It is a complaint, perennially dropping from the lips of men, that we lack sufficient time for all of the things that we have to do. This is completely untrue: all time is a gift given to us by God; He knows precisely how much of it we need and always grants the means by which to fulfill every obligation that He sets before us.

Our problem arises from one of two mistakes.  The first is a tendency to disperse ourselves amidst a multitude of overwhelming tasks instead of discovering what we should be doing with our time. We usually do this either because we have created an overinflated sense of our own needs – imagining that we must work overtime because we couldn't possibly drive a second hand car; because we are too proud to ask for help when we need it – convincing ourselves that it is “easier” to do all the work ourselves instead of asking kids or husband for help; or because we are obsessed with impressing other people – and by allowing them, instead of God, to dictate our priorities become convinced that we are worthless human beings unless we manage to work full time, stay home with the kids, run the PTA, write a novel a month, and keep a spotless house.

The second (and those who are afflicted with this problem will likely try to convince themselves that they really suffer from the first – and visa versa – so beware) is simple sloth. We have a clear idea of what our obligations are, and the guilt we feel for failing to fulfill them is real and well founded. The problem is that, instead of using our time to do God's will, we fritter it away in front of the television, the video games and the internet chat-room. We arrange to go out with friends when a school project is due, we watch a movie instead of playing with the children, we sit staring at the wall when we should be saying our prayers. We have plenty of time, and we squander it doing things that undermine our real obligations, leaving us overwhelmed and harried when the deadlines start to loom.
 Most of us are probably suffering from a combination of both – an imaginary obligation to visit a friend can easily serve as a reason to put off that unpleasant discussion about child discipline that you need to have with your spouse. Finding ourselves exhausted after re-polishing a largely clean house, we might easily be convinced that we need to wind down by watching a 3 hour Judge Judy marathon. What is needed, therefore, is a prayerful consciousness of time and of our responsibilities towards it. If we offer our time to God, and seek (especially in moments when we feel overwhelmed, or when we seem to have nothing to do) to discover and perform His will, we will find ourselves happier, more productive people; resting, working, and giving thanks for our time, all in their proper season.