#1 Method to Become more Intentional With Your Time
Ever felt scattered and bedraggled by the end of the day? That you spent most of your day running around and meeting others’ needs and demands more than your own?
By the end of the day, when you lie down in your bed, you sigh and think, “Gosh, where the heck did my day go? I didn’t accomplish anything I set out to do!”
It sucks, doesn’t it?
Friend, it doesn’t always have to be that way. You’re made for more.
In this post, I’ll share a powerful, simple method to help you begin to be more intentional with your time so you can live with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.
Let’s dig in!
- The #1 method to be more intentional with your time
- What does it mean to set your priorities?
- Living as God’s beloved: How setting your priorities comes in
- Setting your priorities: Keep it simple
- Try this quick activity to determine your priorities!
- Need some inspiration to narrow down your priorities?
- Practical articles and tools to help you be more intentional with your time
- Wrapping up how to be more intentional with your life
The #1 method to be more intentional with your time
Sometimes the most powerful changes we can make in our lives are the simplest.
This applies to being more intentional with your time, too.
The most effective method for being more effective with your time is setting your priorities – and revisiting them over and over again.
Before you start rolling your eyes, let’s keep talking about this. It’s important.
What does it mean to set your priorities?
Let’s be clear – setting your priorities is not the same as creating your monster to-do list.
Rather, setting your priorities helps you determine what matters most to you – and give the best of your energy to those priorities first.
Sure, some of your priorities may be on your to-do list. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having a to-do list!
For instance, most likely, picking up the dry cleaning is not the same level of priority as making progress on a major work project.
When you set your priorities, you decide what matters most to you and what you’ll focus on first before all the other things on your to-do list.
Living as God’s beloved: How setting your priorities comes in
When you set your priorities, you’re setting a direction for how you’ll invest your time and energy.
While God absolutely has everything in his hands (see passage below), we’re still responsible for how we choose to live our lives.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21
One of my favorite passages about planning is when Jesus talks about the cost of being a disciple. In Luke 14:28-33, he discusses the importance of estimating the cost when building a tower and considering his manpower when going to war.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Luke 14:28-33 NIV
Obviously, here Jesus is talking about the cost of being a disciple – are you ready for this? Are you ready to commit to this life-changing venture? He’s not necessarily digging into setting your priorities for your work week.
However, I think we can learn a lot from Jesus’ tower-builder example.
What’s the tower builder’s top priority?
Building a tower.
Most likely, our builder won’t complete their tower in a day. Yet, knowing that they need to complete their tower will help them stay focused on completing that top priority over other tasks. All other tasks must work toward achieving that goal.
In order to succeed with your plan, you need to determine what your priorities are and plan accordingly.
Setting your priorities: Keep it simple
When it comes to setting your priorities, it’s really easy (especially if you tend to try to do all the things) to say all-the-things are your priority.
For instance, you might be tempted to say that these are your priorities:
- Bible study and journaling
- Working out
- Preparing lunch
- Sending emails to colleagues
- Meetings
- Running errands
- Cleaning house
- Work projects
- … and so forth
And – they totally matter! But are every single one of them the most important thing to you?
Probably not.
Friend, I feel you if you’re frustrated by this. Because you have to do all of these things, right? They’re on your list.
I’d challenge you, to pick just 2-3 priorities that are your do-or-die priorities.
They don’t have to be complicated.
Try this quick activity to determine your priorities!
Imagine that it’s the end of the day, you’re lying in bed and content. You invested your time and energy in what mattered most to you. You lived with passion and purpose.
Think about what Future You would be most proud of by the end of the day.
Personally, I find myself thinking, “What would Future Cortney wish I did or focused on?” It’s super helpful!
What would you have accomplished or focused on?
Perhaps it was focusing on that big work project.
- Flirting with your spouse.
- Being present with your child.
- Connecting with God.
- Pursuing your work with passion and purpose.
- … you get the idea.
Strive to focus your time and energy on what would matter most to Future You.
Need some inspiration to narrow down your priorities?
If you’re like most humans, you have a lot going on in your life.
You might be trying to improve your health while moving a work project along.
You’ve got two clear priorities but in different areas of your life.
If you find it difficult to nail down your top priorities for your day, it may help to think in terms of the spheres of your life.
For instance, your priorities for the day may be something like this:
- Faith-oriented – taking a spiritual pause with God
- Family-oriented – be present during supper and playtime afterward
- Work-oriented – make focused progress on your big project
- Health-oriented – reach 10,000 steps
- Etc.
However, the same rule of thumb applies – you won’t prioritize anything if you’re prioritizing everything.
Don’t overcomplicate it.
Practical articles and tools to help you be more intentional with your time
Here’s some posts and resources to help you be more intentional with your time.
8 Self-Reflection Journal Prompts for Daily Soul Care
In this post, you’ll find find out what self-reflection is, why it matters for God’s beloved, ways to self-reflect, the importance of giving yourself grace to pivot, and a few prompts to inspire you to take care of our soul.
How a Weekly Planning Routine Can Improve Your Life
Here’s the lowdown on what weekly planning is, how to get started and encouragement to give it a go. Maybe you’ll also become a fan!
How to Start a Monthly Planning Routine for More Peace in Your Life
A monthly planning routine can help you reduce the overwhelm and enjoy more of your life.
How to DIY Your Own Sexy, Fun Marriage Retreat at Home
You and your spouse can take a simple, messy, deep dive discussion to start making your big and little dreams into practical realities.
Want some practical help putting these ideas into action on a daily and weekly basis?
The Intentional Life Planning Toolkit is the perfect resource to help you move from being overwhelmed by your distractions and demands to living life on purpose.
You’ll determine what an intentional life would look like for you and learn how to leverage your God-gifted personality, so you can thrive in your life, including your faith, priorities, schedule, responsibilities, meals, relationships, adventures, and more.
The Intentional Life Planning Toolkit may be just what you’re looking for!
P.S. Coffee Chats and Yoga Mats email subscribers get a discounted price!
Wrapping up how to be more intentional with your life
Friend, you will ALWAYS have other things/people attempting to redirect your attention to their priorities.
You don’t always have to redirect. You can choose your top priorities for the day (keep it simple, dude) and let that redefine how you do it.
Regardless of where you are in your season of life, you can be more intentional with your time by setting your priorities.
Keep it simple. Don’t overthink it.
Imagine how future you will feel at the end of the day, week, month or year. What will you be most proud of? What will you be most grateful for?
Let that help you set your priorities.
You can live intentionally with purpose and passion as God’s beloved!
P.S. Want some crazy simple steps to start living intentionally? Grab the Embrace Your Potential Playbook. It’ll help you zoom in on your God-gifted personality and give you practical tips to be more intentional, passionate, and purposeful as God’s beloved so you can become the best version of yourself.
Cortney is a Christian life coach and recovering over-achiever who is passionate about helping Christian women embrace who God created them to be so they can confidently step into any season of life with passion, purpose, and peace. She’s also an ENFJ, MBTI® coach, M. Ed in College Student Development, Pilates and Yoga teacher, wife, mama, and entrepreneur. In her pre-kid life, she coordinated programs for, coached, funded, and provided leadership training for more than 60+ student organizations and 100s of university students for 7+ years. (Helping people highlight their inner awesomeness and reach their goals is her jam!)
More importantly, she’s God’s beloved.
