It is not how long you live that counts but how much impact your life makes. What sort of legacy are you leaving behind? I like what Stephen Covey said about the clock and the compass in his book, First Things First. He said that the clock represents what we do with and how we manage our time while the compass represents our vision and direction by which we live our lives underpinned by our values. Covey argued that the compass is more important than the clock. Yet most of our attention is focused on the clock.
The power of the clock is so strong in a hyperactive and connected 21st century where everyone is time-conscious. We are so busy running life’s race according to the clock that we fail to check if we are busy running the right race. But time is meaningless if it lacks purpose and direction. This is why the compass trumps the clock. Operating the compass first ensures that you are running the right race which guarantees that time works for you rather than against you.
As a Christian, the Bible which is God’s word is my personal compass. I have a standard to guide my life which I strive to live by. This is the reason why the prophet, Moses, prayed in Psalm 90 verse 12 that God ‘teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom’.
Question: How do you manage the demands of the compass and clock in your life? I would love to hear your management strategies.
One reply on “The Clock and the Compass”
Thank you Ola,
for me there are 2 issues:
Short term time management and Long term time management. Both underpinned by my long term goals, vision, purpose or destiny.
Short term- I am more concious of time on a day to day basis so I plan, prioritise and execute and therefore time management is important otherwise you end up at the end of the week having achieved nothing.
Long term- With this I have a vision of what my God given destiny is and I have an overview plan of the steps I need to take to achieve them but without the detail. More of an overview of what I believe is what is going to help in my human understanding . With this time management is not of the essence simply because “God has a plan and a destiny for us even before we were born” secondly “Everything has a time and a season”. I still need need to know my vision, my purpose the promises of God over my life and have a plan and God directs my footsteps,lights the way opens and closes the doors until you arrive somewhere you could only have ever dreamed of or imagined. Time is not of the essence as Gods promises, his Grace and my faith. Get me there.
“I can do All things through Christ who strengthens me”
” It’s not by might nor by power but by the Spirit”
I am really quite excited, thank you Ola for the reminder. I could have said so much more on this subject but alas it’s time to start my day.
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