Your Joyful Order With Leslie Martinez

#99 A Fresh Start: Mastering Time Management- Building a Life That Matters

• Leslie Martinez • Season 5 • Episode 99

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This episode dives into the essential topic of time management, emphasizing the value of aligning your day with your priorities to create a fulfilling life. Listeners learn practical tools like time blocking, effective calendar management, and strategies to reclaim their schedule amidst daily distractions.

• Importance of time management in achieving productivity and joy 
• Introduction to time blocking as a proven method for focus 
• Understand the significance of self-management versus time management 
• Practical steps for implementing effective time management 
• Recommended tools for enhancing productivity and organization 
• Biblical perspective on wisely managing time 
• Encouragement to take actionable steps and reflect on progress 
• Tips for maintaining energy and living a joy-filled life 
• Call to action for obtaining personalized coaching and resources

Connect with Leslie:

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Website: https://www.yourjoyfulorder.com/

Email: lmartinez@yourjoyfulorder.com
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Watch this Episode on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsXoAYIM2mfclNtYiaOzIUw

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Speaker 1:

Today we're diving into a crucial topic time management. If you've ever felt like there just isn't enough hours in the day or you struggle to balance your priorities, this episode is for you Now. Time is one of the most valuable resources that we have, and how we manage it shapes not only our productivity but also our joy. In this episode, we'll explore time blocking, calendar management and some fantastic tools to help you stay organized. We'll also reflect on what the Bible says about managing time and whether productivity is part of God's plan for us. My hope is that you leave this episode not just inspired, but ready to take control of your schedule to build a life you love. Hey everyone, I'm Leslie Martinez and you're listening to your Joyful Order podcast. Each week, I will bring you joyful stories that will motivate and inspire you and, at the same time, bring order to your everyday life. Let's just say the show. Hey friend, I am so excited that you pressed play on this episode Now.

Speaker 1:

The topic of time management has been one of my most listened to episodes, has been one of my most listened to episodes. This is episode 99. And my top rated podcast is on the topic of creating healthy habits and time management. So I thought that I would do a refresher episode all about time management to help you get a fresh start to 2025. And hopefully you can implement some of these tips and tricks and even just some of these tools that I give you to help you to manage your time more efficiently and be productive in this year. So did you know that people who use tools to manage their time are up to 30% more productive than those who don't? It just goes to show you how important it is to actually use tools to help you manage your time. Now, studies also show that intentional planning. It reduces stress, it increases your focus. It helps you achieve your goals faster.

Speaker 1:

But time management just isn't about getting things done. It is about creating space for what matters most, like family rest and spiritual growth. Now, time is our currency. We are only given so much time in a day, in a week, in a month, in a year, in a lifetime, in a month, in a year, in a lifetime. Every day we are given 24 hours to spend. How we invest those hours determines the return that we get on our lives. Are you spending your time on what aligns with your values and purpose, or are you letting it slip away on distractions.

Speaker 1:

I want us to define productivity Now. Productivity, first, isn't about doing more, and oftentimes that's what we think being productive is. It's like the more that I can max out my to-do list, the more that I can do in a day, the more productive I am. That really truly isn't what productivity is all about. Productivity is about doing what matters better and more efficient. So it's aligning your actions with your values and your purpose, and I just I also want to share here this episode.

Speaker 1:

Yes, it is about time management, but when you really think about time management, we can't really manage 24 hours because we're only ever given the same 24 hours. We cannot manage time, we can't change time, we can't stop time, we can't give ourselves more day in a time. God created the earth to go 24 hours as we rotate around the sun and the moon right. Every day is a new day and we all are given 24 hours. In it, it is more self-management and how we manage ourselves with the time that we are given. I always refer to it as self-management, but for this episode, we're going to be referring to it as time management, because most people refer to it as time management, but when you truly think about it. It just really comes down to how we manage our time and how we prioritize our task each day.

