Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
Are you overwhelmed with your to-do list? Are you wondering when you will have time for everything you NEED to do, much less what you WANT to do? Have you ever sat down and really looked at how you were spending your limited time?
My to-do list was totally unrealistic and I was trying to juggle too much. I wasn’t considering the time it took to accomplish the tasks. I just put what I thought I wanted and needed to do into my planner and on my list.
It’s no wonder I was overwhelmed. I had just become a mom to my beautiful daughter. I was starting my own business from home…. designing the logo, website, the products, actually making the products, selling and shipping them (all while taking care of a newborn.) And did I mention I thought it was a good idea to start a garden, when I knew nothing about gardening.
We had also just moved into our new house 2 months before I gave birth, so I still had boxes that needed to be unpacked and arranged. When I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to do, I felt discouraged. As a stay at home mom, there is so much pressure to get so much done since we are at home all day.
I knew things needed to change… so I did some serious praying, reflecting and counting the actual hours.
How do we number our days?
We are all given 24 hours a day – no matter if we are rich or poor, young or old – we are all given the same amount of time to work with. How we choose to spend these hours will greatly affect the quality of our lives and the satisfaction we feel at the end of the day.
As moms we often place unrealistic ideals on our shoulders of what we should be able to get done in a day. We feel our worth is tied to our productivity, so we cram our schedules full not counting the time it takes.
Ok, so let’s do a little activity together and see where our 24 hours are going each day. I’m going to start with the elephant in the room.
Take out your phone and check your usage. (If you don’t know how, click here for Android instructions or here for iPhone.)
- How much time are you spending on social media?
- How much time are you in apps on your phone? Which app do you use most?
- How much time do spend browsing the internet?
- Estimate how much time you spend watching TV, streaming services or videos.
So, how much time do you spend each week on just these? How much time each day? Were you surprised? Isn’t it crazy how just checking our phone for a second can turn into 30 minutes, an hour, or longer?
I know this is only one aspect of our daily lives – screen time. But it has become a big distraction for a lot of us, and we don’t always know how much time we are actually spending.
Once you see how you are spending your time, then you can ask yourself if this is in line with your priorities and goals. Before you can make a change you need to know what needs to change.
So let me be the first to say, I know it’s easier said than done. Most of us have so much that is demanding our time, that we can’t simply say what we will do and not do. (Sorry but the laundry HAS to be done!) But if we are honest with ourselves, we all have definite time wasters and distractions that have crept in and if left unchecked could be leaving us feeling more frazzled and less fulfilled.
One Whole Month!
I remember lying in bed after watching a 2 hour movie. My husband had been playing with our daughter and had gotten her to sleep. I was able to have some “me” time (which usually means cooking dinner and cleaning up), but I do occasionally watch Netflix and scroll a lot at the end of the day. This is something I am definitely working on!
Anyway, for some reason as I was lying in bed, I started to do the math. If I watched a 2 hour movie/Netflix show/scroll social media every night, I would spend 30 days or 1 whole month of my life PER YEAR doing this! I was shocked at this revelation… I mean a whole month of watching TV. Yikes! And let’s be honest, some days it is much more than 2 hours. (The average American spends at least 5 hours of time on their phones each day.)
I started going through other activities that we spend our time on – Normal stuff like work, sleep, etc.
Take a look at some numbers I estimated.
- 2 hours of TV or scrolling social media every day = 730 hours = 30 days = 1 month / year
- 8 hours of sleep = 4 months / year
- 8 hours of work/ 5 days a week = almost 3 months / year
- 1 hour commute time (30 mins each way) = 11 days / year
- 1 hour of daily hygiene, getting dressed, ready for bed, etc. = 15 days / year
If you add up only the numbers listed above, you come up with almost 9 months!!! It’s no wonder we feel overworked and out of time! We have 3 months (or 90 days) per year, 25% of our year to tackle everything else. Cooking, cleaning, our relationships with God, family and friends, hobbies, exercise, meal planning, eating dinner and a million other things -all fit into this small amount of time. This is why it is so important to be intentional with how we spend it.
Ask yourself these questions?
- Is there something you can eliminate right now to make your life less stressful?
- What is taking up more of your time than you would like?
- What would you do with an extra 2 hours each day?
How Much Time Does it Take
Knowing how much time a certain task takes, also can help you to beat some of the overwhelmed to-do list. If it takes you 6 hours to clean your house, then you know you can’t fit this in during your baby’s 1 hour naptime. We have to be realistic. I started estimating how much time certain things take and only putting those on my daily schedule where it made sense.
And now that I have set up a graceful planning routine, I usually have a very short to-do list each day. (Unless I have something special or unique coming up.) Rhythms and routines can change your life. You get to live more focused and intentional instead of chasing after productivity and perfection. They allow flexibility and freedom in your days.
Start making a note of how much time it takes you to accomplish certain tasks and see if how you arrange your day changes. You will be able to make much more realistic goals for your days.
Make a Small Change
Now I know that there are seasons that are just different and we all go through these. You may be working 2 jobs. You may be dealing with an illness or have a newborn that requires most of your attention. And I sympathize with you. Being overwhelmed and burnt out is not a fun place to be in. Do what you can right now and know that seasons will change.
Look at your schedule and your to-do list and start making a change, even a small one. Resolve to spend your time more wisely.
It is my hope that we can gently and gracefully plan our homes and lives so that we will have time for what really matters to us. Pray that God will open your eyes to how you are spending your precious moments. He will teach you to number your days.
Now that you have an idea of how you are spending your time, click here to get our free Time That Matters worksheet and see how you can use this to determine your priorities.
