For the past year or two, it seems my routines have been out of whack, and it’s been more than a little frustrating. So what do you do when that happens? Eliminate those things that distract!

I am a creature of routine. I much prefer when things go the same way, every day, without change. Change messes with me more than I’d like to admit, and as I get older, I find myself more and more routine oriented… and more and more frustrated because of it.

Routines are good. They can be very beneficial. They can help you make the most of your time, utilizing your days for the most effective impact on your life, on the lives around you, on your community, and the list could go on.

But if there is one thing that is certain, it is that things change. Routine can only work up to a certain point, because the fact that things will change and shift is inevitable. Finding a balance between the two can be tough to do.

I have been in a season of life recently that has messed up my routine. This has impacted various areas of my life, including my desire to write more, to read more, and to study more. And honestly, I’m hard pressed to identify where the time is going that I used to invest in these areas.

I’m trying to tackle this in a couple of different ways.

Eliminate Time Wasters

It’s easy to get trapped in mindless activity. Social media, I’m looking at you! But it’s not just the endless scroll that eats up time. Add to that the little games on the phone, Netflix, news sites, and a hundred other little things that conspire to eat up my time.

Eliminate Unnecessary Urgency

Several years ago, I read a little book called Tyranny Of The Urgent. It was a quick read, but it impacted my life in a massive way. Just because something is urgent — right now! — doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily the most important thing I can do. And very often, the urgent can get in the way of those things that are truly best.

In addition, I just picked up a book that I’ll be reading over the next few weeks, The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry, by John Mark Comer. I haven’t started in on this one yet, but from what friends have told me, it’s built on the same premise. I’m looking forward to it, and the challenges it will bring.

Eliminate Activity Others Can Do

This is the simple process of delegation. I do a lot that someone else could do just as easily as I can, and probably better. It’s time to let them.

Will all of this be enough to reestablish my normal routines? That remains to be seen. But in the meantime, it will have an impact on my spiritual and emotional health, and will result in a greater impact on those things that I choose to focus on.

What I know is this: life will always be busy. That’s just a fact. I can either choose to let the busyness control me, or I can take control and choose the best things out of it all. But in order to do so, I have to be intentional. And so do you.

Question: What do you need to eliminate from your life and schedule so you can choose the better things? You can leave a comment by clicking here.