Speaker 1:

Now I want us to get into the first tip and tool that I want to bring to you and I have shared this before. This time I'm giving you kind of a different spin on it, but one of my most favorite time management techniques is time blocking. Now, time blocking is a method where you schedule specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities. Now I want you to think back when you were in high school. When you were in high school, you had maybe six or seven periods in a day, right, and each hour was basically devoted to a specific subject. So say, first period, you had math. Second period, you had English. Third, you had science. Fourth, you had history, and so forth and so forth. I'm just giving you a breakdown. Actually, and even in between each of those classes, you had like a five or seven minute break or passing period, they called it right. So think of when you were in class, first period, your eight to nine timeframe you were only working on math. You were devoted to learning math, doing math, doing math, homework. Everything consisted in that time block of just focusing on math and then you would transition to your next class, english. You were writing essays, you were reading, you were doing whatever. In your English class, you move on to science. You guys get me right. That's just the teacher in me making sure that you really get it.

Speaker 1:

Now, why does time blocking work? Because it allows our brain to focus on one specific task, subject, whatever, for that amount of time and then you give yourself a break. Now in schools we have each period, each subject, and then there's passing periods. You even have an actual break, or what they would call nutrition, and then lunch break, recess, all of that stuff. Why does that work? It works because you are devoting a specific amount of time to one specific subject or task where you are sitting and concentrating, and then you are moving your body after for a certain amount of time, whether it's a passing period, a recess, a lunch, a break You're allowing your brain to kind of unplug for a minute. Move your body, get adrenaline, get those endorphins going again, so that you can come back and again sit and time block and work on a task. Now, one thing that I want you to do if you have a notebook, go get a notebook, take notes in your phone, but I want you to start to implement.

Speaker 1:

How does time blocking look for you Now? I'm going to give you an example here. Let's take, for instance, a woman. We're going to name her Joy, my favorite name. So we're going to take a woman named Joy. She's a mom of two kids ages 10 and say nine, all right, she had them back to back. She is an accountant by day, but she wants to start a business. Baking she loves to bake, it brings her joy and she has filled this sense of fulfillment when she bakes. God put it on her heart to start a small business and her goal is to eventually open up a bakery. However, she has bills to pay, she has children to feed and clothe, so she works as an accountant for a business. How is she going to time block and begin to work on her goals when she has a nine to five? Now, joy, she's going to begin to time block her day. How does that look? Well, joy wakes up at 6 am.

Speaker 1:

Every day, between 6 am and 8 am, she does her morning routine. Her morning routine consists of her devotion, prayer time, maybe a little bit of journaling, maybe a quick workout, shower, breakfast and then she's getting her kids off to school. Between 8 am and 9 am she's dropping kids off at school and she is getting to work During that time. Maybe she has a little bit of a commute, maybe she has a 20 or 30-minute commute to work. During that time she can be listening to praise music in the car, she could be listening to an Audible book that is going to help her build her business, she could be listening to a podcast that's going to help her build her business, or she could just be jamming to some music because it's been a week right. Whatever she is doing during that time, she's going to time block and know that, hey, this time block. So I have six to eight morning routine getting kids off to school. Eight to nine school drop off, podcast, audible learning time, venting time, whatever it is. By 9am she is clocking in as an accountant From nine to five.

Speaker 1:

Joy is an accountant for her business. Now she can time block her day in between then and figure out what tasks to work on. As she is an accountant, she can time block just a little her lunch hour during that time. If she does a 12 to 1 lunch, maybe she's diligent in packing her lunch every day so she doesn't have to leave. Maybe she just packs her lunch three times a week and the other two she goes out with her coworkers. Whatever it is for Joy, however diligent she wants to be with her time Maybe it's for a season, maybe it's all the time. Whatever her lunch hour looks like, for her she plans it out 12 to 1. If she's sitting at her desk, she can take her lunch that she packed. Bring it, take her personal tablet computer, whatever it is, and maybe she can sit and eat her lunch and she can be working on designing logos for her baking company, looking up new recipes, maybe working on getting the licensing that she needs to have an in-home bakery.

