It's not too late for spring cleaning (Time is of the Essence)

"Ok kids this weekend we will be spring cleaning," my wife said followed by sighs and groans from our kids. This happens every year like clockwork. And just as routine as this exchange happens between my wife and kids, it follows with one of the children asking the question, "mom, why do we have to spring clean?"

I don't know how you respond to this question if you have a similar dialogue in your house, but we explain that spring cleaning is a way to dig deep and clean spaces that are not easily seen. That it's a time to rearrange and re-order things that may be left undone over the regular course of life. This year in our house spring cleaning involved a full house deep cleaning, building new shelves, and a complete re-arranging of the garage.

Perhaps the exhausting effort got my son thinking. A few weeks after the spring cleaning he asked, "Hey guys I'm curious, why don't we do this (spring cleaning) more frequently and not wait so we don't have to do so much at once?" I found these to be wise words from a growing teen. This thought is one not just apropos to our homes but our personal lives as well.

This week during a chat I was having with a leader I am coaching we discussed how in a 24-hour day how we spend those 1,440 minutes intentionally is key. Like a home that isn't regularly 'spring cleaned' I've found in my personal life that if I'm not intentional, over time waste tends to creep in; and before I know it, I've got a bigger problem and project on my hands than I bargained for.

So why is personal spring cleaning so important? First, how we spend our time is important in God's eyes. He encourages us to "redeem" (or make the most) the time in Ephesians 5:16. Time is a priceless commodity. As you and I both know it is not something we can buy. Like a coupon that goes unused and so is of no value to its owner, we must consider the redemption value of our time. We must exchange it wisely, making the most of the opportunity to spend it.

There are 1,440 minutes in a day. 9 hours (or 540 minutes) are spent on work or school during a normal weekday. Then if you are getting a good rest, 8 hours (or 480 minutes) are spent on sleep. This leaves you 7 hours (or 420 minutes) to prioritize what you think to be most essential to complete the rest of your day. So how do you prioritize your time? I'll tell you a quick story.

I remember being in college at USC and considering joining a fraternity. I recall the leaders brought me in a room and asked me to write on a whiteboard what was a priority in my life. I wrote the following in order: 1. God 2. Family 3. Friends 4. Work/School 5. Play.

While this order sounded like my priorities in my head, the list didn't reflect how I was actually spending my time. In doing a true inventory of my life at the time the order should have been: 1. Work/school 2. Play 3. Friends 4. Family 5. God

Over the years the incongruency between my intended versus actual priorities left me some seriously painful and life altering spring cleaning that could only one day be accomplished with God's intervention. The reality is, I wouldn't have had to go through as much pain had I aligned my time with my priorities from the beginning. So what are your priorities, and how does your investment in time align/misalign with those priorities?

I mean let's not kid ourselves, what we spend our time on we value. In Matthew 6:21 Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Treasure is valuable and is meant for spending. So, in other words, if you want to find someone's heart and what they value, find where they are spending (In this case spending their time). Rather it's your desired priority or not, what you are spending your time on has your heart.

Now don't start feeling condemned for spending time on the necessities of life. We must work, eat, and sleep. But where we are choosing to spend optional time is where the difference is made. How we spend the approximate 7 hours (or 420 minutes) is where things can be fulfilling or create an environment that ultimately will need serious spring cleaning.

My son Elijah wisely asked, "why don't we do this (spring cleaning) more frequently and not wait so we don't have to do so much at once?" I think the answer is clear that we can can all spring clean more frequently. In fact, if you are reading this, it's not too late for a personal spring cleaning. Why not start today!?

Below is an image of a simple personal 'spring cleaning priority matrix' I created for use. Insert your priorities. Do inventory and add in how much time you are currently spending on each area. Then add in how much time you actually want to spend in each area. Insert notes specifying what you will need to do in order to make those priorities a reality, then put it into action by adding these to your calendar or regular routine.

Because we are all on a journey, if you have other ideas or tools that help you keep your priorities aligned with how you spend your time please share below. I'd also love to hear how this thought is relevant for you today; or at some point how this thought after being put into action has helped you navigate your journey with others and with Jesus!