6 Time Management Tips for Busy Christian Women

1. Begin each day with PRAYER – Try to begin each day with a few moments with the Lord. Even Jesus took time to be alone with the Father to intercede for others and to seek His Will.  If Jesus needed time to be refueled so do we.   If Jesus needed personal prayer time with the Father, then so do we. Find a quiet corner or spot where it is the least distracting.  Can you create a quiet place where no work is yelling your name? Time alone with God gives us confidence to move forward with our day as Jesus did. Prayer helps us clearly see the direction of the day.  When we listen to our ever-faithful Father, He lets us know His plan for us. As soon as we wake up, everyone is looking for us and needing us.  The phone rings, the dog barks, the children can’t find anything they need for the day, and we don’t know where to begin.  From family to telemarketers, people search for us!  The daily tasks pile up quickly.  We can be overwhelmed and rattled even before the day really begins.  Interruptions and delays often occur.  Prayer helps clarify our priorities for the day.  Prayer prepared Jesus, and it prepares us.  Through prayer we are reminded to serve those at home first.  Prayer guided Jesus on God’s agenda for Him for the day. We can’t meet everyone’s needs every day.  Each morning take that list of tasks to the Lord and pray over it.  Sometimes God will have us to say no to legitimate needs that He does not want us to address at that time.
2. Prepare for Sundays on SATURDAY-This help getting ready for church much smoother and prepares our hearts for worship. Ask yourself what jobs you can do the day before to make your day of rest more peaceful. a. Iron the clothes for church b. Prepare as much of the meals the day before c. Put together a church pile the day before-including Bibles, tithes, etc.
3. If possible, rest on SUNDAYS – This might sound counterintuitive but resting on Sunday gives us the energy we need to tackle our Mondays. Here are some ways to make Sundays more restful: Here are a few examples to get you started: a. Simple meals, b. Limited technology, c. Take a nap, d. Spend time in nature, e. Read the Bible or inspirational book, f. Spend time with family, g. Give yourself permission not to do any tasks that can wait another day, h. Jot down your creative ideas to tackle later. I find my most creative ideas occur to me when I take time to rest.
4. Make lists WEEKLY and MONTHLY – Weekly- On Sunday or Saturday, look over your week’s commitments and appointments and pray for each one. Is there anything you can do right away to prepare for upcoming tasks and commitments? Monthly- Have a list of monthly job that you only do once a month- Some examples are a. Unsubscribe from unnecessary emails, b. delete unnecessary emails, c. Delete unneeded photos from the phone, d. organize the office, and e. bill tracking. I also ask 3 questions each month to help deal with feelings of overwhelm.
5. Ask these THREE QUESTIONS – a. What do you need to subtract from your commitments or schedule? b. Is there anything you need to add to your calendar to help you be a better family member? c. Is there anything you can delegate to others so you can focus your efforts on the tasks only you can do? And how do we deal with the guilty feelings we have when we must say no? Easier said than done. Start with the easiest tasks to let go of. You will feel empowered because you are intentionally choosing your schedule and not letting your schedule enslave you.
6. Try AUTOMATION: – I am working on getting most of my bills automated. This alone has saved me hours of available time each month. Is there anything you can have automated to help you save time? Best wishes as you work on saving precious time! So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12