Speaker 1:

Whatever time that she has, she's going to devote it to putting every little bit of time into working on that goal that God put on her heart. After five o'clock, what does that look like? Five to six, she's having to pick the kids up, commute, get home. What does that commute time look for Joy? Can she time block in? Maybe that's some more time of more audible, more podcast listening, more learning on the traits of her business, and then, when she gets home, you got a time block 6 to maybe 8 pm. It's dinner, doing homework with the kids, maybe getting them down for their bath by 9 pm. This is Joy's time. Kids are asleep. Joy maybe has an hour, if that, to where she can sit and work on her goal. Now you're thinking there's not very much time for Joy to work on her goal. No, you're right. It's maybe a lunch hour, maybe an hour before she goes to bed each night. But guess what? She's managing her time with what she has where she can and she's making an effort to be productive because it matters to her. This goal that God put on her heart matters. So she's creating time blocks, even though it's very little time, to give her opportunities to work towards her goal.

Speaker 1:

Now, oftentimes we look at our schedule and we feel overwhelmed. We are like I don't know how I'm going to squeeze any time in, because for us, time to work on our goal means that we have like 40 hours a week to do it, and if we don't have 40 hours a week to do it, it's not worth it. So if Joy works two hours a day on her goal, that is 10 hours a week. That is very significant impact that she can make on a goal. Do you know what you can do with 10 hours to create a small business? And I'm going to go back to the words that I say so often Something is better than nothing. 10 hours a week is better than no hours a week. 10 hours a week is better than one hour a week. 10 hours a week is better than five hours a week, but five hours is better than zero and one hour is better than zero. You got me. We oftentimes make so many excuses as to not work on our goal because we say I don't have time. I don't have time.

Speaker 1:

If I were to sit and do a time audit with you, I rest assured I would probably find tons of time for you within your day. How many hours a day do you spend scrolling social media? How many hours a week do you spend watching you know, trash reality TV on Netflix? Think about it. What are you listening to as you commute to and from work? What are you listening to or doing while you exercise? Take a walk on your lunch break. There are opportunities around you. You just have to be diligent with creating the time and self-managing yourself to fit within the time blocks that are given to you in a day.

Speaker 1:

Now here is how you start to time block. The first step is to identify your priorities for the week. Sit down, make a to-do list, identify what your schedule looks like, plug that all in and then figure out where do I have an hour here or there to work on what really matters for you? Second is to use a digital calendar or a paper calendar to allow you to create a weekly schedule and create your time blocks. Now, I am a person that does both. I'm like kind of type A a littleCD. So I have a very color coded, crazy looking Google calendar and then I have an old school like paper planner. I use both. I sit at my calendar on Sundays and I spend some time taking everything from my Google calendar and putting it in for the week in my paper calendar and I make my to-do list. So figure out which one works for you. If both work for you, great, they both work for me. They keep me accountable, whether it's your Google Calendar, outlook, whatever tool that you use. If there is a different type of digital calendar that I just have no idea about, I think like Google Calendar and Outlook kind of rule the world out there when it comes to digital types of calendars, but figure out what tool is going to work for you.

Speaker 1:

Step three is to be realistic about how long tasks take, and then you want to give yourself a buffer for unexpected events. Step four is to stick to your blocks as much as possible. Now, time blocking creates like a foundation or kind of like a frame for building in your daily schedule and working with the time blocks that you have. Think of it again as like you're building a frame to a house and then, little by little, you start to like, hey, we're going to add the drywall here, we're going to add the tile here. You start to figure in like all the little pieces that work. You want to stick with them as much as possible. Now, if you are someone that you just have some kind of crazy job, a crazy schedule, you are someone that you just have some kind of crazy job, a crazy schedule, you are managing so many things. Create this as a framework and foundation for you to start to, little by little, work yourself within these time blocks.

Speaker 1:

I always recommend 90 minute time blocks. 90 minutes is a good enough time that your brain can actually function on one task. After 90 minutes you start to become very distracted and your brain just needs a break. Often, if you are a worker, if you're creating 90 minute time blocks and you are someone that is working at your desk on a computer, what I recommend is that after those 90 minutes you take anywhere from a five to 15 minute break and you move your body. So if you are again a desk worker and you take a break after 90 minutes, get up and move your body somehow.

