Customer Reviews

Time Management for Catholics

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Written by successful motivational speaker Dave Durand, Time Management for Catholics offers reliable techniques for overcoming procrastination, making efficient use of one's time and keeping one's spiritual life a priority. Individual chapters address useful time savers such as kicking excessive television addiction, setting reasonable goals, keeping personal papers and supplies organized, and much, much more. Although written especially for Catholics and with a strong emphasis on the importance of keeping one's heart open to Christ, the useful physical and mental techniques in Time Management for Catholics are quite applicable to time-starved readers of all faiths and ecumenical backgrounds.

Wow! As a convert to Catholicism, I always was in awe at what made good Catholic families tick and how they managed to get everything done, have awesome kids, and seem very balanced. Here is the answer! This book is unlike any time management book you've ever read, and it is indeed distinctly Catholic and prayer centered. I would also recommend it for Protestants as the same principles could help them as well. The key is balance balance balance, prayer, and priorities. After trying this book out I found my time was actually increased and I got more done, and felt good about it too! We even have been successful in launching family prayer. Can't say enough. Buy the book!

What better way to learn about time management than during those otherwise unproductive drives to and from work? I appreciate the perspective from this CD. Catholicism is not just a chapter at the end of the book, but informing and interwoven throughout the sound principles and techniques taught by secular professionals in this industry. But, don't assume you can accomplish time management changes just by listening. You must still do some assignments at a desk (or kitchen table). Now if they could only include those appendix materials with the CD...

Dave Durand has written a sort of different "Time Management" book. He speaks about applying Catholic "big picture principles" to our lives. As Catholic Christians, these, of course, must come from the "Master," he says if we are to have a "reliable way to tell which of the demands on our time require primary attention." There will come a time in each of our lives (even if it happens only at the end) when much of what we have chosen to do, or have had as our priorities, will be meaningless and insignificant, unless they have been centered in Christ. If at the end, when the whole purpose of our life will be realized and affected, then, according to our priorities in life: "In Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power" (1 Cor 15:22-24).

Therefore, Mr. Durand tells us to get things right. First, he says, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (Mt 6:33), which means, he says,
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God must always come first among your priorities. If your kids' soccer league schedules games before the end of Sunday Mass and you're getting ready to rush out after Communion so you can get to the field on time, your problem is not time management. As a Catholic, your chief concern must be holiness. If you hold fast to that principle, you'll have to make some sacrifices, but God will help you manage your other priorities if you put Him first. This is part of Jesus' promise at the end of the verse that "all these things shall be yours as well": Let this great command of our Lord act as a compass in your life, giving order to the whole. With it, you have an all-purpose way to decide between competing demands.
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He says there is a good reason for this, because "For where your treasure is, there your heart is also" (Mt 6:21). Jesus tells us, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Lk 12:15), and it is useful to "ask yourself if you really believe Him.... [And] This is especially true for parents, whose time spent with their kids will reap dividends beyond imagining." He is talking about making time for God and family, making sure that the desire for money and material things does not ruin our spiritual lives--a great resolution for to make for our families. His advice: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Mt 6:20). By the way, "Where is your treasure?"

Another example he gives is familiar to us.
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It's so easy to value your account balance, or your job, or some earthly pleasure more than God. It can happen without realizing it: a passion begins to consume more of your life until finally there's room for nothing else. Millions of alcoholics, workaholics, and shopaholics bear witness to the fact that this kind of ordering of priorities can be destructive.

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This all fits in with the quotes he gives in this regard, "You can't take it with you," or the person "who dies with the most toys doesn't win, but goes on to face judgment like the rest of us." Only our spiritual treasure will go with us. God's plan is that we share His eternal happiness with him forever--we, meaning, you and I and our families. That must be priority #1.

This is a wonderful book. It is not only about managing time well but provides the tools to order your life to God in every way. It challenges you to make explicit your priorities in life (your real goals) so that you take care of the most important things first and secondary or unnecessary things later. In this way, you can make time for prayer, daily mass, understanding the faith more deeply (usually through reading), physical fitness, etc. Therefore in a way this is not only a time management book but a spirituality book, that is, a book that is about living the following of Christ more deeply. He first gives some of the tools to order your life (ch. 1-19). Second, he explains how to avoid major time-wasters (ch. 20-21), and third he shows how you ought to have time for spiritual things (ch. 22-27). In the appendix he provides a look at how Catholic time management is different from secular time management while also including a spiritual reading list, daily prayers and an examination of conscience.

There is no magic pill or fix in Durand's book. It is the simple truth that we all know but fail to put into action.