210: Embracing a God-Led Schedule

Is your schedule just not working?  Or maybe you don't even have a schedule. Are you ready for some time management tips that noone else is talking about?  Welcome to another episode of the 'Intentional Mom Life with Jesus' podcast hosted by Sasha Starr Robertson. In this episode, Sasha addresses a common struggle among many mothers: time management and schedule building. She talks about the often overlooked, yet crucial element in creating an effective schedule that aligns with your values, needs, and commitments.Sasha challenges her listeners to rethink their approach to time management and scheduling. Using Biblical references, she emphasizes the power of beginning your planning with quiet time with God, helping you to align your daily activities with His purpose for your life. Many mothers find themselves in a cycle of chaos because they fail to consider God's direction in their daily routines.Through this inspiring episode, you are encouraged to make a deliberate choice to manage your time wisely, keeping God at the center of your schedule. A major takeaway from this episode is a challenge to moms, to commit to learning, to lean in, fill the gaps, and embrace a more spirit-led approach to managing time.If you need guidance on how to harmonize your daily activities with your Christian values, find the link to the Fresh Start Journaling Questions in the show notes. Join Sasha in this episode and find your path to a balanced, productive, and God-led schedule.

 

Ready for a Fresh Start?!? Does a simplified life & schedule sound like exactly what you're desiring for 2024 and beyond? Look no further sisters! Head on over to https://intentionalabundance.life/freshstart Can't wait to see you on the inside! 

Your Host, Sasha Star Robertson is a Productivity for driven Christian moms, wife of 15 years to her best friend, mom blessed by adoption x3, travel addict, and Jesus freak. She is the founder of The Intentional Abundance Co., curator of the Life & Goals Planner, host of the Intentional MomLife with Jesus Podcast & co-host of the Faithful Family Fortress Podcast. Sasha is passionate about the call in Isaiah 61:1-2 and believes that God called her to set mothers free from the stress, overwhelm, and burden associated with modern day motherhood and instead help them live in the freedom and abundance of Christ through Biblical mindset & balanced schedules.

You're invited to join us in the Mom Life Balance Community over on facebook! It's a safe space where we can show up vulnerably and encourage each other, where ere share the mission of being the best mommas we can be through the grace and strength of Jesus Christ, where we encourage consistency and are able to hold each other accountable. We share scripture and talk about podcast episodes and pray for each other and set goals and so much more! You're more than welcome here, you're wanted here! https://intentionalabundance.life/community

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Would you benefit from having a coach helping you live Productively Peaceful days digging into Faithful Foundations, Purposeful Priorities, Mindset Mastery, & create a Simple Schedule? This question is rhetorical, everyone would! Learn more about the IAM or schedule a consult with Sasha at http://www.jointheiam.com

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, hey, sisters, welcome back to the Intentional Mom Life with Jesus podcast.
I'm your host, Sasha Starr Robertson, and today I am going to dive into this
number one thing that so many moms struggle with.
They struggle with building their schedule wrong, or they struggle with not
making the time to build it correctly.

(00:21):
Therefore, they always stay stuck on this rabbit trail, this never-ending rabbit
trail. So let's dive in and overcome this today.
Welcome to the Intentional Mom Life with Jesus podcast. Do you desire balance.
Music.
And want to glorify God with your life?
Are you often up late at night, conflicted between whether you accomplished

(00:43):
enough or you were present enough with your kids?
Do you wake up with big, ambitious goals only to feel overwhelmed by all the
things on your to-do list?
Hi, I'm Sasha Starr Robertson. I know the weight of that stay-at-home mom life.
It can feel like a burden to stay on top of things when you don't know how to
manage your time and struggle to read your Bible.

(01:03):
You want structure, a routine that flows, and a little time to pursue things
for yourself without mom guilt.
But you keep telling yourself, there's no time, and I can't find a good schedule.
Well, sister, you've found the solution. On this podcast, you'll find encouragement
to help you live rooted and grounded in Christ, time management tips for busy

(01:24):
moms and mindset shifts to help you feel organized,
productive and peaceful, focusing on what matters most.
So grab your cold brew or kombucha and strap those kiddos into the car seat.
Music.
That jingle, you know, that you just listened to right before the podcast episode started.

(01:51):
It fires me up. It's kind of like whenever I hear the chosen like intro song,
I just can't help but like move and dance and get so excited for what is about to come.
And so I hope when you guys listen to this podcast, you have a similar feeling invoked inside of you.
I hope you're like, oh, I can't wait to hear what Sasha is going to give us
today in this podcast episode. And so today I want to talk about some of the

(02:15):
critical foundational pieces of what is necessary in creating a schedule.
But before we dive into that, I want to talk about this like chicken or the
egg kind of thing. Like what comes first?
And this is obviously like a metaphor for creating our schedules, right? right?