Speaker 1:

Get up and go, do like a physical task If you are a work from home type of person, do like a physical task If you are a work from home type of person. If you are at an office, if you're at home, maybe get up and like dump a load of laundry, fold some laundry, do some dishes, do something that is somewhat physical. Vacuum your room really quick. If you are at an office, maybe you can step outside, just take a break, take a round in the parking lot or something, walk to your car, something that is going to just move your body. Maybe even just that sense of fresh air getting outside is such a brain rest for you that allows those endorphins to kind of revitalize a little bit and to give you a little bit of boost of energy to continue the last part of your blocks that you have for the day. Now you want to again stick to them as much as possible.

Speaker 1:

Now, time blocking works because it eliminates the decision fatigue. Y'all. Decision fatigue is real when you are a mom, a wife, business owner, worker like us women we wear so many hats and having to make decisions. When I was a teacher oh good Lord, like teachers make more decisions than surgeons make. I saw this research out there before, and I can't necessarily quote it because I don't I know I have it somewhere stored to quote it, but there was an actual research done that teachers make more decisions in a day than, like, brain surgeons do. And I'm not just speaking to teachers, though, but just to give you an idea of there are certain occupations out there that require a lot more decision making, and when your schedule can be a decision, that is already eliminated, like it's planned, it's done. It eliminates that fatigue that we get, that stress and anxiety of like what do I have to do, where do I have to be, what is the plan? You know exactly what you're supposed to be doing at any given time.

Speaker 1:

Now we're going to talk a little bit about managing your calendar. A well-managed calendar is a key to effective time management. Now here are a few tips to making sure that you manage your calendar well. First is to plan your week on Sunday or Monday mornings. I mentioned it earlier. I plan and sit with my Google calendar and my paper calendar on Sunday evenings. Today is Monday when I'm recording this. I literally just did it last night. I spent about, I'd say maybe like 45 minutes. I tend to be a lot faster on it because I have done it so much, but this week looks a lot different for us and I was really, if I'm being honest, I was trying to squeeze a lot into very few days that I have this week and as I sat there realizing what this week looks like, I got a little bit overwhelmed. So I kind of froze and I got distracted. I was like, oh well, I have to do this. Well, maybe I should look over here and see how I could do it quicker. I totally got distracted and went down a rabbit hole of looking up some things on ChatGPT that I really had no business doing. Again, I had to come back.

Speaker 1:

Nope, this time block on Sunday nights is strictly for planning out my schedule for the week. So, rather than planning out the podcast episode which wasn't that time block yesterday, because that's where I went to immediately I was like I haven't finished making my meal plan, so I came back. What I do on that Sunday is I plan out my calendar for the week. I get my to-dos ready for Monday, I meal plan for the week and meal planning talk about this many times, won't go too much in depth I plan out all the meals for the week. I make a list of the items that we need. I will take a look in my pantry and my fridge to see what I need from that list and if we don't have it, I will add it to my cart in Target, make a shopping list and then that's it for meal planning. Now that's how my Sunday goes when I plan. So that is my first tip to you is planning your week on Sunday or Monday morning.

Speaker 1:

Next is using a color coding system to separate your work, personal, family in your calendars, and if you're using Google Calendar, it allows you to color code your calendars. And then, if you are using maybe a paper planner, you can maybe use different color pens or you can use different color highlighters to know like, hey, this is work stuff, this is family stuff, this is personal stuff, maybe goal-related stuff. You can color code as you feel suited for what works for you. And then the third thing is that I wanna encourage you to do to help you manage your calendar is to schedule breaks. Again, I just talked about it. Rest fuels productivity and remember, it's about being productive and focusing on what matters, to do it better, not doing more. Now I want to introduce you to a couple of tools that are really going to help you that I use, and I am certain you can hop onto ChatGPT or just search the internet. Go into good old Google and just type in what are time management tools that I can use to help me be efficient. I'm going to give you a few here, and I am referring these to you because these are all ones that I use personally. These are tools that I have had my coaching clients use as well, and they are very productive in using these tools once implemented properly.

