I Used to Really Dislike Showing Up Early
What and how that's changed to peaceful experiences
Being early
I used to hate showing up early places. It always felt like such a waste of time. I'm a guy that always has a project going on, so to show up early meant to take time away from my projects.
When Google Maps came out, I found a way to almost accomplish everything I wanted. I could time things to show up right when something started. It didn't always work out. Sometimes I encountered accidents, road construction or simply ran late for various reasons. Whenever that happened, my rush to get somewhere actually turned into a race against time. I now had to get to the place quickly, or I'd actually be late.
Then it became a thing where I'd walk into a place, have to apologize, and instead of walking in with peace I was more anxious.
That wasn't good.
Realizations, Tools, and Disciplines
However, all that changed with a few realizations, productivity tools, and new disciplines. Here are a few of my recent key takeaways:
I can take my projects with me now. Especially when it has to do with writing. In fact, I'm writing this right now because I was early to a meeting, and I’m happily taking advantage of the new location to write this down.
I've got a powerful phone that can connect to a keyboard and mouse. I can work anywhere I want now. Although I’m not writing this one out on the keyboard and mouse, I do have that opportunity.
I've got Otter.ai to create voice notes wherever I'm at. This has been one of the most powerful tools for me. I can create the voice notes, and then take the transcription immediately into my writing notes.
I've got UpNote which lets me take notes anywhere and access them anywhere. Above I mentioned I was writing this on location, and now I’m making some updates. Two different devices. Ease of access. Ease of updating.
I've also got a blow-up camping mattress in the back of my vehicle, so I can rest, pray, or sleep if I've either got a long drive to make or the timing doesn't work to go back home between adventures. I actually did this last weekend between church and a wedding I was taking pictures for. I really like being able to go into the back of the vehicle wherever I’m at to spend some extra time with Jesus. I totally recommend doing this, especially if there are lots of bugs outside places.
Positive Results
So with all these things combined, I feel a lot better with attempting to show up to places early. Things don't always work out perfectly. Sometimes things attempt to get double booked when I've got multiple friends doing things at the same time. Sometimes things just happen that I couldn't foresee or just didn't ask the Lord clearly on. Whenever those things do happen, I apologize and work to do better the next time.
The main thing is that I've learned a big thing. I arrive more peaceful, and it allows me the ability to honor the people I'm visiting while also being able to accomplish the projects I've felt on my heart.
What are some additional ways I can level up that might help you too?
Grow in my hearing of the Lord for what specifically I’m supposed to be doing each day. This is a two-part exercise. One, I’ve got to be disciplined to ask the Lord, and two I’ve got to hear clearly on which things to go to. As I’ve seen with everything else in learning to hear the Lord, this takes some time to learn to hear Him clearly. So I’ve just got to continue to put in the time.
Begin to schedule events with enough time between events. It’s not just about the driving time between places, but it’s the additional 15ish times of space between events. This provides the wiggle room that’s needed to keep the peace, not rush, and be able to honor people.
Learn to say no to things. I’m just one person, and I can’t do everything I want to. I can’t go to every event I want to go to, and I can’t be there for every person I want to be there for. Sometimes, I’ve got to point people to other people, or I’ve got to prioritize some things over other things. When priorities happen, I’ve got to be able to just say, “Thanks, but I just won’t be able to do this.”
Eventually, hire someone to help with some specific tasks I could actually offload to others. I can pursue writing, spending time with Jesus, and engaging in life more if I delegate the task of publishing my writing to someone else. What does that really have to do with showing up early? By delegating, I free up time. So hopefully one day, I’ll be able to do something like that.
What about you? Do you show up early, on time, or late? How has it made you feel? Do you recognize a difference in your life? How have you seen it make a difference for other people?
Love your process! Good job!