Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. // Saint Augustine
In the past, I wrestled with this concept a bit. Even though I’m a faithful person, supernatural trust and surrender are not easy. For most of my adult life I thought, if I want something to happen, I need to hustle constantly. But that always ended up being the hard way. What’s more reassuring? You’re the only one responsible for all.the.things in your life and business, or you have help?
How to Tame Your To-Do List
I have discovered that peace, joy, and achievement can all work together. To put it in the simplest terms, it comes down to how I begin and end my day.
If you’re feeling like you can never rest because your to-do list is too long and for some reason it’s all important, try one or all three of these tools.
1. A nightly brain dump.
Get it all out of your head and onto paper, put the list on your nightstand, then get some rest. First thing in the morning, reread your list. Your brain does a lot of repair work at night (have you ever felt like you solved a problem overnight?).
After you’ve read your list with fresh eyes, ask God what He wants you to work on for the day. Then focus on that one thing for the day. This simple but effective tool works because you have the choice to renew your mind and choose your input before your day even begins. Divine intervention helps, too.
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We'll send you the blog updates weekly in your inbox (with some special tips + tricks to living liturgically from our Blog Editor, Olivia Spears).2. Time block your schedule.
Designate blocks of time on your schedule for family, work, and play or rest.
For me, this means while my boys are in school I meet with clients and get some “alone” time in. Once I pick them up at school, it’s time to be present for them through dinner.
3. Give your day a theme.
Try focusing on one thing each day. For example, Mondays focus on personal development, Wednesdays only wash towels and sheets, Fridays follow-up and catch up from the week.
You get the idea…
Which one will you try? Let us know in the comments or better yet, rest.
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Liz Montigny coaches Catholic women to go from daily chaos to simplicity so they can love life. She is a wife and a mom to three boys. Tea, big earrings, living a non-toxic lifestyle, and creative evangelization are some of her other loves. You can find out more about her here.
Hi Liz. Thank you for sharing. I use variations on 1, 2, and 3. It’s very helpful to keep a running list of things to do. I love my daily planner – even if it is a notebook. Blocks of time? Yes! I even set timers. At least I stop what I am doing to turn it off and reassess if need be. Themes? They’re great even if they change over time. I used to have to make certain do run two loads of laundry at least five days per week. Now? Monday is for laundry…. 🙂
Sorting what’s a duty and what’s not is wonderful way of sorting priorities and saving time in the long run. Duties before devotions. Prayers and spiritual reading (actually a subset of duties) before entertainment. People before things.
Another good idea is to check with your husband. That’s saved me much time and effort through many years. He’s the leader in our home and he’s good at seeing priorities and alternatives. We have a hard “schedule” due to his work duties. He says about our different days that “We do have a schedule: six of them.”
Watch and pray. Then persevere in the same.
I need to work on these more. The brain dump is especially helpful to me when things get really busy!
Prayers for you friend!
Every moment you find the time to sit is the same moment you might use to add a prayer into your time. Prayers strengthen us, even if the prayer is not for us. Just finished cooking dinner and found a moment to sit down to take a breather. Breath in the love of Jesus and exhale your wants, needs, and fears. Keep your prayer simple, as if talking to an old friend. Jesus is my friend,,, and so much more, he sits down to inhale you so that he can exhale your blessings, fulfill your needs, and take away your fears.
Beautiful words, friend. Thank you for sharing!