Organize by thinking ahead

At our church, all the songs, readings, and responses are projected on a large screen in the front of the Sanctuary. It makes it much easier for worshipers to follow along without having to juggle the bulletin and children, or turn the pages of the bulletin to try to keep on the right page.

When I help out with the projecting, I have to remember to go into the Fellowship Hall and turn on a second sound system and projector. The worship service is then projected on a screen in the Fellowship Hall. If a child becomes restless, a parent can take the child into the Fellowship Hall and still be part of the worship experience. We don't ever know if someone will use that option on a particular day, but we plan ahead and turn it on just in case. That is what the Boy Scout Motto teaches us: Be Prepared!

Being organized many times simply involves thinking ahead, or being prepared! I recently heard of a senior citizen complaining about the cost of the city bus service. It costs her $4.00 each time she uses it. Here's her problem. One day she realizes she needs some bread, so she pays $4 to go to the grocery store to get some. The next day she notices she is getting low on milk. So she pays another $4 to go to the same grocery store. She does that several times a week. If she would just think ahead a little, she could save a lot of trips and a lot of money on bus fare.

Thinking ahead can simply involve keeping some notes. When she notices she is getting low on milk, she could add that to a grocery list. When the luncheon meat supply is starting to get down there, add it to the list, etc. Then she can make one trip to the grocery store and get all the items she may need in the next week or two and save enough on her bus fare to pay for a lot of those groceries.

Think ahead! Think about your daily activities. Are there areas you could "think ahead" a little more and save time or energy or money? Maybe the lady above liked going to the grocery store every day. It may give her a chance to get out, which she may need. Who knows? But if it is just a lack of thinking ahead, she could fix that.


Get organized. Think ahead. Be prepared!