Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:29-30, The Message {emphasis mine}

I scheduled 76 lunches. 18 of those 76 have already happened.

It sounds absurd, even to me. Who schedules out that many lunches – and why? But the past shows the truth of it: I miss a lot of the moments of intentionally connecting if I don’t look for them.

So in January I texted five people that I knew I wanted to be especially intentional with over the course of the next few months. To be sure, there are several others that I want to pour into as well. But I knew that with these five, it would be important to set a clear time aside each week to reserve as “our time.” I’ll see them each several other times throughout the week, but that lunch hour is set aside for encouragement, intentional conversation, and journeying together.

When you can feel the clock ticking down and time “running out” you’ll likely spend it quite differently. You’ll care a lot less about what didn’t get done and a lot more about the afternoon walk, the quick run for coffee with a friend, and the late night drive down streets you’ve never seen before.

Time is a sacred gift and should be spent well.

Jessica Turner, The Fringe Hours

It’s true, we all get the same amount of time in a day but not one of us knows how many days we’ll be given. I’m learning slowly that I’ve burned too many candles without enjoying them.

Keeping my hands busy, crossing things off a to-do list, and accomplishing projects feels good. It keeps me busy and brings satisfaction of a job both completed and well-done. But maybe it’s true for you too… that if you live according to your checklist too long you’ll burn the candles at both ends and never smell the aroma or watch the flickering light.

You might miss the moment for the checklist. You may end up sacrificing the important for the urgent.

As I looked back over the busyness of previous semesters I found that my most cherished memories were not of lines on my resume or good grades, but of late night talks, dance parties, and meals that lasted for hours.

My favorite memories are from the unrushed moments, and so I’m learning to unrush my life and reevaluate what actually matters. I haven’t ‘gotten it’ yet. I have to schedule time to rest and time to connect.

I’m learning how to live Sabbath and choose

I’m still lighting the candles, but I’m slowing down to watch the light flicker.

Jessica Turner’s new book, The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You, is a You-Can book, not a How-To book. Jessica’s heart is that women everywhere would make time to pursue their passions and use their gifts – so that they will not only be filled up but so that women can pour out with joy.

We live in a busy culture. Schedules are crammed and to-do lists are long. There’s barely time to get done what has to get done, but this book is a releasing of the lists and a beginning of making time for what matters. It’s beautifully laid out and there is space inside the book to jot down notes or thoughts.

I’ll tell you, as a college student I wasn’t sure how to best approach this book. According to the general public, I have more free time right now than I likely ever will again. Yet my schedule is full, I’m involved in several things, and I fall into bed exhausted every night. One of the biggest take-aways for me from reading The Fringe Hours was to not only schedule in me-time but to be fully present for it.

I’m pretty decent at making time to read or watch a show on Netflix. I’ll work quickly and efficiently on a project to allow me-time. But then during that time my phone will buzz or I’ll add something else to my to-do list for later. I’m relaxing but I’m still scheduling at the same time. There was one line from The Fringe Hours that made me pause and think ‘Gosh that’s smart. Where have I been on this?!’

The fantastic idea? Silence your phone while reading.

I. Know. It’s so simple and so not a big deal . . . and also so freeing. You know what I did in that moment? I reached over and silenced my phone. Because of course, it was sitting one foot away from me. And as soon as that sucker was silenced? I read like there were no distractions and like everything else could wait 20 minutes.

And I enjoyed it. Fully.

Jessica’s book is full of stories from hundreds of women sharing helpful tips, honest experiences, and Jessica weaves encouragement throughout as you begin to learn how important it is to make time for you.

If your schedule is too full to read this book, then this is exactly what you need to read. Today.

*In exchange for my honest review, I received an advanced copy of The Fringe Hours from Jessica and Revell books. Affiliate links have been included.