How to Handle Schedule Interruptions

Last Friday, I had my day all planned out. My to-do list was in order, and I was ready to accomplish it all. Then reality set in.

My husband had left for work but came back in the house after just a few minutes. He found something leaking from his car when he backed it out of the garage. There was my first interruption of the day.

I had to pick him up at the auto repair shop, drop the kids off at school, and then take him to work. On top of taking time out of my schedule to drop my husband off at work, I discovered some other errands that I needed to do that day that I had not planned on doing.

By 9:00 I was way off schedule. I had a choice to make. I could either be frustrated knowing what I wanted to accomplish that day would probably not get done. Or, I could adjust my schedule, keep a positive attitude, and do my best to complete all the tasks that I could.

That morning, one of the verses I read during my quiet time was Proverbs 15:1. The New Living Translation says it this way, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

God was so good to speak to me through His Word that morning. Had I not read this I’m afraid my response to schedule interruptions would not have been pretty. But I had the reminder that getting frustrated would do no one any good.

We all have things we want to accomplish each day. Some days we are able to breeze through those to-do lists. Other days, we have to adjust to make room for interruptions.

Think about how you handle interruptions. Do you get frustrated and take it out on everyone with whom you come in contact? Or do you adjust and go with the flow? Let’s try to remember that sometimes these interruptions are God moments where He can use us to work out His will in situations. Keeping this perspective will help us to have a better attitude.

How do you handle interruptions?