Now, this is a quote I need taped to my bathroom mirror:
“Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles.
It empties today of its strength.”
Corrie ten Boom
Yes, I’m a worrier. And so are a lot of other people I know.
We’re old enough to realize there are many things in this world to worry about, yet we’re too young to have the wisdom to realize they’re not worth the worry.
Where does that leave us? Right in the middle—and filled with anxiety!
Think of all the time we lose each day because we’re obsessing over what we need to get done by the next morning, or before the week is over, or during the following month.
As the quote says, all this worry empties our days and makes them weak. Worse, it steals our lives, taking time we can never replace.
But I have the perfect solution. (Well, at least for those things we have power over. Check in next week for a discussion of those things we can’t control.)
What we need now is a To-Do list and a timer. And this is what we do:
1. Grab paper and pencil or get to the computer and do a mental purge. Write down everything we can think of that needs to be done.
Of course, we’ll refer to the list frequently. But our minds will be free to focus on one task at a time. We’ll be able to live in the moment instead of sacrificing our lives to next week or next year.
2. Once a day, sit down with that comprehensive To-Do list and the timer.
With everything in one place, we should need only a minute or two to update the list and decide what we’ll tackle that day.
Then why do we need the timer?
Let’s face it, we can’t turn off our thoughts altogether. But we can focus on the worry in the same way we focus on the work to be done.
That’s why we use the timer. To control how much of our lives we spend worrying.
I’m thinking five minutes a day will do it for me.
What’s going to work for you?