(02:36):
I see so many moms who are like, I don't even have the time to jump into this program.
I don't even have the time to jump on these coaching calls. I don't have the
time to listen to the training modules.
I don't have the time to do the homework assignments, to fill out these worksheets.
I don't have the time to even do those things to be able to create a schedule,

(02:56):
so that I can have more time, right?
Like when I say it like that, you might be thinking, thinking,
gosh, yeah, that sounds kind of silly. Like, I hear what you're saying, Sasha.
It's also like when moms are like, I'm so tired, but then you don't make the
time to sleep or I'm so exhausted and burnt out from serving everyone,

(03:16):
but you don't even take the time to go and be poured back into.
And speaking of The Chosen, right, because I just went and saw season four,
parts of of it, in theaters.
And I really loved and noticed how in parts of the show, Jesus,

(03:36):
like in one part, he's sitting at a fire by himself.
Like all the disciples and everyone else are like sitting at a fire together,
but then there's Jesus sitting over there by his own fire.
And I love that they did this in this artistic rendition of,
you know, biblical events and biblical characters, pastors because the Bible

(03:57):
gives us plenty of examples of Jesus like going away, right?
To rest and to retreat.
And I talk about this, I think it's in episode 16 and episode 116 here on the podcast.
And rest is so important, but I truly believe that rest is also a command in scripture.

(04:17):
I believe that God led by example, right? He created the earth in six days and
everything thing in it. And then the seventh day he rested.
But for a man, it was essentially like our first day of existence was rest.
And then we began working from that. And I feel like I'm like getting a little
bit off topic here, but not really.
We talk a lot about this in Seek First. And in these podcast episodes,

(04:42):
you can go to the website and snag the Simple Biblical Self-Care Blueprint.
I can send you access to the masterclass if that's something that you're are
really feeling like you're needed, there's tons of self-care episodes on here too.
But it's one of those things where if you are living in a state of chaos,
right, as a mom, you have to stop and ask, what do I need?

(05:02):
Like, what is this chaos, this overwhelm, what is it an indication of?
Because our feelings are indicators, much like the dash of your car, right?
There's usually a light will go off, right? And it's indicating something needs to be addressed here.

(05:23):
And it's the same with our feelings. If you're feeling overwhelmed and living
in chaos, you have to use that sign as a trigger to stop and say,
what do I need? What am I missing?
Right? A lot of times for us, it's going to be that rest. It's going to be going to Jesus.
It's going to be that quiet time with God and his word in the morning to be
filled up. It's going to be maybe some peace and quiet. Maybe it's a bath.

(05:45):
Maybe it's some other self-care items. So somewhere where your needs are not being met.
Maybe you're not getting fresh air or getting outside and exercising or sleeping
enough or eating the right foods or drinking enough water, right?
There are so many different things that it could be for each one of us individually.
But the longer we continue going on, not having those needs met,

(06:07):
we're only allowing that chaos to be inflicted upon our families.
We're essentially looking at the chaos and saying, hey, I'm going to partner with you.
Like, I'm just going to ride this chaos wave and see where where it takes me.
See how far I can go living in chaos before I crash and burn,
you know, before the wave crumbles over, before I get sick and I'm forced to

(06:33):
rest, before I have a breakdown and,
start yelling at my kids or, you know, somebody else needs to come back in or needs to come back in.
Somebody else needs to come in and take over, right?
Like we don't want to get to that point. so we have
to be willing to stop and say okay I'm going
to make a choice now to do

(06:54):
things differently I'm going to make a sacrifice of some sort to get what I
know that I need and for so many moms right it could be the rest it could be
the god time it could be the nutrition and health and and different things like
that but also for a lot of us it's to get a handle on our time.

(07:15):
This verse has really popped out to me lately, and it's Ephesians chapter 5, 15 and 16.
It says, look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,
making the best use of the time because the days are evil.
How many of you are not looking carefully how you walk?

(07:37):
How many many of you are not making the best use of your time and therefore
essentially walking as unwise.
Kind of taking this back to the beginning, so many moms are like,
I don't even have the time to invest in the course to learn how to manage my
time and create a schedule that works.
So I'm just going to keep living in the chaos that is familiar.

(08:00):
I'm just going to continue going on, you know, until I don't know what.
I want to encourage you, mom, you have the power today to say yes.
You have the power to take steps forward to get a handle on your time.
But not only that, going back to one of the number one things that I see people
skipping over when it comes to creating a schedule that actually works,

(08:22):
one of them is committing to do the work.
It's raising a hand and saying, okay, I'm going to do things differently.
I'm choosing to try something different so that my days and my time can look differently.
And it's investing in that course or it's signing up
with that coach or it's it's committing to leaning in

(08:44):
and learning and filling those gaps that we're experiencing in our own life
right but the next number one thing it's kind of like an idiotic thing to say
like a moronic thing to say if you will what what it's called I was going to
think there's like a word anyway I digress us,
the next number one thing is not going to God about the time.

