Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed - like you don’t have enough hours in the day? Are the tasks you have to do keeping you stuck in analysis paralysis? Are you always feeling busy but not actually accomplishing much?
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I know the feeling and I've been there too! The chaos and unrest within my mind and soul were enough to make me crazy- so I looked at what was in front of me and took some powerful steps to make a change. Is it possible you need to do that too?
It could be as simple as addressing these three things:
+ The Importance of Stewarding Your Time
+ Creating margin for what matters most, and
+ Taking A Time Inventory!
TAKING A STEWARDSHIP APPROACH TO TIME
I'm sure you know this, but it's always great to reframe your perspective when it comes to the fact that time is FLEETING. Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom". Why? Because we don't often look at time through the lens that we're never promised more of it- and we tend to take this gift for granted most.
Understanding that the way you handle this precious asset is what makes you WISE. Knowing that you can think, act, choose...better. And definitely not waste it.
When you reframe your approach and look at time as a gift to steward, you...
stop wasting time endlessly scrolling social media
get up and get active
spend time doing things that matter most
with the people that matter most
You'll serve more
love better
Set proper boundaries for it, and
Behave with focused intention around it
just to name a few.
CREATE MARGIN FOR WHAT MATTERS MOST
One of my biggest frustrations was the fact that I felt like I was always doing everything but never accomplishing much. Sound like the ever spinning hamster wheel? When someone or something would interrupt me, I'd get so frustrated at the distraction as if it was a personal attack on me. The people that mattered most would always get my tempermental reaction-yet no matter how hard I worked, there was never the "right" time to "interrupt" me. I found myself resentful at their needs and my ever growing to-do list that never seemed to get smaller no matter how much I'd get done.
I promise you that not keeping your non-negotiable in their proper place is a trap to keep you stuck in the daily grind.
You will always feel like you're holding a list that never quits- especially as an entrepreneur - because many of the responsibilities fall on you. But when you put your tasks in their proper place and remember what matters most, you elevate what should be, and learn to have grace on yourself for everything else that doesn't hold that same priority.
Picture a jar with rocks that represent the most important things and the sand that fills up with all the other things. When you place the big rocks in beforehand, all the sand you have can fill your jar. But when you try in reverse order, you're left leaving the best things out. They just don't fit.
So ask yourself this...what are YOUR non-negotiables?
This is where you'll find the need to create margin. And where you'll also have to get crafty with efficient ways to get things done. Establishing your non-negotiables prevents resentment and frustration, and creates a special time-allotted place for those things to hold space as the best parts of your life.
DO A TIME INVENTORY
Like creating a budget and mapping out where your money goes, the same can be done with time. And often you'll find that once you gain that control, you'll stop spinning in the mess of overwhelm or feeling stuck in analysis paralysis.
As a believer, you can easily become prey to the tactics Satan uses to keep you stuck, discouraged, and pulled away from the ministries in your life that matter most. If you want to exit hustle culture and hop off that train, you need to create inventory.
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By creating a time inventory, you are able to get ultra-specific about how much time you truly spend on important tasks AND how much time you’re really just wasting. It's an eye-opening perspective shift that can impact you in very powerful ways.
So how do you do this whole time inventory thing?? It really is quite simple.
Ask yourself what is causing your resistance to that task and get an idea where your feelings are coming from. With that perspective, you can approach the task with a clearer understanding of what has been stopping you from moving forward. Then, instead of generalizing the time it takes to accomplish that thing, actually put a timer on and do the task from start to finish, completely uninterrupted, without rushing or feeling guilty over how long it takes you to get it done. How long did it REALLY take when in a time of focus and flow? How does that compare to your original perception?
You may find that the thought of writing a post was actually worse and more time consuming than it actually takes to do the task itself. In that case, you eliminate the overwhelm and see it for what it is.
The same goes if the task takes longer than anticipated. You at least have a realistic expectation of what it looks like and can appropriately schedule that time in.
Lastly, you may realize that when you batch the work you have to do in uninterrupted periods of time, you get in flow, and you work quicker than if doing the task alongside other things in an effort to "multi-task".
YOU'VE GOT THIS, SIS!
First of all, don't fret and worry just because you've fallen into habits that trap the best of us. You can do things to make a change.
I share all of this and more as we dive into the topic of handling your time instead of letting your time handle you, in my latest podcast episode. If you’re ready to tackle this topic and gain control of your time, LISTEN HERE!
To learn more incredible ways on ways to Rev Up Your Routine, click here to download our helpful guide here, FOR FREE.
xx, Krista
#timemanagement #timeinventory #planning #nonnegotiable #schedule #planner #stewardship #christianpodcast #christianblog #christianwomeninbusiness #christianentrepreneur
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