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My Top 5 Productivity Tips

by Marci Ferrell
Homemaking Time Management

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I’d love to help you simplify your meal planning. Check out my new menu planning course here.

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I desire to make the best use of my time because every second is a gift from the Lord. @mferrell

I’m not a naturally motivated, organized or productive person. This has been a skill set I’ve learned over the years and continue to learn.

“Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.”

~ Jonathan Edwards

One of my best teachers has been the Lord and the example given to me on the importance of making the most of our days that are found in the Scriptures. 

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12

How do I productively plan my days with my eyes on eternity? Time is precious and I want to use the time I’ve been given by the Lord well. Our life is a vapor and the hope is we will live always with eternity in view. 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

~ Ephesians 5:15-16

I’m reminded that nothing in this life is trivial but everything matters. Even how we spend our time. The word “carefully” is in the present imperative which means continually pay attention to how you are walking. 

How do we walk as wise and not unwise? Ephesians 5:15-16 lays it out clearly—by making the best use of our time. I desire to make the best use of my time because every second is a gift from the Lord. So whether we are planning dinner, cleaning, running errands, attending church or ministering to someone, it usually comes about because we’ve taken the time to plan our time well.

I desire to make the best use of my time because every second is a gift from the Lord. Click to Tweet

I wanted to share today some of the simple tools that have helped me to manage my time and I continue to tweak them over the years and various seasons of my life. They may not all work for you but I hope always to spur you on if this is an area that you’d like a bit of help in.

My Top 5 Productivity Tips:

Plan Your Days:

It seems like a simple tip but so many times we don’t do it. I use Sunday evenings to plan my week. This is nothing complicated I just sit down with my planner and calendar and start plugging in what I need to take care of each day. I always like to highlight my top three items for each day. If you’d like more details on what this looks like for me I have a post here and a podcast here on it. 

Meal Plan:

I know I hammer this one here all the time but I cannot stress how helpful it is in saving time and money. I don’t care how you do it but just do it. I have a post here and podcast here on meal planning and if you’re a weekly meal planner snatch my free PDF here. 

Grab a free PDF to help you in keeping track of your family's favorite meals. These are the meals your family loves to eat, and the ones you love to cook. @mferrell

Morning & Evening Routines:

This one has been a game-changer for me over the years. Most of my tasks for the day are taken care of in these two simple daily routines. If you haven’t tried this one yet start with a morning routine and maybe just add three items to it and build from there. Again because these are staples in my life I have a post on Morning and Evening routines and podcast on them here too. 

Daily To-Do List:

This is a helpful tool to help you work through your day with a productive flow. It keeps you focused and you can see at a glance what you need to accomplish next. This task happens for me as part of my evening routine. I have a post here on my to-do list.

DAILY DOCKET PLANNER FREE PDF DOWNLOAD @Mferrell

 

Pray:

This one should be number one on the list but it’s the one I want you to remember the most. Before you sit with your planner, pray and ask the Lord to help you make the most of your time. Pray about people you can minister to this upcoming week through phone calls, cards or visits. Pray about how you can minister to your own family. Work these areas that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind into you weekly and then daily schedule. Is there a neighbor who needs a meal? Does your husband need a sweet love letter from you this week? Can you help your child clean their room?

“We cannot add time; we can only exercise stewardship over the time we are given.”

~ Albert Mohler
 

Important Reminder:

The moment we take our eyes off ourselves and put them on the Lord is where we begin to make the best use of our time. The Lord is the ultimate planner so let’s allow His schedule to plan our days. He appoints our portion each day. These are great tools to implement in your day-to-day life but do remember always that our God is sovereign and we may need to adjust our plan to His.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

~ Proverbs 16:9

 

 

Related posts:

  1. Simple Tips for Beginning Homemakers
  2. My Top 5 Favorite Homemaking Tips
  3. Podcast EP 77: Simple Summertime Meal Planning Tips
  4. EP 12: Simple Menu Planning Tips


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Comments

  1. Cindy says

    at

    Found your website on Pinterest and I know God lead me to it! I have had major depression since losing my job. My house is a wreck and I am at my wits end because I am overwhelmed now by the mess. After reading your article I feel like a ton of bricks have lifted and now feel that things are going to be ok for the first time in over a year! Just get up pray and do something!
    Thank you!

