“Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don’t for a minute lose sight of them.  They’ll keep your soul alive and well, they’ll keep you fit and attractive.”  ~Proverbs 3:21-22 (The Message)

In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s extremely important to keep balance in our daily activities, relationships, and responsibilities.

When things seem out of control, it’s good to re-evaluate your commitments and be realistic with prioritizing and/or elimnating each of them.  Below are a few tips to help you do this:

1. On a sheet of paper, write down everything you have commited yourself to or are responsible for (include family responsibilities, church responsibilities, jobs, extra-curricular activities, etc.)
2. Highlight the things that are ABSOLUTELY necessary
3. Place an “X” over the things that could be eliminated

After completing these three steps, number 1-5 on a separate piece of paper. 

List in order of importance the highlighted responsibilities.

Remember, your priorities should follow this standard:  God first, family second, then other responsibilities in descending order.

There’s a popular country song that has the line, “Live like you were dying”.  Think about it…..It might help you maintain your priorities!

“Integrity and the Anointing”

Come join me tonight at 7:00 pm

Lake Region H/S

 Eagle Lake, FL

ONE HOUR OF PURE POWER!

Exciting!  Relevant!  Life Changing!

 “Married & Lovin’ It”

Building a Rock Solid Marriage

March 12th-13th

Marriage Enrichment Conference, Lake Region H/S, Eagle Lake, FL

Topics:

• Why Are We So Different?

• Just Us Girls

• For Men Only

• Practical Parenting (break-out session)

• Constant Communication (break-out session)

• Any Quesions?

“Through God’s Word and real-life experiences,  This seminar is filled with laughter, discovery, and revelation, and equips couples to “let go of the little and embrace the luscious!”

$25 per couple (Due on or before March 7th)

(Includes dinner Friday evening & lunch on Saturday)

Schedule:

Friday, March 12th, 7:00-9:30pm

Saturday, March 14th, 9:00am-5:00pm

To register, for more information, or to sponsor a couple, contact us at brigette@brigettewagner.com or mail payment to PO Box 2232, Winter Haven, FL  33883.

    “Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don’t for a minute lose sight of them.  They’ll keep your soul alive and well, they’ll keep you fit and attractive.”  ~Proverbs 3:21-22 (The Message)

As a mom, minister, wife, friend, business woman, and music teacher, life gets “a little crazy” at times.  Most days are spent helping the kids with school, running them to gymnastics or dance, working, ministry, cleaning, and “putting out fires”.

Years ago, I realized that I had to find a way to “create balance out of everyday chaos”.

If you struggle with keeping balance in your life, you might find that balance by incorporating the following:

• Color Coded Calendar – Get a calendar (month-at-a-glance).  Write in appointments and re-occuring responsibilities 3-6 months out.  Color-code (i.e. Orange = family, Green = special appts., Blue = business, etc.)
• Make a List – Get a small, spiral bound  notebook.  Write each day of the week on the top of the paper.  List appointments accordingly by importance or time.  If a task isn’t completed on the assigned day, move that task to the next day.  When all tasks are completed for each day, remove that sheet from the notebook.
• Disperse Household Duties – make responsibilities age appropriate for kids. 
• Use Your Electronic Secretary – Allow voice mail to answer calls.  Return calls at a convenient time.  This is not being rude.  It’s managing your time wisely.
• Make Meals Easier – Use a crock-pot to prepare meals.  Prepare extra food when cooking so you can freeze the left-overs and use them on a busy day.
• Combine Errands – Look at your week and group errands together so your “running time” is used to it’s fullest potential.
• Carpooling - Trade driving the kids to sports/activities with a friend.  
• Kid Swap – Trade babysitting hours with a friend.  This will give both you and her several hours of “alone time” to run errands or go to appointments that are not kid appropriate.

There’s much to be said about prioritizing.  I’ll share some great tips with you about that next time.

You don’t have to feel like things are “out of control”.  Take a little time to implement these proven steps for creating balance in your life.  You’ll be glad you did!

*photo above taken from www.freefoto.com