2 Chronicles 11:5
“And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.”
It is always amusing listening to those who do so little talk about how busy they are and how much they are doing. Whether or not they are doing as much as they say is anyone’s guess, but one thing that is very evident about these people is that they are all talk with little to show for it. On the other hand, those who are very busy and seem to have several accomplishments never talk about their workload, they just get things done. I would much rather be the last type of person than the first.
Rehoboam seemed to be more like the last person. He was able to multitask, but he never spread himself so thin that he didn’t get anything accomplished. When you look at his resumé, you see that he built several cities, organized the armies, set leaders in the temple and cities, plus he still had time to care for the daily duties of the kingdom and to care for his family. He was a busy man, but he was busy enough to finish. There are several things about Rehoboam’s life that will help you to multitask more efficiently and successfully.
First, you will always accomplish more by serving the LORD than you will through disobedience. In verse 4, you see that he “obeyed the words of the LORD.” Sin has a way of stealing time and your attention. You will always be more efficient by obeying the LORD than you will through disobedience.
Second, you must have a mindset to accomplish. Rehoboam saw several cities that needed to be built, and he set out to build them. Your mindset must be one that you want to accomplish things. You will never be a person of accomplishment without having a mindset to achieve.
Third, you must have a purpose for each task. Rehoboam’s motivation in building these cities was Judah’s defense. A clear mindset of why you are doing what you are doing will help to you better fulfill each task. You will learn that you will waste much time if you don’t have a purpose for each task. Don’t just stay busy throughout your day, but have a purpose for each task into which you are putting your energies.
Fourth, you can’t spread yourself too thin. Rehoboam had a lot going on, but he accomplished his tasks by building one city at a time. One reason many people never accomplish much is because they are doing too many things all at one time. It is better to accomplish one thing than it is to do many things and never complete anything. You will find that if you give your focus to one thing at a time, you will accomplish more than if you spread yourself too thin doing many assignments.
Fifth, you must have the character to finish if you are going to be effective at multitasking. Rehoboam didn’t just start building the cities, but he had the character to finish building them. Don’t be the type of person who starts many things and never finishes anything. Finish what you start! At the end of life, it won’t matter how many things you got involved with, the only thing that will matter is what you have finished.
If you died today, what have you finished? Multitasking is an art, and those who multitask are busy, but they perfect the skill to do it and improve their effectiveness in life. You will only be busy enough to finish if you learn to multitask efficiently.