WEBVTT 00:00:02.059 --> 00:00:04.459 Yesterday, we considered the patterns that repeat 00:00:04.459 --> 00:00:08.179 without helping us move forward. But even when 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:11.380 we escape those loops, another problem remains. 00:00:12.099 --> 00:00:15.539 There is always more we could do than we have 00:00:15.539 --> 00:00:18.719 time to do it. I think we all feel the stress 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:22.280 of the many voices calling our name. Everything 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:27.960 seems to arrive in one unsorted pile. In computing, 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:31.539 a sorting algorithm arranges items according 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:35.460 to a rule. Words might be placed in alphabetical 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:39.000 order, or appointments might be organized by 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:42.420 date. Packages might be sorted by destination. 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:46.520 The algorithm cannot determine what first means 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:51.119 until someone gives it a standard. Our lives 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:54.079 also require a way of deciding what comes first. 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:57.960 When we do not choose that standard consciously, 00:00:58.750 --> 00:01:01.390 Certainly other forces will choose it for us. 00:01:02.009 --> 00:01:05.829 The loudest request receives our attention, I 00:01:05.829 --> 00:01:09.709 think if we're honest. The newest message feels 00:01:09.709 --> 00:01:14.250 most important. The easiest task gets completed 00:01:14.250 --> 00:01:17.390 while the meaningful but difficult ones are postponed. 00:01:18.969 --> 00:01:23.469 Yes, urgency is sometimes real. If my child is 00:01:23.469 --> 00:01:27.640 sick, I should rearrange my day. Many things 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:30.760 present themselves as urgent simply because they 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:35.180 are immediate or measurable or they're a notification 00:01:35.180 --> 00:01:40.040 on my computer. So what matters most is not always 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:44.700 what calls the loudest. We might say that family 00:01:44.700 --> 00:01:48.280 matters, but we may not give our family attention 00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:52.420 they need during the day. We may value friendship, 00:01:52.700 --> 00:01:57.549 but we may postpone getting together. We might 00:01:57.549 --> 00:02:01.349 believe that rest and prayer, creativity and 00:02:01.349 --> 00:02:04.950 service are important, but then we only do it 00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:09.789 if we have time. So this does not mean we are 00:02:09.789 --> 00:02:12.469 dishonest. It just simply means that we sort 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:15.330 our days by demands that we sometimes do not 00:02:15.330 --> 00:02:19.969 deliberately choose. Our talents cannot perfectly 00:02:19.969 --> 00:02:23.520 represent our values. Sometimes responsibilities 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:27.539 require us to spend long hours on things we would 00:02:27.539 --> 00:02:30.620 not freely choose. I know I have been there. 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:34.259 So meaningful living is not achieved by constructing 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:37.939 an ideal schedule and refusing every interruption. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:43.939 But our use of time can still reveal patterns 00:02:43.939 --> 00:02:48.259 worth noticing. So today, take a look over your 00:02:48.259 --> 00:02:52.259 last week. Try not to judge yourself. But just 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:56.000 be curious. If someone saw only how you spent 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:59.740 your time, what would they conclude matters most 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:03.960 to you? Do you think that resembles what you 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:07.580 believe matters most? And if the answer is no, 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:11.740 don't try to reorganize your entire life, but 00:03:11.740 --> 00:03:16.039 maybe choose one modest correction. Try to protect 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:20.659 a little time for a person or a practice. or 00:03:20.659 --> 00:03:24.199 responsibility that matters, but something that 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:28.539 you have been crowding out of your life. A meaningful 00:03:28.539 --> 00:03:32.419 life may not begin by doing more, but by allowing 00:03:32.419 --> 00:03:34.960 something more important to come first.