Editing is a way to throw off our hindrances, to clear out the things that aren’t part of God’s perfect yes for our lives. Editing can be one of the most powerful tools to break the cycle of busyness in our lives.

Here are some practical ways you can make edits in your life and break busy before busy breaks you.

1. Be proactive, not reactive

A proactive edit is one we make in advance, before things get out of control. A reactive edit is one we make once a crisis hits. It’s a reaction to something gone wrong (typically) and most reactive edits are not good ones.

A reactive edit results from an overcommitted schedule. Perhaps you say yes to too many people, only to realize you aren’t going to be able to fulfill your obligations.

Then, in a panicked meltdown moment (let’s be honest, we’ve all had one!), you reactively announce, “That’s it. I’m NOT baking those cookies. They can just make do with what they have.”

Often proactive edits require us to let others down. We have to look people in the eye when we tell them no. In the end, though, that initial disappointment far outweighs the resentment and half-hearted effort that ensues after a reactive edit.

2. Discover what needs editing

Let me ask you this: What are you doing in your life right now that you would secretly be relieved to stop doing? If an answer popped in your head right away (and there usually is one), then that’s a good place to start when it comes to editing.

I’m not saying quit everything you’re doing that you don’t enjoy (unless God tells you to), but for most of us, we don’t have to think too hard to discover what we need to edit out of our lives.

3. Look for areas in your life that are not fruitful

Are there things in your life that you are doing, things you enjoy doing, things you’re good at, but you look around and don’t see a single piece of evidence you should be doing those things?

Identifying the areas in your life that aren’t producing fruit is a great way to break busy and make some proactive edits in your life. Because what you say no to determines what you say yes to.

Excerpted with permission from Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace & Purpose in a World Full of Crazy (Zondervan) by Alli Worthington, copyright 2016 Alli Worthington.

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Think back on your past... Was there a time when God called you to give up a good thing in order to make room for the great thing? What proactive edits might God be calling you to make? Share your comments and stories below with others going through this mini course!