Speaker 1:

The first is your Google Calendar. We just talked about that. There are versatile options in there for scheduling, to set up reminders. It has various task lists that you can add to it. I use the like kind of the basic stuff of Google. Like I have created separate calendars for different areas of goals and tasks that I'm working on. I use the task list. I have like podcasts, task lists, personal things to do, bill reminders and then stuff for for my goals that I'm working on, and I and you can set those tasks up with reminders and so forth. So Google is a great tool. It is free. All you have to do is set up a Gmail account and you have access to all of the Google um tools that are out there, not just your Google calendar. You can use Google docs sheets, google Forms, google Meet. There's so many tools that Google offers and it's for free, so it's fabulous.

Speaker 1:

The next tool that I highly recommend is MeisterTask, and I'm going to spell it out for you. It's M-E-I-S-T-E-R and then task T-A-S-K. Meistertask is my newest obsession. I just started using it, actually last year. I think it's been about a full year that I've been using MeisterTask now, and it is great for project management and team collaboration. There is a free version of it. You can go and create an account now. The free version allows you to have three projects Anything. After that you got to pay for a monthly fee. I think it starts as like $13 a month.

Speaker 1:

But MeisterTask it is such a refreshing tool to use. It allows you to color code things. It allows you to even keep track of your time. So if you are working on a task and you always, you know, wonder how much time does it take for me to do this particular task you can time yourself with the stopwatch feature that it has in task within MeisterTask. It allows you again to color code things, makes everything look super pretty, and I love the whole swipe feature of it because you can swipe through all of your tasks and goals that you have set up. You can add attachments to it, like there is so much to it that I just absolutely love it.

Speaker 1:

The next one is Trello. Trello is again another visual tool. It is perfect for tracking tasks and projects. It works a lot like MeisterTask. Also, there is more of a personal feature to it so you can create like your own projects and add your own pictures to it. Think of it as an updated MySpace for tasks. I'm totally aging myself with MySpace, but there's so many personal features that you can personalize like your main page and, again, all the little task bars. You can put your own pictures or you can use AI pictures. You can shop their download pictures and find pictures that just work with whatever task it is that you are doing. So it's a more personalized task list that you could use, and there's lots of great features to it also.

Speaker 1:

Lastly, there is Asana, and Asana is spelled A-S-A-U-N-A. Think of it as a sauna. All right. Now Asana. I've been on Asana for several years and it was a great tool. It was free when I got on. I am not recommending it as much because now you have to pay for it, so there's no longer a free version of Asana, unless you have already been using it. Asana is very basic. You can't color code things and with the free version, there's like only two or three different type of templates that you can use to set it up. It worked for us for the last like four years and I have nothing against it. But there's just better things like MeisterTask and Trello that make you create things more visually appealing and easier to flow through. That's just my personal opinion, and Asana was great. If you have it and you've been using it, it is a great tool to help you manage your time and manage projects.

Speaker 1:

Now, I gave you lots of information up front. How does this connect to help you to fulfill the purpose that God put on your life? Now? We all have goals. We all have ambitions Figuring out. Does this align with God's plan? That is for you and God to figure out.

Speaker 1:

I'm not going to give you the answer to that, but what I am going to tell you is that managing our time is something biblical, and there are lots of different scriptures that I could have referred to. I don't want to go too deep on this, because I want the focus of this conversation to be giving you tools and tips to help you manage your time, but I want to tell you what the Bible does say about managing our time and just go a little bit into this. There's verse Ephesians 5, 15 through 6, and it says Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Now God calls us to store our time wisely. Productivity in the kingdom is about aligning our actions with his purpose. When we manage our time well, we can actually serve others, we can rest intentionally, we can have freedom and joy, and God begins to see that we are investing and managing our time well. Now, going back to this verse, now I have to be completely transparent with y'all. As a life coach and specifically a goals coach, time management is a very big priority and it is something that I struggle with immensely. And the reason I chose this verse is because I feel it speaks so vividly to me when it comes to managing time and the distractions that occur. And it says, like be very careful then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Now, this is my take on this verse. This is what I feel, my personal opinion. This isn't like theological or anything. This is just my personal opinion, what I felt God was speaking to me when I found this verse to share today.

