day?
I am striving to measure my day by counting the moments that take my breath away; by reveling in the smiles and silliness that take over my home; by cherishing the love that I both give and receive; and by finding God’s glory in both the good I encounter and the difficulties I endure. I know by spending the time I am blessed with in this manner I am sure take advantage of every moment with my family, with my friends, and with my Savior. That sounds like a more productive way to measure my day.
