Chop Down The Tree

Do you spend a lot of time at work preparing? You know, like preparing for the next meeting. Preparing for a presentation. Preparing to LEAD a meeting. Preparing a document for your boss. If you are in sales, you have to prepare for your sales calls. Even if your vocation is in sports you have to prepare before the game (i.e. practice, eat right, have the correct equipment, etc.).

Most of the time though, we are so rushed running from this meeting to that, or trying to eliminate emails, that we barely have time to get to where we need to be on time let alone prepare for whatever it is we are going to.

I am here to encourage you though.

A real Christian businessman understands that preparation is the key. It is the key to success. It is the key to being productive. It is the key to making the best out of every situation. It is the key to honoring God.

“Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.” Prov 24:27 (NLT)

I like the The Message translation as well:

“First plant your fields; then build your barn.”

Abraham Lincoln given eight hours to chop down an apple tree said he would spend six hours sharpening his saw and two hours chopping it.

 

We on the other hand given this same task will most likely just start chopping it as soon as we can get our hands on an ax; and in the end take even longer to cut it than the eight hours allotted.

For every 15 minutes of doing (leading a meeting, doing a presentation, being on a sales call) it takes one hour of preparation. The end result of using our resources and time well is honoring to God and a way to have success. If you will put proper preparation into practice by building in time to prepare for whatever it is coming next, you will be amazed at how much better things will go. Block out your calendar 30 minutes prior to that important meeting so you can prepare properly – you won’t regret it!

How can you adjust your calendar this week to allow for more preparation?