Tag: William Horton

When by Daniel H. Pink

by Dr. William A. Horton, posted in Book Review

Daniel H. Pink’s book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing covers the topic of you guessed it TIME. We have all heard of “HOW TO BOOKS.”  In fact, walk into any book store across America, and you will find whole sections of “HOW TO” books. Daniel H. Pink says that he has written a “WHEN TO” book.

         Daniel H. Pink argues that we should make “WHEN” we do something as important as “WHAT” we do. This book answers the question of when is the best time to work on projects that involve critical thinking, when we should work out, when we should start a job, when we should quite a job, when we should get married and more. Daniel H. Pink takes studies from peer-reviewed social scientists and discovers that there are idea times WHEN we should do almost everything in our lives.

         This book helped me to rethink the importance of time altogether. After finishing this book, I have adjusted how I spend critical peak times in my day. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing showed me how to determine my peak times of performance and structure my schedule around that. Now I can synchronize my work that requires the most analytical thinking around the times my mind is the most active.

         Before reading this book, I thought very little about the importance of time. We have all heard that saying, timing is everything, but I rarely spent any time thinking about when I did things. I generally tried to stack as much into the day as I possibly could. Now I realize that if I know the best times when to do things I can get far more done in a much more effective way.  

         This book covers much more than just how to schedule your day. As I mentioned above, it goes over a wide variety of topics and when you should do them. One of the fascinating topics Daniel H. Pink covers is beginnings, endings and in between. The patterns found in when we start a project, when we are in the middle of a project and when are at the end of a project will give you fresh insight on how to manage your projects. If you are a leader of a project, this chapter will help you understand the psychology behind the people in your group and how you can get more out of them.

         I would recommend this book if you have ever thought, when is the best time to make a decision, or when is the best time to work on a specific project, or if you are just interested in social science and how people inner clock work.  In this book, Daniel gives you several time-hacks to help you best spend your time and optimize your WHEN. This book you will help you discover how to best live, work and succeed.

-William A. Horton

Life Application or Just Making It Through

by Dr. William A. Horton, posted in Finding God's will

 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

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Reading the Bible is a multi-faceted assignment. At first glance you may read the Bible leisurely. Some people find it to be an entertaining book, with lots of stories, romance, adventure, and a conclusion where good wins against evil. Sometimes, as Christians, we read it very casually the same way. We know it’s about God and that it’s important, but we read it with no implications for our life, as if it were a fictional entertainment book.

At other times we read the Bible at a different level. Maybe you read it because of an assignment. At class you may have been told to read the book of Genesis and identify the major characters in the book. In that case, you are reading it with your eyes focused on one specific thing.
I challenged myself to read through the whole Bible in a year. This resulted in a just doing it to get it done, checking it off their check list of things to do. This is what I tended to do when I read the Bible straight through… afterwards I felt happy that I read the Bible straight through but I also felt empty because there was not too much of it that I actually retained. Besides the stories that I already knew for the most part.
Recently I have been looking at the Bible in a different way… I get my pen and pad of paper open up to whatever book I am reading through and I take it nice and slow. I let the Holy Spirit speak to me. I look for practical application because I need this to be the living Word of God in my life.

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Finally, during those times I really come to the Bible to study it, to know it, and to know God, who it is all about. In this case, I don’t come with a set number of verses to read for the day. I don’t looking for some agenda of characters or stories. No, instead I come prepared to let the Bible speak to us. I want it to impact my life, and transform my minds and our actions to be more in line with what God wants them to be.

All these approaches have their time and place. You may get someone to read the Bible simply for its entertainment value, but the Holy Spirit uses it to speak to their heart. You may need to get your mind off a busy schedule and just want to read the Psalms and enjoy God’s Word with no agenda. Other times, you may need to study one specific aspect of God. Each time we approach God’s Word, no matter the reason, we have to understand how we approach it. This week, we are going to learn how to study the Scriptures. It’s the building block for everything else we do. Some of it you may already know and you just take it for granted. But it is extremely important that we come to Scripture the way God wants and intends us to.

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Why do you read the Bible? Do you find yourself reading it for pleasure or requirement? Do you read it like a fiction or non-fiction book? Do you have a plan and commitment to reading the Bible? Why or why not?