The Genesis Plan: 7 Proven Principles for Spending Your Time Wisely

Susie Case
Madison Media (2005)
ASIN: B000CLBM90
Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (3/06)

“In the Beginning, There was Time Management” - What a concept! God made the world in seven days, so why can’t we get our act together and follow basic time management techniques? Susie Case believes that “When we study the Genesis creation story, we find eternal time management principles behind its mechanics.” I have never read this Biblical story from that angle, but in the short space of this book, Susie lays out seven principles taken from the Bible that cover seven areas of life.

The areas include priorities, acceptance, environment, schedule, resources, skills and dreams. There is a chapter for each area discussing what happens in the Creation story and how the principle works. Then self-assessment questions are given to examine how this relates to your life. The workbook format allows a written commitment to the steps for improvement.

“Knowing what our priorities are affects everything we think, say, and do,” reminds Susie. She goes on to explain how our lives are divided into four areas: physical, intellectual, relational and spiritual. It is important to know your priorities within each area. She introduced a term which caught my attention, time horizon. When setting priorities and timeframes, we should look about a year out, which is “a healthy compromise between getting mired in the minutiae and never experiencing the satisfaction of milestones.”

Throughout the book Susie gives examples of how Jesus’ life worked in relation to the principles. I found myself considering him from a standpoint I had never considered. Although, time management techniques can be found elsewhere, Christians who wish to incorporate their beliefs into daily life will appreciate the detailed explanations given throughout and the Biblical references.

For example, creating a schedule and following it has always been a challenge for me, but Susie puts it in a different perspective. “A mindset of spontaneous cooperation with God is a mindset that has the courage to put aside logical plans when we spot a life rhythm moment that needs to be acted on now.”

The easy to follow format makes this a quick read and the small size means you can easily carry it with you. I appreciated the quotes throughout. However, it is the type of book where you will want to reread sections periodically to get the most from it.

The author says that God was successful because he had a clear goal, focused on one problem at a time, followed a deliberate order and actually completed all seven steps. We can all benefit from keeping this simple plan in mind.

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