April 27, 2026
The legendary management consultant, the late Peter Drucker, was famous for saying that you can only manage what you can measure.
That principle and others like it help explain another principle: how you spend your time directly reveals what you value most. If we add up the time we spend on various activities or relationships, we will get a picture of our highest priorities.
Setting aside activities, let’s think about relationships. If I ask you, who are the most important people in your life? If you added up the amount of one-on-one time you spent with each over the last year, what would it reveal about your professed priorities?
I understand – we can express the value we place on relationships in ways beyond just one-on-one time. But I’m sure you get the idea: if we never meet someone in person, it is hard to justify calling them a high priority in our lives.
Many married couples have a weekly or monthly date night or an early-morning coffee time to talk about things important to them. Parents will sometimes arrange a monthly activity with their children as a time to bond and share. It’s the same reason that workplace teams schedule regular status meetings to assess progress, solve problems, and plan strategies for the future. All of these meetings and activities serve to ask and answer two questions: What business are we in? And how is business? Individuals, couples, families, businesses, churches, and organizations are all “in business” in one way or another. The only way to assess how we’re doing is to meet together and talk.
Our lives follow a daily schedule – mornings bring a new 16- to 18-hour period of activity. There are many things we can do daily that are important in our lives, and meeting with those we say we value most should be one of them.
Each year, we have 365 opportunities to live with intention. To make a difference in the lives of those we care about, including our relationship with those who matter most.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Every new morning is a new beginning to our life.” Let’s be opportunistic by facing the coming months with the resolve to make each day an opportunity to grow in our relationships. To abound in blessings together!
My Happy Monday + Happy Friday writings are all about inspiring the little things we can do every day that collectively make a big difference!
Intentionally Own It! What growth does this message inspire me to embrace, and why does it matter? When I embrace it, who am I becoming, and what value does this add to my life and to others?
-Adapted by Igniting Hope