Book Review: Shopping for Time

I recently finished the new book, Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed, by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw.  I’ve been reading their blog for a few years, and though I often find myself relating more specifically to the writing and experiences of one of the ladies more than the others, I love the unique styles, personalities, and perspectives of each one.  They are daughters, sisters, (pastor’s) wives, and mothers…In other words, they are real.  So, when I heard about this book, I was excited to read it, and learn from their combined wisdom and experience.

Regardless of the season in which you find yourself (single, newly married, mommyhood, empty nest, widowhood), these ladies realize that each one holds its own special challenges, and is full of demands on our time and energy.  And, they understand that life is busy.  But, they are able to offer wisdom and guidance through the overwhelming busyness because they view these demands (the real and the self-imposed) through the lens of Scripture.  They start out by saying,

“We can accomplish everything that God has ordained for us to do in this life….And we can do it in a peaceful, joyful manner and get sufficient rest besides.” (pg. 13)

When I first got this book, I showed it to a friend.  She looked a little skeptical as she read the title…“How to do it all? I don’t know about that.”  Probably anticipating this reaction, the authors say,

“These tips are not our attempt at Christian-coated time management principles.  Rather they are biblical, life-tested practices we trust will encourage and assist you to bring glory to the Savior through every season of your life.” (pg. 26)

Using biblical principles as their foundation, alongside the wisdom of their individual experiences, they offer 5 tips to help women apply the words of Ephesians 5:15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Rise Early:  The subtitle of this chapter is “Joining the 5 a.m. Club.”  My first thought when I read that was, “Seriously?!”  But, as I read, I became convinced.  They offer this disclaimer,

“the point of this chapter is not that really godly women get up at 5 a.m.  Nowhere in the Bible will you find such a principle.  Therefore, nowhere in this book do you we make that claim.” (pg. 28). 

They also allow for the fact that “early” will look different for everyone.  So, if 5 a.m. is not biblical, then why this chapter? 

“Hands down, the most important reason to rise early is to make meeting with God a priority.  Secondarily, however, this practice has great potential to serve your family.” (pg. 34) 

Rising early, whatever that may mean, allows us to give proper time and attention to our most important priorities – our relationship with God, and our relationship and service to our families.

Sit Still:  This is the most important chapter in this book, and one of the best I read on the topic of personal devotions, or quiet times.

“We’re doers, not sitters, by nature.  We awake each morning, our minds whirling with all we want to accomplish that day.  We bound off to complete these urgent tasks.  But we must sit before we do.  In order to effectively shop for time, we must first sit – sit at Jesus’ feet.” (pg. 40) 

We are encouraged to meet with the Lord, regularly, and consistently, in order to obtain guidance, wisdom, and peace from His Word for all that we must accomplish.  Yes, life is busy.  But, before anyone begins to think that their particular circumstance merits excuse in this area, the authors offer this admonition, “Please don’t assume that because you’re a mom with young children, it’s fine for you to meet with God sporadically.  All of us…need to choose the best portion along with Mary….” (pg. 45)

Sit and Plan:  This chapter addresses the necessity of being careful how we walk (Eph. 5:15), by taking time out, and getting away, to prayerfully evaluate, and assess our priorities.  

“If we simply allow each new season to come along without charting a course, we could easily be sidetracked by urgent yet unimportant activities.  We could wear ourselves out repeating the same mistakes and dealing with the same problems over and over.  And we could potentially miss the truly significant opportunities each season has to offer.” (pg. 52) 

They offer ideas for a personal retreat in order to plan for better effectiveness in areas that may be lacking, or needing improvement.  While getting away may seem like the last thing an already-too-long to-do list will allow, “The pressures of life are, in fact, the very reason we need to sit and plan. (pg. 63)

Consider People:  God’s Word clearly shows us that, when it comes to relationships, our most important are those with our Lord, and our families.  Because these ladies have dealt with these (important) relationships in other books (and on their blog!), this chapter deals specifically with friendships – both the kind that must be cultivated and maintained, as well as those that may need to be reevaluated, and possibly removed from our lives.  They offer help in evaluating our current list of friends in light of Scripture. 

• Do we have friends who will sharpen and mentor us?  We should. 
• Do we regularly reach out to those in need of friendship, or salvation?  Or, would we rather stick with the familiar, even if that means making unwise choices in where, and with whom, we spend our time? 

“We must prayerfully evaluate our relational priorities in the light of God’s priorities.” (pg. 69) 

Plan to Depend:  “By consulting this tip, we can make our good intentions a reality, avoid a solution-dispensing lifestyle, and avail ourselves of God’s grace each and every day.” (pg. 80)  In this chapter, the authors suggest (or, rather, “highly recommend”) developing a daily planning system.  You will see as they share their personal planning styles, they are not suggesting a one-size-fits-all system.  But, you may find one that you can closely relate to, and use to inspire your own system. 

“While a daily planning system and smart planning will enable us to make the best use of the time in the ordinary course of daily living, we know life doesn’t always conform to our plans…So what do we do when life messes with our plans?” (pg. 85)

Whether interruptions, busyness, trials, or just the ordinary routine of everyday life, we need to depend on God each and every moment – realizing that we are completely unable to handle even the most routine tasks apart from God’s help and strength.

While some of their tips might seem a bit overwhelming (especially when you seriously consider “Joining the 5 AM Club”!!), they really are far from it.  Each one offers biblical principles, personal experience, encouragement, and a welcome sense of humor, as these godly women help their readers understand the need for implementing biblical principles into the busyness of our everyday lives.  They close with this reminder from Matthew Henry,

“It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.” (pg. 94)