What would you do if you had enough time? I recently listened to a podcast by Craig Groeschel, entitles ‘Cut the Slack, Part 2’. He defines slack as, ‘Sluggishness or lack of energy, characterised by slowness, not tight or taught, but blowing or flowing at slow speed’. Another way of looking at it is, ‘Any activity that absorbs resources but creates little or no value’.
The great thing about slack is that it is easy to recognise it… in others!
Craig suggests these four steps to reducing slack in your life. 1) Start with your not-to-do list, 2) Get your to-do list out of your head, 3) Break your to-do list into actionable steps, 4) Prioritise what’s most important, 5) Take the next step. For more information on these steps, check out the podcast!
Out of 400 top business people who were surveyed, they identified that, on average, the following activities stole precious time: 6.8 hours on activities that could be delegated, 3.9 hours on escapist, mental breaks, 3.4 hours on non-essential email, 3.6 hours on low-value, non-essential requests. The average leader wasted 21.8 hours per week.
In John 10:10, Jesus says there is a thief who wants the worst for you. I would like to think I would notice something as dangerous as that in my life, and put safeguards in place to protect myself. But this week I challenge us all to consider the small things we do that are preventing us living life to the full. If you feel like you have a strong enough relationship with someone and you notice areas that they could improve on, pray about whether or not it would be right to have that conversation.