Speaker 1:

The enemy comes to still kill and destroy, and he wants to kill and destroy the dreams and the goals that God put in our heart. And how does he do that? He does that by distracting us. He distracts us with so many things throughout the day Social media, tv, sports activities. There is so much in a given day. Just our phones are a distraction. And not to say that these things are evil, but that's why it's important for us to learn how to manage our time and manage our usage of these things that are at our hand and are beck and call at any given moment, because the enemy uses these things to distract us in any single way. Your family can be used as a distraction. Like the enemy will use things that he knows will take you away from working on God's plan for your life, and this is where I've been the last two years.

Speaker 1:

I've been very distracted. I should have been far more along in my goals that God put in my heart than where I am right now, and it is because major distractions have been put in my path and I've. I wasn't managing my time as efficiently as I should be, and I made a promise that in 2025, I made this promise to God. God, you gave me the gift of time. Time is our currency and I want to make best with what you have given me. I also want to prioritize rest and I want to prioritize my time with God. I also want to prioritize rest and I want to prioritize my time with God. I don't want to be distracted and taken away from my time with God, and I don't want to be distracted and taken away from what God called me to do, so I am really buckling down on how I manage my time with a lot of these tools. Now we're going to move on from that.

Speaker 1:

Steps that you can take today. What can you do today that is going to allow you to just take action? I want to break this down into very easy, actionable steps that you can start today. The first thing to do is audit your time. What does that look like? Spend just one day tracking your time throughout the day. Identify any like patterns or distractions that you might see. Step two is set priorities. What are the top three things that you want to accomplish this week? Write them down and set your priorities for the week. Number three is to start small. Just start with blocking out one hour tomorrow. Just block out one hour to do a specific task. That entire hour. Make it focus, work for you or an important task, something that you know that, hey, if I just work for one hour, I will make progress in this one task that maybe you've been putting off for a really long time.

Speaker 1:

Number four is to choose your tools. Pick one of the time management tools that I mentioned, or spend some time researching a tool that's going to work for you. Chatgpt is great for that. You can type in looking for time management tools that do this, and maybe you're looking for a specific thing. Maybe the ones that I listed don't work with the type of industry that you are in or the type of goal that you are trying to achieve. Chatgpt or Google is a great place to go and get reference for what will work for you. Experiment with the tools and figure out what is going to work with you, for you and figure out what is going to work for you. That way, before you go all in with that one tool, you can just kind of play with it and make sure it works.

Speaker 1:

And then number five is to reflect and adjust At the end of the week, review what worked for you and then make changes for the following week. This isn't something that's going to happen overnight. It's going to take some time Each week, tweak, adjust, plan, play with the new tool, keep working it out until it all fits. You got me Think of it as like Tetris. Again, I'm aging myself here. Just think that you're building a Lego set. Right, you got to take like each little piece or putting a puzzle together, and it's just working with the pieces that you have and figuring out. When am I going to get it right to figure out? When it just all comes together and works properly for you.

Speaker 1:

Now I want to give a couple of tips to just help you live a productive life. These are some actionable steps that you can take also, and the first is just setting clear goals. What are you working towards this year, in 2025? Don't overwhelm yourself. I think a big mistake a lot of people do I've shared this a lot is that they overwhelm themselves and they set out like I want to, like you know, conquer the world this year. Like, start small, y'all.

Speaker 1:

If you are in a season right now where you're working, you have a nine to five, you have small children, you're very involved in your community, whether you're your kids school, your kids programs, maybe you're very involved in your church and you have some goals that you want to achieve, just start small. You're very involved in your church and you have some goals that you want to achieve. Just start small. Start with some clear goals that will be achievable in this year. Number two is to use the right tools Again, experiment. Number three is to take care of your energy, sleep, nutrition. Your energy, sleep, nutrition, exercise all contribute to our productivity. Now, nutrition is huge y'all it's huge.

