I use Think Time all the time, and I love it! 

 

Emily and I are starting a new business venture of our own, so now I have a whole new stream of ideas and plans and tasks to integrated into what was already a pretty crazy life.  ​

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In the middle of juggling my job, family, household projects, and a new side business, I fall in the trap of reacting to the world around me all the time, and when I do finally get some time to myself I usually sit down at my computer, where I get bombarded with a whole new set of distractions. 

 

Think Time has changed that for me. 

 

Now, I spend much more time sitting quietly, away from distractions, where I can proactively think through the daily demands on my time and how they integrate with my long term goals and dreams.  I am much more aware of my wife’s and kids’ needs because all of the distinct aspects of my life are written down together in the same place.

 

Rosebush Tool:

Being in the middle of starting a new business, I think of new ideas I want to explore all the time but can’t because of my current focus.  Recording these in the Rosebush Tool allows me to maintain my focus on the task at hand without worrying about forgetting the ideas I come with along the way.

 

My wife and I are in the middle of starting a new business, and in the beginning stages (and maybe the whole time!) there are a thousand details to take care of.  It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the mountain in front of me and want to give up before even getting started!  I started using the rosebush tool to write down those things that need to be done (or could be done) but could be put off until later, allowing me to focus on the most important tasks at hand.  This exercise along has given me so much peace!

 

Decidere Tool:

Using the Decidere Tool helps me distinguish between the urgent and important tasks on my plate and helps me bring into focus the long-term goals I’m accomplishing with the work I’m doing in the immediate future.

 

do! Phase:

when I’m planning out my upcoming tasks and events, I have found that planning the week out on paper allows me to be so much more proactive than planning on my phone does.  I see important meetings and events well ahead of time, and they no longer catch me by surprise like they used to.

 

I am Thankful for…

Why is it that when we have so many great things going on and a few really stressful ones that we focus on the bad news and have to be reminded to be thankful for the many blessings that fill our lives?  That open space leaving room for me to fill in what I’m thankful for always prompts me to put aside all of the “to do” items I just finished sorting through and to simply think through how blessed I am, no matter what is going on around me.

 

Think Zones (My personal favorite!)

I have always been struck by the amount of stress I feel from so many different areas in my life: financial pressures, planning a kid’s birthday party, considering opportunities to serve at church, a big presentation coming up at work, a friend going through a tough time, and so on.  Simply writing them all down on the same page and acknowledging that all of those different relationships exist brings such relief from that “out of control” feeling I get when trying to think about or do too many things at once.