As a Christian leader of your home, you have to balance your responsibilities not only at home, but at work, growing your faith, and community, all at the same time. And if you have children, AND homeschool, AND are trying to focus on multiple goals, the demands on your time can seem even more overwhelming. At times, you may feel as though you're juggling too many things with not enough time and not enough of you to go around. It may often seem impossible. The way you’re going is just not sustainable, but you don’t know how to fix it.

The good news is that there are effective time management strategies that can help you balance your home and work life, while giving you back some of yourself in the process.

1.Plan your day ahead of time.

If you want to find balance, then it's important to plan your day ahead of time.

• Make a to-do list or a schedule for the day or week.

• Ensure that you make your list in advance, ideally before the day begins so that you can get an idea of how your day will look like. This way, you're not working blindly, and you can structure your day to make the most of your time.

• With this approach, you'll also find that you complete your tasks more efficiently, rather than wasting time deciding what needs to be done first.

I set one day out of the week, about an hour, to write out my schedule for the week on Post-It notes. Each day, I know exactly what needs to get done, as well as any appointments, projects that are due, etc.

As a homeschooling family, I also write out my kids' schedules on separate sticky notes. That way, each morning we know exactly what needs to get done and our goal is to only do what is on that list first and we try our best to finish what is on the list each day.

If it doesn't get written down, and planned ahead of time, it rarely ever happens.

2. Set Priorities

It's easy to get overwhelmed when there's so much to be done.

It's important to prioritize tasks. One way to do that is to start from the most important ones.

• This means figuring out the most critical tasks that you need to perform.

• Create a list from the most important to the least important tasks and focus on finishing the most important ones first, especially if they have a deadline attached to them.

• Prioritizing your work will give you clarity and help you to focus on what needs to be done first.

As an Oola Life Coach, I am trained with the concept of Skittles & Oranges.

• Skittles are the smaller “junk” items that clutter up our time, often busy work, or the things that don't really move us any closer to our goals.

• Oranges are the bigger items that really make a difference and get us closer to achieving our big goals and dreams.

  • Skittles would be along the lines of laundry, answering phone calls from family, texting your BFF, scrolling through social media, checking emails, running errands, cleaning the house, etc.

  • Oranges can be anything bigger like working on the project for your business, working on the rough draft of your novel, batch cooking healthy meals for the week, researching for your upcoming presentation, etc.

  • If you are “just” a stay-at-home parent, then your Oranges would shift slightly to be something like “Re-organize the pantry,” “Weed the Garden,” or “Do science experiment with the kids,” for example.

    Do the Oranges first and save the Skittles for after, like having the most nutritious food before the junk.

3.Take breaks

Taking regular breaks is essential for productivity. Sometimes we push ourselves so hard that our focus and productivity begin to suffer.

• Adults have a maximum of about 4 hours before efficiency drastically declines.

• Taking breaks in between work to clear your head will help you stay productive and make the most of your time.

• You don't have to take lengthy breaks, even five to ten-minute intervals every hour can help you to rejuvenate your mind.

My family and I THRIVE on the Pomodoro Method for this, otherwise it's super easy to lose motivation, overwork without taking breaks, or have difficulty focusing on completing tasks.

For the kids, they know there is a set time for one subject or activity/chore and then they'll get a break. It motivates them to finish within the timeframe.

For me, who has a huge tendency to get too laser-focused and forget to even eat, it forces me to step away from my work to care for myself for 5-10 minutes routinely throughout the day.

We find lots of fun Pomodoro videos on YouTube with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings themes to break up any monotony.

Try it and let me know what you think!

4.Learn to say NO

Sometimes, we may feel obligated to participate in every event or commit to every workplace, community, and faith-based or charitable activity or task.

It's okay to say no.

• Your time is precious, and you want to invest it in meaningful activities. When you say no to an activity that isn't a part of your path or calling, you avoid over-stressing yourself and make time for the things you truly enjoy and are meant to be doing.

• Declining an invitation or imposed “obligation” now and then should not make you feel guilty; it's part of prioritizing your time. If you struggle with saying No, this may be an issue with setting healthy boundaries for yourself and you will need to work in this first. Make sure to check out the many resources I have available for you on setting healthy boundaries. ;-)

5.Focus on Your Creator

It's easy to feel stressed out when we are wondering how we can balance everything on our own. However, as Christian leaders of our household, we have to understand that focusing on Yahweh will help to keep us calm and centered.

We need to make time for the things that strengthen our connection with our Creator, like prayer, meditation, and studying the Bible.

We gain perspective, and we're able to see that the most important thing is to glorify Yahweh in everything we do, and it becomes easier to face what’s in front of us.

One thing I began doing early on in my walk with Yahweh was to begin praying before I even get out of bed for Yahweh to direct my steps, a nod to Psalm 119:133-137, and to keep me on the path He has for me, referencing Proverbs 3:5-6. This is not only a MUST in my life to keep me from messing up my days, but reminding myself of the deeper level priorities to why I do all I do. In short, I immediately give my day and my schedule up to Yahweh to lead, because I don't want to and cannot do it all on my own. None of us can.

Balancing home and work can feel overwhelming at times, but it's possible with time management strategies. By planning your day ahead of time, setting priorities, taking breaks, learning to say no, and focusing on Yahweh, you'll be able to manage your time effectively. With practice, these habits will become second nature, and you'll find that you have more time to do the things you enjoy, without the overwhelm attached to it.

Remember, life is not just about achieving and doing, but also about experiencing joy, peace, and spiritual growth. So make your time count and live life intentionally. Let me know which of the 5 tips was MOST helpful for you? Which one do you struggle with? Which one are crushing?

Until Next time,

Crystal