Handmaidens - Work & Career Issues

May 12, 2001

Work & Career Issues

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Just A Thought
By Staff Writer Sharon Barrett
Romans 2:8 " But for those who are self seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger."

Do you seek out for yourself the glory for the work you put forth on behalf of another? Do you stand up in silent ways or boast of what you have done for a friend to let everyone know how great you are? This act is for self gratitude and does not bring glory to the LORD. Rejection of the truth on pride or the scripture above will be followed by evil. A thought of (she doesn't do half of what I do, or I did a better job) is a wrong thought and does not bring glory to the LORD. Such actions hurt the LORD!

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By Staff Writer Rebecca Orczeck

Today's woman has a constantly growing to-do list. Work, work, work, drop the kids off at music class, pick up something for dinner, be a wife, and then maybe have a little time left over for yourself.

Having so many things to do sometimes leads to mix-ups and failures in our careers. A long list of mishandled responsibilities can mean a long list of embarrassments: being shockingly late to nearly everything, showing up at the wrong place and/or time, forgetting people's names and ultimately making yourself look bad. Unfortunately, these mishaps can follow us through our professional lives long after the actual incident occurs.

How to handle it when you are feeling overwhelmed? Prioritize. Here are some tips on how to make it happen.

1. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." -Proverbs 16:3

If you are not already doing it, take your life to God and commit yourself to some serious prayer about the situation. Is what you are doing truly in His will for your life? Is there an unnecessary something taking time away from your relationship with Him and with your family? Is your Christian witness to others beginning to slip because you are so overscheduled? These are important issues you need to pray about.

2. If you feel you should, cut down on your list of responsibilities. Have a standing lunch date with your best girlfriend instead of tying up the telephone lines several nights a week. Don't volunteer for this year's flower sale at the garden club.

3. It may be cliché, but have everything -clothing, lunches, paid bills with the stamps attached - prepared the night before so the morning goes smoothly.

4. Invest in a "cook for one day, eat all week" type of cookbook. These are great time- and money- savers.

5. Never underestimate the time it takes to do something. Always allow at least twenty-five percent more time to complete a task.

6. Make two lists: the absolute must-do list, and the needs-done, but-it-can-wait list.

In addition to these several tips for time management, the biggest key is to keep the Lord at the center of everything. If you do that, He will never lead you astray.

"I'm Even Later"
By Iona Hoeppner

My tardiness and missed deadlines have become almost legendary, and the problem has only worsened since I "retired," so when I read Rebecca's article (above) I fell under conviction big time. With the prodding of the Holy Spirit I began to examine some of the causes of my lateness problems.

Working Too Hard and Too Long
As a recovering workaholic, I was sure laziness wasn't an issue, but found instead that I needed to be a bit more slothful... I work until I'm dog tired, often only getting three or four hours of sleep a night for weeks on end.... then dragging through the next morning until I get my "second wind" around four in the afternoon. I need to get a good night's rest so as to maximize the time I have the next day and to help prevent illness which I seem to be prone to anyway.

Self Employment
Being your own boss has many perks and not a few downfalls, one of them being you must be a time management expert and exert a large dose of self control. I am not overly endowed in either area, plus I am easily side-tracked. Using my planner to schedule projects helps, but I need to improve on discipline. Often when I hit a rough spot in a job I'm working on, instead of taking a short break, I begin to paint a picture and end up working on that the rest of the day.

Perfectionism
Instead of doing my best and leaving it at that, instead of performing the promised or expected task, I redo and rework and edit ad nauseum, spending four times as much time on a project as I really need to. Meanwhile my deadline has come and gone making me feel guilty and so I spend even more time to give the client some added features or art work to make us for my tardiness... so the work is even later!

Too Much on My To Do List
Like any perfectionist, I like to check things off my planner lists. Problem is, my lists are ridiculously long and I consistently underestimate how long each task will take. I also tend to allow the "urgent" to override the important, so the things that really matter may get shoved to the next day... day after day after day.

The Savior Complex
Instead of helping others solve their problems, instead of praying and counseling alone, I tend to want to jump right in and take care of the issue for them... be the savior so to speak. If they have a web problem I often go fix it when I have my own or a client's unfinished work to do. If it is a tax problem, or a legal letter needs written, I will probably offer to do it, client or not. I'm not saying this is bad, I'm just noting that I have not learned that I can't be all things for all people and still take care of my own responsibilities to family, clients and myself.

Rampant Optimism
I always think I can do more and do it better... I'll "catch up" tomorrow, I'll be faster, work more efficiently, be on time... I rarely get discouraged, hence I don't take my time problems as seriously as I ought... therefore I never really deal with them!

Ways for Me (and maybe You) to Improve:

Ask the Lord to help. This is KEY!

Take care of the body. Get needed rest including frequent short breaks and proper sleep at nigh. Eat a balanced diet and get regular exercise...

Take care of the mind. Spend a bit of time each day reading or visiting web sites related to work, hobbies, family, etc.

Take care of the spirit. Pray often. Attend church. Read the Bible. Fellowship with other believers... often.

Schedule work and work on schedule. Use a planner, prioritize and finish the important things on time. Don't let yourself or others press you into trying to do more than you can.

Do the job, then go on. Do the work well but don't obsess over it. If need be take on less work.

Learn to say "no." You're not the only worker God has.

Don't make promises. Avoid deadlines unless absolutely required to accept one

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