Kaye wrote this week's column before leaving for a conference and vacation, and she admits she is preaching to herself.
I have a confession to make.
I'm giving you advice this week that I'm currently struggling to follow myself.
By the time you're hearing this, I'm supposed to be at a conference and taking a little vacation.
Notice I said supposed to be.
Before I left, I knew exactly what was going to happen.
I would work my tail off trying to get caught up before I left.
Then I'd be gone for a week.
And while I was gone, the emails would keep coming.
Problems would still happen.
Work would continue.
Then I'd come home and feel like I was horribly behind again.
So, naturally, I considered taking my laptop and working an hour or two every day.
That sounds responsible, doesn't it?
Except there's one little problem.
If I work every day of my vacation so I don't get behind at work...did I actually take a vacation?
I don't particularly like that question.
Which probably means I need to think about it.
There Will Always Be More Work
Here's the truth I'm having to confront:
I am never going to be completely caught up.
There.
I said it.
There will always be another email.
Another project.
Another problem.
Another person who needs something.
Another building that needs attention.
Another idea.
Another deadline.
For years, I think I've carried around this imaginary finish line:
"If I can just get these things finished, then I'll be caught up."
But every time I get three things off the list, five more show up.
So perhaps the goal shouldn't be to get everything done.
Maybe the goal is to get better at deciding what deserves my attention right now.
Urgent Is Loud
Urgent things are very good at getting our attention.
They ring.
They beep.
They send notifications.
They arrive marked IMPORTANT.
They walk through the door and say:
"Do you have a minute?"
Which almost never means a minute.
Important things are usually quieter.
Your health doesn't always demand attention today.
Your marriage may not be in crisis.
Your children or grandchildren don't send you a deadline reminding you they're getting older.
Your faith doesn't send a notification telling you it's time to pray.
And your body doesn't always send a polite warning that you've been pushing too hard.
Sometimes it just eventually says:
"That's enough."
Urgent demands attention. Important requires intention.
Rest Is Important Too
I think those of us who like to accomplish things sometimes treat rest as a reward.
We'll rest when the work is finished.
There's the problem again.
The work is never finished.
Even in Scripture, rest wasn't something God suggested people squeeze in if they happened to finish everything else.
There was a rhythm to work and rest.
I'm pretty good at the work part.
I'm still working on the rhythm.
Rest doesn't mean you're lazy.
Taking time with your spouse or family doesn't mean you're irresponsible.
Going somewhere and actually experiencing where you are instead of staring at your email doesn't mean you don't care about your work.
Sometimes stepping away is part of taking care of the person who has to come back and do the work.
That's something I need to remember.
Possibly this week.
But What About the Thousand Emails?
I know what some of you are thinking.
Because I'm thinking it too.
"That's wonderful, Kaye. But what happens when you get home?"
Good question.
The emails will be there.
There may be a lot of them.
Something may have happened while I was gone.
There may be problems waiting for me.
And I'll deal with them.
That's the part I'm trying to accept.
I don't have to prevent every future problem before I'm allowed to enjoy today.
That's a difficult sentence for me.
Because working an hour or two each day feels like I'm protecting Future Kaye.
But maybe Present Kaye deserves a little consideration too.
Future Kaye may have 1,000 emails.
Present Kaye has a week she'll never get back.
There has to be some balance between those two women.
People Are Important Too
This is where productivity advice can go too far.
People aren't interruptions to our work.
Sometimes people are the important work.
A child who needs reassurance.
An employee who needs encouragement.
A friend who needs someone to listen.
A spouse who wants your attention.
Those moments don't always fit neatly into a schedule.
And sometimes the most important thing we accomplish all day won't appear on any to-do list.
I've spent much of my life working with children.
One thing children teach you very quickly is that time moves whether you're paying attention or not.
They grow.
People get older.
Seasons change.
Opportunities pass.
There are things we can do next week.
There are moments we can't get back.
The World Can Continue Without Me Here's another uncomfortable lesson for leaders.
Things can happen without us.
I know.
Shocking.
Other people can solve problems.
They may even solve them differently than we would.
Something might not be done exactly the way I would have done it.
And the world will continue turning.
Actually, if I've done my job as a leader, people should be able to function without me.
That's part of leadership.
So maybe stepping away occasionally isn't only good for me.
Maybe it's good for everyone else too.
It gives other people an opportunity to make decisions.
Solve problems.
Lead.
And perhaps discover that they know more than they thought they did.
That connects nicely with what we talked about last week:
Trust.
Teach.
Verify.
And eventually...
step away long enough to let people use what you've taught them.
Your Challenge for the Week Identify one important thing you've been postponing because something urgent keeps getting in the way.
Maybe it's rest.
Maybe it's family.
Maybe it's your health.
Maybe it's prayer.
Maybe it's a conversation.
Maybe it's something you simply enjoy.
Give it some protected time this week.
And when something urgent tries to take that time, ask:
“Does this truly have to happen right now?” Sometimes the answer will be yes.
But sometimes...
the email can wait.
I'm saying that as much to myself as I am to you.
A Lesson I'm Learning This Week Normally this section is called “A Lesson I'm Still Learning.” This week, I may actually be taking the test.
Can I step away without constantly checking what's happening?
Can I trust other people to handle things?
Can I be present where I am instead of mentally working on everything waiting for me at home?
Can I accept that I may return behind?
And can I recognize that being behind isn't necessarily a disaster?
I don't know.
I'll let you know next Monday.
Maybe I'll take the laptop.
Maybe I won't.
Maybe I'll compromise and check something occasionally.
I'm still figuring that part out.
But here's what I do know:
I don't want to become so efficient at managing my responsibilities that I forget to enjoy the life those responsibilities are supposed to support.
Final Thought
There will always be another email.
Another deadline.
Another problem.
Another project.
Another opportunity to work.
There won't always be another week with the people you're with right now.
There won't always be another conversation.
Another trip.
Another ordinary afternoon.
Another chance to simply be present.
Take care of what genuinely needs to be done.
Work hard.
Be responsible.
But don't let everything that shouts become more important than the things that quietly matter.
Because someday I don't think we're going to wish we'd answered three more emails.
We're going to remember the people.
The conversations.
The places we went.
The things we laughed about.
The moments when we were actually present.
Urgent things will always compete for your attention.
Important things are depending on you to protect it.
And Kaye...
if Charlotte and Rob are reading this while you're checking your email...
close the laptop.
References
* Sharma, Robin. The Everyday Hero Manifesto. HarperCollins, 2021.
* Exodus 20:8–10.
* Mark 6:31.
* Luke 10:38–42.
* Ecclesiastes 3:1.
* Psalm 90:12.
* Matthew 6:34.
Remember... life isn't changed by one big decision. It's changed by the little decisions we make every day. Today's small choices become tomorrow's legacy. So choose wisely, love deeply, keep learning, and keep growing. Until next Monday, have a wonderful week... and keep building your legacy, one small choice at a time.