Every day when I get home from work, it’s “go time.” And for me, it looks a little something like this:
- Kiss my family.
- Get the mail.
- Make lunch.
- Prep breakfast for tomorrow.
- Clean toy room so I can use it for my workout the next morning.
- Setup tomorrow’s workout.
- Add any receipts for the day to the checkbook registry.
- Take out the trash.
- Fill up the humidifier (if needed).
- Change clothes.
- And finally sit down to have family dinner.
All combined, this process takes about 30 minutes (before dinner). It’s fast and exhausting, yet necessary. Every task on that list needs to get done (at least at some point). But my to-do list doesn’t stop there. On weekends, it can also include the following:
- Mow the lawn.
- Pick weeds.
- Work on my blog.
- Fill the fountain.
- Work on the budget.
- Fold laundry and put it away.
- Empty the dishwasher.
- Etc.
- Etc.
- Etc.
You get the point. My to-do list is long. (Praise God for the Reminders app and Evernote.) But I’m sure I’m not alone. As a dad with 3 kids, I’ve accepted the fact that my to-do list will always be long. And anytime I need to check something off, I’m sure at least 3 more things will be added.
But, in all honesty, my problem isn’t the length of my to-do list. Most of the items on it are pretty easy to accomplish. My problem is that too often, I choose my to-do list over my family.
I’ve become addicted to my to-do list.
Now, I’m not saying I shouldn’t aim to get things done. As I mentioned, there isn’t an item on that to-do list that doesn’t need to be completed at some point. But too often, I wake up first and foremost thinking about all the things I need to get done. But you know what I should be thinking about? How can I love my family today?
When I make my to-do list the priority, I miss out on real opportunities to connect with my wife, kids, extended family, friends, or others.
Is mowing the lawn important? Yes. But so is playing dinosaurs with my kids, which is sure to have a much larger eternal impact.
And by the way, this isn’t limited to my time at home. I do this at work as well. Too often I focus so much on production, “getting things done,” that I miss out on truly connecting with the individuals I work alongside for 40 hours each week.
Do I need to complete the items on my to-do list at work? Yes. But taking time to connect with the people around me will lead to a more trustworthy, unified, and healthy atmosphere in my office. It could transform the work we do. Isn’t that something every business would want?>
In just a few weeks, I turn 38 years old, which means I’ve reached around the halfway point of my life expectancy. One day, I will leave this world. We all will. And what will I treasure the most: checking things off my to-do list or those times I spent laughing with my family?
Maybe you have this figured out. If you do, praise God. (Please offer some advice to the rest of us in the comments section.) But if you’re like me, it’s time to prioritize what’s truly important in life. Do what you need to do. Get the things done you need to get done. But don’t be afraid to neglect your to-do list every now and then to give your wife a foot rub, play tag with your kids, call your parents on the phone, or take a co-worker to lunch.
And when you wake up each day, instead of thinking about all the things you need to get done, make a list of all the people you may encounter and ask yourself one simple question: How can I love these people today? That’s a list truly worth checking off.
Question: How do you balance your to-do list with what’s truly important in your life? (Share with others in the comments below.)
