How do you fix your eyes on Jesus when you have so many things going on during a normal day? I hear this a lot! So I’ll start with the most common suggestion: PRAY! Wake up praying. I’ve had to start before I get out of bed. (Sadly I lose my thoughts by the time I get to the bathroom. LOL) Seriously though I find that when I hit the ground running in the morning preoccupied with business prospects, my day goes awry. To solve this problem, I’ve learned to schedule, schedule, and schedule your day. As I’ve been quoted saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It’s this way in everything. If you make sure to plan your day putting Jesus in the beginning and end, your day will go much better.
Add to this by writing scriptures on index cards (maybe use colored ones). Then post them around the house. Put them in prominent places such as in front of the sink in the bathroom, kitchen, etc. My auntie has cork-boards decorating parts of her home with pictures of people to pray for. We both have pictures of people who need prayer on our refrigerators. I also have a prayer wall in my office. People ask me to pray for them and send me photos of themselves to post on my wall as a daily reminder.
Schedule Your Day…
Schedule the rest of your day by trying what you think works “first,” not what someone else tells you to try. We had a common sense schedule in our home. In the morning we would wake, pray, get ready for the day, eat, get the kids settled into a project or off to school, and then I’d get to work. How you set up a work schedule dictates the rest of your workday. This is where learning to plan blocks of time for each task pays off. (If you homeschool, just exchange what I say for your workday into your homeschool day.)
In order to get into a happy routine, I had to take three weeks off from the phone and TV until after 1 PM. Also, for a few days the whole family went without TV all day and without the phone for half of the day. This was a tremendous burden off of me, to say the least.
If you can, each night before you go to sleep, plan out your workday by prioritizing what’s most important and then blocking out time to do those things. Do this even if you can only do some of the project(s). Maybe you have a project that will take months to complete. Block out time each day, week, or month to do the tasks needed in relation to this project. Plan for others involved to be late on their portion of the project and leave room to hold them accountable.
Add to your schedule…
time to eat, stretch, and pray. I’m not talking about sitting down for 1/2 an hour unless you feel prompted. I’m talking about breath prayers. Throughout your day from the smallest thanks, you give God to the largest smile or cry to Him is a breath prayer. Example: “Oh thank you God for that sale!” Or “Darn it, Lord how do I handle this?” Or “That was so nice, thank you, God.” Or “Jesus, please bless that woman and her children today. Give them a peaceful day.” It can be that simple.
A breath prayer is a small word to Him throughout the day whether good, bad, or indifferent. It’s that constant communication that you leave open with the Lord so when He needs to tell you which way to go you hear His still, small voice. And try to remember to say prayers throughout the day for your family.
If you’re fresh in the morning after the kids go to school or are settled into their routine, make calls. Use an answering machine liberally and make sure to start wrapping up for the day 15 minutes before you have to leave or be available to the children.
Planning meals…
ahead of time is so important. Maybe during your daily break, you can make a meatloaf and leave it in the refrigerator until it’s time to put it up for dinner. Toss a salad and some applesauce, and voila, dinner! Try taking an hour or so on Saturday to pre-make or pre-plan dinners for the week. I did this when I was running a daycare and homeschooling. At lunchtime, I’d feed the children. While they were eating I’d get myself something to eat and we’d all talk while I also made dinner. Whatever the meal was, I completed it during my break/lunchtime with the kids. I heard a lot from them and got something important accomplished. It wasn’t a chore for me. It was a pleasure!
If you learn to multi-task creatively you can get a lot done while feeling good. It’s not a drain on your body if you don’t push yourself too hard but let things flow.
Before 5 PM is the more difficult time to plan. The early & late evening is a little easier to plan because everyone is tired. If you have a young one who has trouble in the evenings, try to make sure to keep her on a set schedule. Then she will get used to what is expected of her and come to rely on the stability that comes with a schedule. A bedtime routine is important for everyone. Work on a winding downtime for all of you. Pre-planning for the next day should be part of your winding downtime so you’re dreams aren’t filled with what has to be done tomorrow. If you find something isn’t working, change it around until everyone can settle into a routine that works for them.
If you have anything to add, please do. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Blessings and Peace,
Susie
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