  2. Elizabeth J . Benitez-Gutierrez says

    at

    Hi,

    I suffer from Major Depression. I’m currently having a very difficult time to get my day started. All I want to do right now is just sleep.

    I was my mom’s Caregiver for 3 years. I placed her into a Memory Care Center on March 8, 2019. I feel so very guilty! I just couldn’t do it by myself anymore. Her illness (Alzheimer’s) is getting worse.

    My depression is getting worse. I pray everyday for strength to get out of bed and take a shower. My house is a mess! It’s just my husband and me and our 2 Beagles. We’re empty nesters. I’m a former elementary Catholic school teacher that has not worked for 9 years.

    I feel hopeless! I miss my mom!

  3. Jennifer Williams says

    at

    I’ve been working on exactly this for the new year, I’m finding things that work and things that no matter how hard I try do not work (like evening yoga).

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Marci Ferrell
Patience is our ability, under the control of the Patience is our ability, under the control of the Spirit, to persevere and endure in times of suffering or hardship.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Come listen in (or read) EP 118: Cultivating Patience with One Another at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣ shows us our em By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣
 shows us our emptiness and weakness,⁣⁣
 draws us to the throne of grace,⁣⁣
 purifies our affections,⁣⁣
 weans us from the world,⁣⁣
 and makes us long for Heaven.⁣⁣
~ J.C. Ryle⁣
⁣
Read more of Trusting God in Your Trials at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wi I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wives, and mothers.  How many times do we focus on our needs that aren’t met?  Unfair situations or circumstances?  Self-pity is a selfish tendency that takes our eyes off Christ and puts them on ourselves. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
We forget that “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Are we able to give God “thanks in all things”?⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Come listen in to EP 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self Pity at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)⁣
⁣
#rootedinChrist #rootedintheword #christian #christianity #thankfulhomemaker #bedeeplyrooted  #christianblogger  #christians #treasurechrist #joyinchrist #inchristalone #deeplyrooted #martynlloydjones #selfpity
Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣ ⁣ Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣
⁣
Weekly Menu Planning Free PDF is at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest "God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest earthly gift to his people, second only to the living Word, Jesus. And because the living Word perfectly lived out the written Word, we are blessed beyond measure. Jesus fulfilled every precept found in Psalm 119, keeping the principles and commandments of this psalm, and he did so on our behalf.⁣
⁣
Our failure to live wholeheartedly is covered by Jesus, who lived it perfectly for us. Ultimately, he is Psalm 119 in human form, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)."⁣
⁣
~ Taken from Sing a New Song: A Woman's Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback⁣
⁣
With my whole heart I seek you;⁣
let me not wander from your commandments!⁣
I have stored up your word in my heart,⁣
that I might not sin against you.⁣
~ Psalm 119:10-11
Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, an Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, and effort. But remember that opportunities for doing good are not interruptions in God’s plan for us, but part of that plan. We always have time to do what God wants us to do.⁣
~ Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness⁣
⁣
Listen in to 10 Things Helping Me to Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and s I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and systems that help me to get things done. It’s a practical episode, and I hope to encourage you, if nothing else, to take a look at how your days are going and ask yourself some simple questions like:⁣
⁣
What is working and what is not working?⁣
Where do I find myself wasting time?⁣
Where can I make better use of my time?⁣
Can I simplify my days or various tasks or automate them?⁣
⁣
These are just a few questions to ponder, and there are many more you can ask, but the main one is to seek the Lord and ask him, are you a good steward of your time? Is your desire to honor Him amid your days and in how you spend your time?⁣
⁣
Many more than ten systems or tools help me manage my days, but these items top my list. I’ve shared more in detail on some of these in past blog posts or podcast episodes, but I wanted to put together an episode that walked through how I use each one.⁣
⁣
An episode like this one is more helpful to me than you because it helps me to think through my days and systems and tools and determine what is working for me and what isn’t.⁣
⁣
Listen to 10 Things Helping Me Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sani Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sanity, reduce stress, eat healthy and avoid the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” It sounds great, right, and we’d all love to do it, but how do we get there?⁣
⁣
Menu planning is the answer to all those questions above. We have a jam-packed episode today filled with tons of tips, examples, and ideas, so stick with me, and I know there will be something that will appeal to each of you in some way.⁣
⁣
Listen in at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.⁣
~ Joni Eareckson Tada⁣
⁣
Come listen to EP 70: Finding Forgiveness After an Abortion at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
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