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Time Management Tips for the Busy Christian Moms
- Are you a busy Christian mom?
- Do you struggle with taking care of yourself spiritually and physically?
- Does your schedule seem to get away from you?
- Are there times where you need help? (Don’t we all at some point!?)
If you answered YES to any of those questions, keep reading. You’ll learn time management tips for busy Christian moms.
Also, if you didn’t answer YES to any of the questions above, leave me a comment below to let me know how you do it!
Why Time Management is Crucial for Christian Moms
When it comes to time management, why do you really need it? The easy answer is so that you can get everything done. The real answer is so that you can take care of yourself and your family in the best way possible. If you don’t manage your time, you will find that there is no time to do the things you feel are the most important.
Understanding the Concept of Stewardship
What is stewardship?
Stewardship is being responsible for the resources and responsibilities that have been entrusted to us. This encompasses more than just finances and financial matters. It includes our time, talents, relationships, and the environment. Honestly, when it comes to time management tips, we have to be careful to become good stewards of our time.
Stewardship and Time Management
When it comes to time management, it is our responsibility to use the time that God has given us as a resource. Time is limited and valuable. God has only given each person on earth an allotted amount of time, and we have to choose how to manage it wisely to honor Him.
To be a good steward of our time, we have to set priorities, avoid time-wasting activities, and be intentional with how we spend our time. Those are good stewardship principles of time management to incorporate into our daily lives.
Stewardship in the Bible
In Matthew 25: 14-30, we read the Parable of the Talents. A man gave 3 of his servants varying numbers of talents (5, 2, and 1) according to the servant’s abilities. When the man went away on a trip, the servants were left to decide what to do with the talents.
The one with 5 talents went and traded with them and made 5 more talents. The servant with 2 talents did the same. However, the servant who only received 1 talent buried it in the ground and hid it.
When the man returned, each servant had to show what he had accomplished with the talent(s) he was given. The first two who had doubled their talents were praised and given more responsibilities. The third, who had hid the talent, was scolded. His talent was given to the servant who now had 10 talents, and he was sent away.
What does that mean for us?
From this parable, we can learn that when God gives us something to use, we need to use it wisely and responsibly. We shouldn’t hide our resources that God gives us, and we shouldn’t waste them. We should go out and multiply what God has given us and share it with others.
Prioritize Your Spiritual Well-being
As Christians, we have to be sure that our spiritual selves are taken care of just as much as our physical selves–if not more.
How do we do this?
First, make time in your daily schedule for prayer and meditation. Spend time focusing on and talking to God.
Second, add Bible study to your daily routine–either morning or evening.
Third, find a community of believers, Christian friends, who will be there for love, support, and encouragement.
Create a Realistic Schedule
Don’t scroll past this section!
As a busy Christian mom, I know how unrealistic it sounds to read those words. As soon as you saw “Create a Realistic Schedule,” you thought to yourself, “Yeah. Right. That’s never going to happen.”
Been there! Thought that!
That’s not to say that my schedule doesn’t overwhelm me at times. It does. Of course, I have a daughter (20), a husband, my parents, and 2 siblings. I also help with nieces and nephews (from 28 to 2), no matter the time of day.
I still try to keep a realistic schedule, as often as possible. I’m going to give you some of my time management tips to figure out your schedule.
Assess Your Current Commitment and Responsibilities
The first step to creating a realistic schedule is writing down (yes, paper and pencil) everything you currently have to do. This could be work, homeschooling, night classes, writing, church functions, volunteering, clubs, lessons, school meetings, or anything else that you are committed to and responsible for.
Once you have the list in front of you, take another paper and rank them in order of importance. There are some things on the list that are far more important than others.
Next, grab a highlighter. I like purple, but whatever color you like (or have) is fine. Highlight anything you can allow someone else to do, things that have to be completed, but YOU don’t have to complete them. You are going to delegate those (or some of them).
Finally, grab your planner (paper or digital) and put these responsibilities–the ones you can NOT delegate–into the calendar. Keep a note of the ones you are going to (at least try to) delegate.
This schedule may look crazy. However, next month when you start working on your calendar, you will have learned how to do this. You will delegate more from the beginning instead of waiting. You will have fewer things on your calendar, ideally.
Set Achievable Goals and Deadlines
Again….stay with me!
You probably already have some goals in mind. BUT… do you have a plan to achieve them? If not, let’s get to work.
Let’s say that your goal is to “eat at home more.” That’s not specific enough. What is “more”? If you eat at home once a week now, then twice is more. Tell exactly how often you’d like to eat at home, instead of eating out.
