Originally published Monday, 18 June 2018.
www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org
Are you looking to get more done and still be able to connect with God? If so, then I think you’re going to benefit from this post. Most of us have a lot to do, and finding the time and stamina to get a good bit of it done (because we hardly ever get it ALL done) will take prayer, planning, focus, and effort. So, let’s dive into how to have a productive week.
For starters, God wants us to be productive. Laziness is not something that He is fond of at all. So I think it would be pretty fitting to kick this one off with a few Bible verses. Proverbs 12:24 says, “Work hard and become a leader, be lazy and become a slave.” Also, Proverbs 13:4 states, “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.” AMEN!
So move it, sister! My motto is “Nothing happens until you start moving.” And that is so true! Try it.
For instance, if you ever feel sluggish or unmotivated, speak these words out loud. I’m telling you, it works! It’s just a little something to help get you moving forward when you know you’ve got work to do. But it also helps when you just can’t seem to get out of bed or get that drive to move your day or week forward.
Alright, now let’s get really practical here. Ready?
Create a To-Do-List. You’re probably thinking, “Okay Courtnaye, that was pretty obvious.” And I get it. But here’s the thing. I would highly suggest the first thing that you put on your list is prayer and devotion. This way you have God listed as your highest priority. Matthew 6:33 tells us, “Seek ye the first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Also Proverbs 16:3 states, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”
This is just one way to keep your day balanced and without feeling like you slighted God, because you put everything else as higher priorities. Remember it was King Saul that had it going on initially and was successful, until He started doing things without the Lord.
So even if you only pray for 5 minutes and then do a 15-minute devotional, do something in the morning to help kick off your day and work week (especially if it’s a Monday). If you have more time, of course, go for it! Spend a few hours in the Word studying and learning more about how to mature spiritually personally and for others.
NOTE: Granted you can pray throughout your day and you can do your devotion at lunch or at night; but the main point here is to encourage you to make time for God in your work day/week. When you do this, you will without a doubt be productive. Remember, we can do nothing without Jesus. ;-)
Here’s another tip. Use a good planning system. Use a calendar, but also have handy a paper planner, a good notebook, phone note taking app, or a voice recorder (I use Easy Voice Recorder on my phone – Android). In any case, use something. The key here is don’t think you’re going to remember everything in your mind, sis. Write it down or speak it into something somewhere, so that you can have a check-off system in place.
I also recommend getting a notebook, Trello, or Color Note (on your phone) to write down ideas, goals, or new things that you want or need to get done for the week. This will really help you to feel a lot more productive.
Personally, I use a paper calendar, phone calendar for alerts regarding my appointments, voice recorder for notes on the fly or while I’m driving, one notebook for my ministry ideas/goals, a one page To-Do-List, and a pizza chart for knocking out my daily priorities. I absolutely LOVE my pizza chart!
The method is simple. Get out a piece of paper (8 ½ x 11) and draw out a circle and draw out 5 pizza slices. This is a great way to NOT bite off more than you can chew. Think about it as if you’re at a pizza buffet. Only put on your plate what you know you’re going to eat and don’t add another slice! ;-)
The thing is, if you have too many goals in your day or week, you will quite naturally begin to feel overwhelmed or overstuffed (for my pizza analogy). So reduce the stress and only put on your plate what you realistically can do (eat). Once you’ve finished one thing, check it off on the pizza chart, and then move to the next one.
Before you know it, you will have eaten everything off of that plate. And now you won’t be able to say the famous cliché, “I have so much on my plate!” Because you will have only added 5 priorities and gotten them done, before adding more to a new plate. WOOHOO!
Here are just a few more quick tips: Plan your work week schedule on Sunday. Decide which new big project you’re going to take on whether at home, work, or ministry. List 10 priorities, but put an asterisk mark by your top five or do the pizza chart (5 slices). Set alarms for important appointments. And don’t forget to take a day off, sis. You deserve it, and it’s totally biblical. That’s how to have a productive week!
I hope this post has helped you in some way. I pray that you will kick this day or week off right with a good prayer time, devotion, a good list, planning system, and your new pizza chart. Let me know how things are going and how productive you are at some point. Thanks for reading! Now, go and get some things done, sis!
Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!
~Courtnaye
QUESTION: Do you struggle with planning your schedule or finding time to spend with God, because you've got so much on your plate, sis? Let me know. Also, if you need prayer, you can email me directly @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you.
ALSO, my NEW 8-Week Study Guide and Video Teaching Series from my book, "IDENTIFIED: Knowing Who You Are in Christ & Moving Forward in Your Purpose” is FINALLY available!!! Purchase here.
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