There's a classic song by the Rolling Stones that goes, "Time is on my side; yes, it is." But you know what? It just doesn't seem like that's true anymore.

There usually is school - the daily work every night, the pop quiz that might or might not happen, that test to write tomorrow, the paper to hand in Friday, the speeches to give next week, the finals to take!

There are sports - practice every day until five, games tomorrow and Thursday, playoffs start soon if we win three more (that reminds me, I gotta' hit the weight room and do some more reps)!

There is a job - working from after practice until ten o'clock three nights a week, putting in full Saturdays and Sundays so that I can pay for gas and car insurance!

There is church - an hour on Sunday. But what if it's Advent or Lent? There goes another hour on Wednesday nights too!

So much to do and so little time to do it.

Unfortunately no magic pill exists that we can swallow to give us unlimited knowledge. Unlike in The Matrix, no computer program anywhere on earth can implant the skills needed to pass that test or make that three-pointer. So how do we do it?

First Things

First things first. That list of activities above needs a bit of rearranging. Our time in God's Word ought to be our first priority. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness," Jesus promises, "and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).

Before anything else comes our relationship with God. And since "faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17), before anything else comes listening to God speak to us. When we're straight on God's forgiveness through Jesus, everything else falls into place.

After rearranging our priority list a bit so that God is first, what else can we do so that time will truly be on our side? Three phrases to remember: manage your time; set priorities; don't bite off more than you can chew.

Manage Your Time

Figure out how much time you have available after you do homework (since that is the next number one priority). Does it allow you to compete in a sport, act in a play, work and write for the school newspaper? If it does, and you can, great. But if it doesn't, then something has to be cut back.

Set priorities

What's more important? Baseball or the musical? Newspaper or the job? Decisions like these are always tough, because we want everything. But again, I appeal to the Rolling Stones who sang, "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you find, you get what you need!"

Don't bite off too much

Sometimes we misjudge just how much we can handle in a semester. How can you tell? Grades start slipping, stress starts getting to you ,and jobs aren't getting done. When these telltale signs start dogging you, it's time to cut back.

No matter how stressed out life is making you though, it is always important to remember that you are not alone. It's not you against the clock. God is always watching out for you. Jesus' final words before ascending into heaven should assure us all, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20b).

And with Jesus on our side, time is, too!

For more information: Top 40 Study Strategies: http://www.learningcommons.uoguelph.ca/top40.htm