Once you have a specific goal: “I want to eat at home 3 nights a week.”
Then set a deadline by when you want to be sure you are doing this. “By April 1st, I will be eating at home 3 nights a week.”
Uses Tools and Apps for Time Tracking and Planning
I was born “way back” when there was a 19 in front of the year instead of a 20. That means that I, along with many people my age and older, prefer paper over digital.
I use my computer and phone all the time; however my phone is typically not for productive things…other than calls. I don’t like to text or write anything on my phone. I have it linked to my computer so that I can use my regular keyboard to write everything out that way.
All that said to tell you that I still have a paper planner. I do have some things in a Google calendar, but most of the time, that information goes in my paper planner as well. My favorite planner is spiral-bound, has pages for the month at a glance, and has weekly pages. I lived on the academic calendar so long as a teacher that I still buy planners on that calendar. These are my favorites right now! I love all the space they have in them.
Grab a planner, or find a good planner app for your phone/tablet. Put all of those commitments and responsibilities you wrote down earlier in there. That way you don’t forget them.
Say NO to Overcommitment
You just spent a couple of hours, probably, going through all your commitments and responsibilities. You have those set.
Now, if someone invites you to do something or ask you to help with something, you know whether you can fit it into your schedule or not.
If not, do not feel bad. Politely explain that you would like to assist (or attend) but that with your schedule the way it is right now, you just don’t see a way to make it work. The person should understand. If not, just think how upset he/she would be if you committed to showing up and then couldn’t at the last minute–especially if they were counting on you to do/bring something.
Don’t let overcommitment crowd your calendar. Be a good steward of your time and say NO when you need to.
Delegate and Share Responsibilities
I touched on this in one of the time management tips above already. Anything that you don’t absolutely have to do yourself, delegate it. Let someone else do it.
Embrace the Power of Delegation
In your family and friend group, you can probably delegate more things than you think. Consider things that you have to do: laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, giving the kids baths, reading a bedtime story, or watching a favorite movie with the kids.
Some of those things are wonderful and we never want to give them up, like reading to the kids. However, pick a night or two and let your husband read to the kiddos. You can use that time to journal, pray, take a longer shower, or just relax.
On other nights, ask your mom or sister to cook dinner for you. Just be sure that you buy enough ingredients for her family to eat as well.
Get your husband to do the laundry. Better yet, if possible, get someone to come in once a week to do the laundry, clean the house, and cook dinner for you and the family. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to spend that time doing something else?
Communicate with Those Around You
If you are feeling overwhelmed, but you hide it, no one will know. Remember, you’re hiding it?
Let the people in your life know what you need. Ask for help. Tell them what you need them to do and when you need it done.
Then, let them do what you ask them to do. Don’t stand over their shoulders and watch, unless they specifically asked you to make sure they are doing it correctly. (Hint: They probably won’t ask you that!)
Build a Support System
One of the most overlooked time management tips is that you need to build a support system.
You have your husband. Hopefully, he will support you and help you out. (One day, I’ll have to tell you all about my husband–who puts up with a LOT of absolute craziness on my part!)
Find other Christian moms who will help you out. Start relationships with people from church who have kids as well. Maybe they could keep the kids for an afternoon while you do something you need to get done.
Most people have some kind of support system but be sure to build yours to be what you need for YOU and your family.
Practice Self-Care and Rest
Self-care is important in time management because it helps to clear your mind for the things you need to accomplish. As you work on your time management skills, recognize that self-care needs to be included in those commitments and responsibilities. You have a responsibility to take care of yourself.
I know you’ve heard it said, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” If you are not taking care of yourself and getting the rest and relaxation you require, you can’t take care of everyone else around you either.
Here are some things you can do to embrace self-care in your time management:
- Schedule regular breaks and downtime for yourself
- Embrace Sabbath rest and restoration practices
- Read
Right now, the best book I can tell you to read is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer. I just finished it, and it is so packed full of information about how to stop being in a race with life.
Conclusion
If you made it this far, you should be celebrating—not that you read all the way down here, but that you are making progress in your time management. Any time you make growth and progress in life, you should celebrate!
Whenever you accomplish one of your goals using these time management tips, give yourself a pat on the back. That’s a big step in becoming a better steward of your time.
Finally, I know that you are a busy Christian mom. You have 1,001 things going on right this minute. BUT… I know that you can do this. You are not alone in this journey of motherhood or learning time management. I’m there with you. You’ve got this, and you are going to become a blessed steward of the time God has given you.