“Do More” Lists
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
As an educator, I am blessed with summers that I don’t have to go into the office and classroom. Although I’m (technically) not under contract, I do still work here and there over the summer preparing for future classes, researching, and other random projects. But for the most part, summer for me is about getting work around my house done. Each summer I create a To Do list that includes a variety of projects I plan to work on while I have time. My list is usually long with the hopes to get everything marked off, but the realization that I won’t get to everything. So I prioritize my list with the most important first and the least important projects that can wait until next summer if absolutely necessary. This is my eighth summer as a professor, and I have yet to mark off every item listed. And that is OK.
Well…. no, it’s not always OK. Actually…. it’s rarely OK that I leave tasks left uncompleted. To be perfectly honest, that drives me nuts! But I have to tell myself that it is OK because I tend to fall into the trap of making a “Do More" list instead of the typical “To Do” list. My Do More lists have morphed into major undertakings during some summers, and I also noticed a growing similarity year-over-year of two primary characteristics which tend to be flaws….
Most items on my list are things that, if and when they are completed, don’t really6 make much of an impact on my family, neighborhood, or world. It’s ‘stuff’ I need to get done to put my own world in order. You know…. purge the closet, clean out the old shed, pressure wash the front porch, restructure the flowerbed, have a yard sale…. to mention a few.
Don’t get me wrong, these tasks need to be done, but I’m the worst at placing things like these at the top of my list. Prioritizing the ‘stuff’ at most important is something I’m really good at and ashamed to say at the same time. But I do it every year. I tell myself that if I do more of these types of tasks over summer, then I can focus on what is more important during the school year. Let me tell ya…. it don’t happen that way! I was purging closets over Christmas break!
Now you’re probably saying to yourself, “What is the purpose of this devotion? We all have ‘stuff’ to do, things we need to get done so our life is organized and under control.” You’re right! We do have a lot to do. And as women, I believe we have even more ‘stuff’ to do because we take care of the house, the husband, the kids, the pets, the garden….. and on and on and on! We also tend to want to ‘do more’ with less time as well.
Last evening, I sat down and made my To Do… oops…. Do More list for this summer. I am a busy-body, and I always have my hands in something (usually a lot of somethings!), and this summer is no different. I want to “Do More” with every summer that comes my way. After I listed several projects and tasks, I decided to make a schedule for the next two weeks. You see, June is a crazy-busy month for me, so I wanted to “Do More” during May. However, May has nearly disappeared before my very eyes! I don’t know where the month went, but it is nearly gone. Today is May 20th!!! How did that happen?!?!?
So, I made a schedule for the next two weeks to get myself organized and in a place where I feel I have everything under control. To make sure I had everything from the Do More list transferred to my schedule, I noticed I missed one task…. Visit Mom! My mom lives 100 miles away, so I don’t get to visit her often. With church and work responsibilities on Mother’s Day weekend, I didn’t get the chance to go visit her then. I told her I would come visit in the next week or two to spend the day with her. Here I made a schedule of all these projects to do around the house, for school, for work…. and forgot to include my Mom in my itinerary. I realized that my “Do More” concept is good, but I need to redirect and refocus on what it is I need to do more of. So I thought I would share my new Do More list for summer 2024….
Do More with Mom - call and visit more often
Do More with my granddaughters - more overnight stays, special trips, ice cream!!
Do More with my family - call and visit more often
Do More for me - more healthy eating, exercise, and rest
Do More with God - This is the big DO MORE! More time, focus, and study
Jesus reminds us that God should always be top priority on our list, especially our “Do More” list. If He is, then all the other things will come to be. Not only will my new “Do More” list be accomplished, but I’m confident that somehow, someway I will complete all the ‘stuff’ too. We do know that God stopped time once (see Joshua 10:12-14), so I’m certain He will help you accomplish everything you have to do on your Do More list.
How can you reprioritize your "Do More" list? What are some things you can eliminate? What do you need to add?? Share you thoughts and comments below!
