If so, you can . . .
Water your houseplants.
Write a note to a friend.
Fold and put away a basketful of laundry.
Read several chapters from the Bible.
Play a game of tag.
Clean the bathroom.
Organize a draw in your desk.
Take a walk.
Prepare vegetables for a salad.
Catch up on a few zzzzzzzzzzz's.
Vacuum your living room (or possibly your entire house.)
Sit out on the patio and soak up some sun.
Exercise.
De-clutter a counter or your kitchen table.
Read a story to your kids.
Check your emails.
_________________ Fill in the blank
And, to think! This is just the tip of the iceberg of possibilities!
When you stop and think about it, you can accomplish a lot in the short span of fifteen minutes. Add those fifteen minutes up, over the span of a week, for instance, and you have a grand total of one hour and forty-five minutes to work with!
{Photo Credit}
Sadly, for most of my life, time has managed me.
For some odd reason, I have always used time (or rather the lack of time)
as my excuse for not doing all the things I need,
or even want, to do.
"I'd love to write dear Mrs. Lee a letter, but I don't have enough time."
"I really need to eat breakfast before I rush out the door, but I don't have enough time."
"How I wish I could spend more time reading God's Word, but I just don't have enough time."
"If only I could fit exercise into my day, but I just don't have enough time."
Sound familiar?
Is time (or your supposed deficiency of it!) dictating your life?
Is time (or your need for more of it) calling all the shots in your day?
Quite honestly, most of my time is spent thinking about not having enough time.
"I only have fifteen minutes before I need to start dinner. I really wish I could sit outside and write for a little bit. But, by the time I gather my laptop, dust off the lounge chair, and pour me a glass of ice tea, it will be time to come back in. If only I had more time to do the things I really want to do. Someday, I'm going to have to figure out a way to find the time to do what I want to do, like sitting out on the patio, writing. Too bad, I don't have thirty minutes or an hour? Oh well, guess I might as well just start on dinner. Maybe, tomorrow."
I hear you laughing and I see you shaking your head.
It's crazy, isn't it? And yet, it's what I (and possibly you,too?) do. If I would simply stop thinking about what I want (or need) to do, and just do it, I would get an amazing amount accomplished and probably lead a more satisfied life.
Need to clean out your garage?
Only have fifteen minutes?
Then, do fifteen minutes worth. Fifteen minutes each day for a month would have you pulling into a spiffy garage in no time.
Need to lose weight?
Only have fifteen minutes?
Then, do fifteen minutes of exercise. Over the course of several months, you will be able to say goodbye to those extra pounds.
Want to eat breakfast?
Only have fifteen minutes?
Grab a banana, have a bowl of cereal, whip up a fruit smoothie. Your meal doesn't have to be an event, just something substantial and healthy, packed with nutrients to help you make it through your morning.
Want to write that letter,
read that book,
(write that book!),
crochet that afghan,
organize that room,
call the widow next door,
play a game with your kids,
finish that project?
Then, do it!
You have fifteen minutes, after all! How much more time do you need than that?
God has graced us with twenty-four precious, possibility-packed hours each and every day.
Isn't it time to stop letting time manage you?
Today, choose to take control of the minutes of your day and manage them.
Don't let these precious minutes tick by, unnoticed, or unused.
Tap into them, and live each 60 seconds you've been given to the fullest.
Take every single minute of your life and make. it. count.