(09:09):
There are other time management courses and programs and podcasts and whatever
else that you can listen to to learn all about the science or the psychology
or whatever else about time management and productivity.
But in reality, it's about learning to use your time how God wants you to use it.

(09:31):
If you're experiencing chaos and overwhelm, if you've tried making a schedule
and just throwing it at the wall and it's not working.
Chances are, it's because you're not living in integrity.
You have values. You have gifts. You have skills.
You have a purpose that God has created you for and called you to.

(09:55):
It first starts with your body stewardship and your mind stewardship, right?
The physical form that God has put you in right now.
It extends to your family and your home. But I believe that each one of us have
gifts that extend past that.
But what we do in our home creates this a ripple effect. Who we are in our home
creates this ripple effect that goes out far and wide and has impacts on the kingdom of heaven.

(10:21):
And when we are just riding the next wave and going with the flow and letting
life happen, we are not making the best use of our time.
When we are living in chaos and overwhelm and just can't seem to keep up and
we feel stretched so thin.
Sister, hear me. This is not how God created us to live.
Look at Jesus in his life on earth.

(10:44):
Granted, he was God in the flesh, but do you think he was like stretched so
thin when he did some of the most impactful work anyone has ever done that has walked this earth?
He looked carefully how he was walking and he made the best use of his time.
He was wise about the choices he was making with what he was going to do with

(11:07):
his time and how he spent it.
There were so many things he could have done, so many things other people thought
he was coming to earth to do.
But he used his time as God wanted him to, right? He was God in the flesh.
He could have done anything.
The scripture even says that even though he knew he was like equal with God, right?

(11:32):
He didn't use that as like his advantage. Totally paraphrasing here.
Sorry for the level to which some of you may have like I butchered that,
but he didn't see equality with God as something that needed to be grasped.
He was obedient to the Father, even though he was God in the flesh, right?

(11:54):
He still did the things that God asked him to do.
And he slowed down enough to stop and seek God for that direction,
for the clarity, for the answers.
Father, what do you want me to do next? Father, I ask that you take this from
me. And he didn't, right?

(12:15):
So we as moms are so busy looking at the next fire that needs to be put out,
the next snack, the next diaper change, the next whatever, running from this
event to that event, the work, the yada yada, the cleaning.
And we're like, oh, I'm stretched so thin. There's so much to do.
I don't even know how to keep up.
And if we're not slowing down enough to hear from God, to spend time with God,

(12:37):
to use our time as God wants us to use it, if we're failing to plan, we're planning to fail,
we're not walking as the wise, and we're not making the best use of our time.
And I say all of this because I've been hearing so many women lately who are
like, I don't know how you do all that you do.
This is how, okay? You go to God first.

(12:59):
And you're like, God, direct the steps of my day.
Martin Luther was quoted saying, I have so much to do today that I cannot help
but to spend the first three hours of my day in prayer.
He knew the importance of letting God direct his steps in order to be used by
God for the impact that he had in this world.

(13:22):
He knew the importance of seeking our creator.
And so sisters, I encourage you today, slow down, seek God, seek him and how
he wants you to use your time, whatever that looks like for you specifically.
Okay. And if you need some guidance, if you need some help in this area,
I'm not going to tell you what God says, right?

(13:42):
I'm not going to tell you that's between you and him, but I do have in the fresh
start journaling questions that you can go to him in prayer,
even a journaling playlist.
This is where where we start when it comes to creating a schedule that actually
works for you and your family.
And this is the number one thing that 99.999% of the other time management and
productivity systems you're going to see out there are skipping over.

(14:07):
If you want to be effective in your stewardship of your health and your home
and your family and your time, this is where we have to start.
So sisters, I pray this episode has blessed you. I pray if nothing else,
as soon as this episode's wrapped, you pause and you take a moment to just pray,
to just ask God to oversee and orchestrate,

(14:30):
the activities of your day, to orchestrate your schedule, to meet you in that,
to help you sit down with a planner and a tracker and look over how are you spending your time?
How will he have you spend your time?
What will he have you pursue in this next season? And where does it go on your days and on your weeks.

(14:52):
I know, sister, that when we slow down enough to seek him, he is faithful to
meet us in that space. Okay?
If this episode has blessed you, do not hesitate to share with a friend.
And if joining us in the fresh start is something that you are just screaming,
this is for me, then I cannot wait to see you on the inside.

(15:15):
The link is right below in the show notes. God bless, sister.
Music.