Speaker 1:

What are you putting in your body to give you the energy and the focus that you need throughout the day? I'll be honest, I fail at this often. I want to do a lot of great things. You know I have goals and things to achieve, and then I go out and eat lunch and I eat like pizza or something and by like two or three o'clock I'm crashing. I'm tired, I'm distracted. I want the day to end, so I know that I have to eat a good light breakfast. There are certain foods that I stay away in for breakfast that I know are going to make me tired and not sustain my energy. The same goes for lunch, and then dinner, too, will have an impact on how you end your evening and what type of sleep you get. Also, working out, exercising, making sure that you are creating opportunities to get those endorphins, to create that dopamine, to sustain your energy levels, and making sure that you get enough sleep Y'all.

Speaker 1:

Sleep is so important. Make sure that you are doing things and putting methods in place that allow you to get the sleep that you need. Everybody is different as to like the amount of time that you need to fully function. As far as the amount of time you need, everybody is different as to like the amount of time that you need to fully function. As far as the amount of time you need to sleep. For me, I need a solid seven hours of sleep in order for me to function fully. If I get less than seven hours, sometimes it's a rough day Like even six hours. I can squeeze six hours, but it has to be a solid six hours. If I get less than that, I'm sluggish throughout the day. So I know that when I go to sleep, I have to allow myself that time so that I can be full of energy to do the work that I need to do Now.

Speaker 1:

The fourth tip to live a productive life is to practice gratitude. A joyful heart fuels a productive spirit. I've talked lots and lots about how important gratitude is. Y'all should know this by now. But just make sure that you implement it and bring it into part of your day. Make it one of your time blocks that you write in your gratitude journal, and it's just a practice that you do every day. And the last and most important of all of the tips that I can give you in creating a productive lifestyle is to pray over your plans, invite God into your schedule and trust him with your time. This is something, I'll be honest, that I have to get better at myself, oftentimes, like I just write everything out and I just go.

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I start my morning off each day in prayer and I pray for lots of different things, but I don't oftentimes pray for God's plan for my day, and I think that's something that I'm going to work on this year for sure, because I think that's going to help to eliminate some of the distractions that I get from my day. Now God called me to do some pretty big things, so the distractions come heavy on me, y'all come heavy on me y'all. So that verse that I shared because the days are evil. It's not necessarily that they're like evil in my days, but the enemy just comes again to still kill and destroy and there are lots of ways that he has been coming at me to distract from doing these things. And I just have to get better at praying. You know, when I do my calendar each week, literally just laying my hands over my paper planner and saying God, I give you this week, I give you this day. Help me to be productive and focus on the things that you want me to focus on. Let the distractions go away and just protect my time and protect my spirit. Something as simple as that. Now I just I want to thank y'all. This month is just all about really giving you tips and tools and resources to help to set your year up for success. This is episode 99, y'all, like. Next week, I'm hitting 100 episodes and I am so excited and I just wanna thank you for being here, thank you for investing in me and in you, because really, truly, these episodes are for you.

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I don't monetize any of my episodes. I do this strictly as a ministry for you. All I ask is that you share the message and that's it. So if you would like tools also that help you manage your time, make sure that you subscribe to my email list. There is a link in the show notes where you can subscribe. But I often send time management tips and tricks and you know sometimes resources out in my emails and you can be. But I often send time management tips and tricks and you know sometimes resources out in my emails and you can be part of that and get some of that in your email box Now.

Speaker 1:

If you love this episode, like I said, share it with a friend. Don't hesitate to reach out to me if you are looking to go more into depth with tools and resources and learning to be more productive. That is part of my coaching that I do. I would love for you to come and join me. I have free discovery calls where we can sit down and figure out what kind of pathway works best for you in coaching, and we'll go from there Until next time. Friend, share this episode with someone that you think will need it that could get some resources from here and continue to chase joy. Love you.