PIVAT Projects lists in one place the current projects across every area of your life; with key milestone due dates for each one – that are coming due this month.
PiVAT Projects gives you an accurate picture of the workload that will hit each week, enabling you to frontload during lighter weeks so you don’t get kidnapped by the tyranny of the urgent. This is a vital perspective to avoid slacking off when God is giving you the perfect opportunity to ‘get ahead.’
PiVAT Projects is not a checklist or calendar just a visual representation of key deliverable due dates per project.
Frontload is a mission-critical success skill in life. The opposite of procrastination – it means to schedule the bulk of the hours required to complete a task – at the beginning, rather than the end.
(Kill yourself early, so you are not in crisis later). When everyone else is scrambling at the last minute, you are free to make final check improvements, or better yet, free to love and serve others as needs arise and God directs.
Some people say, “I work better under pressure.” But that’s not true, they just have never worked hard until they were under it. Short-sighted lack of planning, may create self-induced pressure, but it doesn’t produce better results in anything, it merely limits the time available to produce a quality result. Ergo, the effort will always be less than it could have been – usually missing at the very least, the invaluable practice of one final review, or getting others’ counsel and input for improvement.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today” but God said it better, “Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
What God meant was simple: If you know what God is telling you to do today, and obey what He tells you today - with joy (that’s what seeking His Kingdom, and authority in your life really means); then you don’t need to worry about tomorrow. He will tell you what to do tomorrow, and you will obey then - just like you are today.
Be sure not to confuse frontloading with self-directed effort. Hearing and Obeying God’s Plan for you - is far better than spinning your wheels in your own strength – even planning out all your projects.
PiVAT Projects is not so you can figure this thing out on your own, it just helps you seek God for His plan for you to best fulfill coming due dates with excellence, in His perfect timing.
James 4:13-15 - Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."
God’s way is better than your way. First, know the projects and milestone deliverables you face. PiVAT Projects helps you do that - it’s part of good stewardship. Then Ask God for His plan to get all these things accomplished in the best way possible. He will surely tell you if you ask. Just know that God’s plan will have you frontload, not cram at the end. He has good for you! Ask Him and He’ll tell you the best thing to do, and the best way to do it!
Seeking Him for His plan, and checking in with Him along the way makes sure you meet and exceed expectations on deliverables due, but also have a heart and the availability for serving others as God leads. Doing your PiVAT before dinner – getting God’s plan for you for tomorrow is a great way to do this.
PiVAT Projects helps you see what God sees (the bigger picture) – so you can seek him during your PiVAT before dinner time– to reveal what is ‘today’s portion’ of His plan for you to accomplish key milestones in the projects He has given you. He will surely lead you in success.
How to fill out PiVAT Projects: 1. First put the Month and Year, then fill in the dates of each weekday down the left column. 2. List each project you currently have (Job, Class, Personal etc.), one per column along the top row. 3. Then fill in key milestone due dates of that project down it’s column on the date they are due.
Use Letter abbreviations for tasks (T- for test, SC – for sales call, MI- for Monthly Inventory etc.) to capture the task within the row for that day.
If you are a professional – your projects will include job related (Software Release Dates, Client Presentations or Board Meetings), along with Family and Personal Projects.
If you are a student, each class you take this semester will have its own Project Column with the due dates of Exams, Papers, and Group Presentations. Other projects might be your Sport if you are a College Athlete, or a Part Time Job or Internship – if it contains project deliverables within the scope of work.
PiVAT – is a change of direction – from man’s way to God’s way. PiVAT Principles help you recognize that God’s ways are higher than ours, his thoughts are higher than ours, and that He has plans for our good (Isaiah 55:8-9, Jeremiah 29:11). Proverbs 16:3 - Entrust your work to the LORD, and your planning will succeed.
PiVAT Projects helps you understand the scope of responsibility that you have, so you can seek God – to give you His plans for your success, and put your trust in Him.
Daniel 6:4 - At this, the administrators and officials tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.
Daniel was a highly influential figure in a world-dominant nation. The Bible says though they tried, they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Daniel didn’t cheat or steal or abuse his authority, and he was excellent at his work. He didn’t miss deadlines or deliverables. He was a consummate professional, skilled, and highly effective. Daniel’s honesty, competence and character stood out. It got him promoted to the highest position in the land. How did he become this way? He sought God’s plan through prayer three times a day, and obeyed what God told him. God enabled him not only to meet deliverables on more projects than you or I will ever face, but also to deliver excellent results. The same God that directed Daniel’s steps will direct yours. He has good for you! His plans for you are for your success!