{"id":792,"date":"2023-10-05T15:47:33","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T20:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/?p=792"},"modified":"2024-06-19T06:13:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T11:13:30","slug":"ordering-your-private-world-five-minutes-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/05\/ordering-your-private-world-five-minutes-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Ordering Your Private World-Five Minutes at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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In Kentucky, my home state, Fall is truly such a beautiful time of the year. There are so many colors, flavors, events, and fun. While I really do love the season, I loath to admit that it always brings on a little melancholy mood in me. For those who know me, melancholy is not a word they would use to describe me. I am more the type that wakes up in the morning with my \u201chair on fire\u201d and runs nonstop to get life that day done until I drop to sleep and re-fuel!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Fall, I am particularly having a rough time with the season because we sent our one and only child, our son, to college and both my husband and I are not only feeling melancholy, but a little lost. As we are older parents, LOTS of different kinds of transitions will be heading our way down the pike and we are working and praying our way through it. For me, it is tough re-ordering my world and staying focused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My husband Scott wants to transition in his work from high stress to more service to others but wants to keep working. I also want to replace those \u201cmom duties\u201d with a meaningful \u201cjob\u201d, both of us using our gifts and talents we were given. We also need to be available for our son, Jackson, our aging relatives, and treasured friendships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ordering Your Private World<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I dusted off a great book that I read decades ago (it is still a best-seller) by a then-young minister named Gordon McDonald, who was experiencing burnout. It is called\u00a0Ordering your Private World<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em> This Christian based book is an excellent resource for everyone and especially those who hold demanding positions of leadership. His spot-on focus is sharing tools on how to get your spiritual walk with Jesus in order. What also resonated with me is his insight on focusing on how\u00a0The Seasons<\/em>\u00a0may affect you and how you use those emotions to maximize your effectiveness in ordering your private world. For example, he feels more equipped and clearer minded to counsel others in the Spring, uses the Summer months to read and dream and plan. He encourages you to figure out those rhythms in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Five-Minute Rule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For me, Fall brings on a little melancholy. I struggle with being as productive as I want to be. Instead of \u201cfalling hostage\u201d to it, I have chosen to embrace it and work through it. I am also thankful for a little rule I learned to help me in those August, September, and October months to help me stay focused. It is called \u201cThe Five-Minute Rule.\u201d Several years ago, I was the worship leader\/guest vocalist for a women\u2019s retreat and Doris Foster, the beautiful and wise wife of a large local church & business leader, was the speaker. At that time, she was in her late sixties. She is one of those ladies who is \u201ca walking well of wisdom.\u201d She explained that if you have a task, you just do not want to do, maybe a full \u201cto-do\u201d list, or you are feeling overwhelmed with responsibility, or feeling lonely or defeated, just make it simple and use \u201cThe Five-Minute Rule.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you do is set your egg timer, your phone, your alarm, or whatever you use to keep time for FIVE MINUTES. Next, go after that task. Making the bed? Do it in five! Folding Laundry? Do it in Five. Need to pray about something? Set the timer for 5 minutes. Need to write a thank you note? Do it in Five. Need to craft an email? Make it your goal to try and do it in 5! Need to get dinner started? Set the alarm for 5 minutes. Need to make a call? Get it done in 5! Need to vacuum the big living room? Play a five-minute upbeat favorite song very loudly, think of Robin Williams\u2019 character Mrs. Doubtfire<\/a>, and get it done! Need to scrub the bathroom or kitchen? Set the timer to 5 and add 5 and then add 5 more. \u00a0Bottom line, you can get a LOT accomplished in five minutes. Doris was right. Those little victories make a difference and before you know it, your load is lightened. This little rule has saved my sanity the past few weeks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, there are some days that I am living 5 minutes at a time, and it is perfectly okay. I am working through my personal transition to an empty nest at age 62 and trusting Jesus to help me re-order my private world. I would love to hear some of the ways you got through this time in your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope to hear from you in 5! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
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\"Dark
Debbie Robbins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Debbie was recently crowned Ms. Senior America 2023. She holds a degree in Vocal Performance and has performed across the continental U.S. and abroad. She\u2019s also a talent and interview coach to contestants competing in The Miss America Scholarship Organization. Debbie is married to Scott Robbins. They have one son, Jackson, born when Debbie was 44. He is now a senior in High School.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fall brings on a little melancholy. I struggle with being as productive as I want to be. Instead of \u201cfalling hostage\u201d to it, I have chosen to embrace it and work through it. I am also thankful for a little rule I learned to help me in those August, September, and October months to help me stay focused. It is called \u201cThe Five-Minute Rule.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,15,14],"tags":[195],"class_list":["post-792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-organization","category-soul","category-transitions","tag-gordon-mcdonald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1364,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions\/1364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}