STUDY TWO WORKSHEET

© Rosemary Bardsley 2009, 2014

#1 Starting points
List the most significant things in your life at the moment – the things you give most time and most thought to. Include how many hours you give to each of these each week.

List your Biblical principles and priorities here [from Setting Biblical Foundations studies]:

List your personal mission statement here [from Study One]:

List your top four goals here [from Study One]:

#2 Check out the following scriptures.
What insight, positive or negative, do they give about the Biblical rightness of maintaining a balanced life?

About our relationship with God
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Psalm 1:1-2; 63:1-11
Isaiah 55:6-7
Matthew 6:33; 10:37-39

About our relationship with and attitude to our family
Exodus 20:12
Deuteronomy 6:7
Psalm 127:3-5
Ecclesiastes 9:9a
Ephesians 5:22-6:4
1Timothy 5:8

Work or business
Genesis 1:26,28; 3:17b
Proverbs 14:23; 18:9; 19:15; 21:25; 24:30-34; 31:10-31
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26; 3:13; 5:18; 9:10
Matthew 6:19-34
1Corinthians 4:12a
Ephesians 4:28
Colossians 3:17,22-23
1Thessalonians 2:9
2Thessalonians 3:6-13

Friends/relationships
Job 19:13-22
Proverbs 27:9-10, 17;
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

Church and ministry
Luke 18:28-30
John 4:31-34; 6:26-29
Romans 16:6,12
Colossians 1:29-2:1
1Thessalonians 5:12-13
1Timothy 5:17-18

Health and fitness [including sleep, rest and mental/emotional health]; sport and recreation
Psalm 4:8; 16:9; 38; 127:1,2; 132:1-5;
Proverbs 6:9-11;
Ecclesiastes. 2:1-11; 5:12
Lamentations 2:18-19
Mark 6:30-32
1Corinthians 6:19-20; 9:27
Colossians 2:23
1Timothy 4:8

Money and possessions
Job 1:2,3,21
Proverbs 23:4-5; 5:19
Ecclesiastes 5:13-14
Matthew 6:19-34
Luke 18:15-30; 19:1-10

Your conclusions:
[1] Is there any Biblical basis for Christians striving to live a balanced life?

[2] If so, is the commitment to live a balanced life the overriding commitment, or is there a deeper, more important commitment that should take precedence and determine when the quest for balance is either appropriate or inappropriate?

#3 What is important?
Think of all the things you have done in the past two days. Itemize them into Covey’s four quadrants below and comment on the extent to which each item contributes to your mission and goals.

QUADRANT I - Urgent and important

QUADRANT II - Important but not urgent

QUADRANT III - Urgent but not important

QUADRANT IV - Not important and not urgent

What are you going to do to minimize the time you spend on unimportant things?

#4 Life Balance Study
A. Complete these questions about the various factors in your life [see the first list you made in Section #1 above]:

Which, if any, are actually wrong in themselves?

Identify what can make even these good factors wrong?
[You are looking at these factors in terms of your principles and priorities, your mission and goals.]     

Relationship with God

Family

Work/business

Friends

Church and ministry

Health and fitness

Recreation/entertainment

Money and possessions

Personal grooming

Other

Identify any components of your life that are actually not necessary.

How does having to work 8 hours a day and sleep 6-8 hours fit in with the priority of glorifying God?

How does keeping fit and healthy fit in with glorifying God and serving his kingdom?

B. Identify imbalances and inconsistencies in your life when compared with the Biblical principles and priorities you have previously identified.

C. Define the ideal attitude you should have to these aspects of life; then list the attention and time that you actually give them each week and ideal time that you should give them to achieve balance and glorify God.

#5 Time management Study:

Note: this is a time management study of your actual time use, not a proposed timetable.

The Table below provides you with a table divided into half hour time slots for one day. Make seven copies of this. Use them to record every single thing you do for seven consecutive days, including non-work things like sleeping, personal hygiene and grooming, eating and entertainment, and simply sitting doing nothing. This will help you to work out how much of your normal week is spent in doing things that do not contribute to your mission or your short or long term goals. It will also help you to identify which of Covey’s quadrants you are focusing on.

At the end of the week go through each day and mark each activity with the numbers of the quadrant to which each activity belongs.        

Please discuss the issues of balance and time management with your Mentor.