NAtalie: Balancing career, family, faith, and health. That's today on the podcast.

NAtalie: Hi everyone, it's Natalie. I've been thinking being a mom is no easy task. In fact, it's just hard when you add in a career and trying to stay healthy. Life can get pretty hectic. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and stretch too thin. But I wanna talk today about time management strategies to help you find harmony.

So today on the podcast, it's just me, and I'm giving you tips to help you balance your career, your family. Your faith and your health while making time for yourself. Does it sound impossible? It's not, but you have to be strategic. Before we get started today, thank you so much for being here. I hope you're finding pieces of information each and every week that enhance your life, and it would mean so much to me if you would give me your feedback, a review of the podcast.

It goes a long way. If you click the link in the show notes, that review will take you under a minute. Okay? So onto the tips this week. Be sure to listen for several resources that I've created to help you with these items.

Number one, set clear priorities. Start by identifying your top priorities. Reflect on what truly matters and what aligns with your values.

Make a list of your career goals, your family activities, your faith practices, and your health commitments. Understanding your priorities will guide your decision making and help you allocate your time wisely. And while you're at this, I suggest you give your kids a list or a blank sheet of paper with this idea in mind.

Have them fill it out. It's a habit that really goes a long way in life. By the way, I have a free download that can guide you on doing this. You can find it in today's show notes and just print out as many copies as you need for yourself and for your family. All right, next on the list. Create a family calendar.

A shared family calendar can be a good idea for me. It's a lifesaver. Use digital tools or use of old fashioned physical planner to keep track of everyone's schedules, including school events, extracurricular activities, Work commitments of course and family time. Having just one calendar will prevent scheduling conflicts and it's gonna make sure that And it's going to help you be sure that you have made time for what matters most. And I know this is a no-brainer, but stick to just one calendar. If it's digital, stick to digital. If it is an old fashioned written calendar, stick to that because how many times have you ever done this where you put something in your phone but you don't put it on the other calendar that you use, or vice versa, and then something falls through the cracks.

Don't let that happen to you.

Also be sure that you're following up on your calendar daily. I do this before I go to bed at night. Make sure that you're going through what's coming up and adding anything that may have come your way during the day. Maybe it was an email or something else. Be sure every day you're updating that calendar.

Next on the list, delegate and share responsibilities. You don't have to do everything on your own. I know it makes us all feel powerful, like Wonder Woman, but you don't have to do it all on your own. Delegate. Some of those things, especially household tasks, the very best thing you can do is give your kids responsibilities.

I know it can seem like more work to manage their chores and to follow up with them and harp on them to get things done, but every single parenting expert I have spoken with over the years says that teaching kids to be part of a family system, and that includes chores.

Helps them see the fruits of their labors and our labors. Sharing responsibilities also lightens your load, right? It's supposed to be a good thing, but it also fosters a sense of teamwork and a sense of responsibility. In my house, it's a weekly responsibility that gets rotated and sometimes traded. I will say between the kids, they do trash, they do dishes, and they do floors.

Do they fight and complain? Yep, they do, but they end up doing it, or at least it gets done in my eyes, and they know the value of chores.

Next, prioritize your self-care. I know I talk about this a lot as the saying goes, you can't pour from an empty cup. Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine.

Find time for activities that rejuvenate you like reading. I. Exercise, maybe it's meditation or spending time outside with nature. Taking care of yourself will enhance your wellbeing and it's gonna make you more effective in all areas of your life. What is this for you? Is it a walk every single day? Is it time with God?

Prayer? Is it coffee with a friend? Don't give this up when you get busy.

Number five on my list, set realistic expectations. Accept the fact that you can't do everything, and that is okay. Set those realistic expectations for yourself and avoid falling into the trap of perfectionism. Recognize. It's okay to say no to additional commitments that maybe don't align with your priorities, or maybe they just overwhelm you and your schedule.

I had to turn down a lunch invitation with a group this week that I really wanted to connect with. It's been years, I'm getting ready to go back to school, and my priority this week is the TV studio in the school and my classroom. It was a last minute invitation. I so wanted to say yes, but I knew that I wouldn't get the classroom done if I went.

I had to say no to meet my own expectations, and I know that the classroom and the studio are not gonna be perfect. I am a rather new high school teacher, setting my expectations, giving myself grace. That's not easy for me, but I am clear on what I can and what I can't do.

All right, next on the list. Have you tried time blocking? Oh, how this has changed the game for me. Here's how it works. Allocate specific time slots for different activities. I have a block of time each week that is set aside, for example, for very specific things. So things like email for the podcast.

Following up with sponsors, social media, grading for school and more. So here's an example. Fridays from nine to 10 in the morning. It's for podcast emails. I turn off notifications and I focus. I have a little clock I use for time blocking.

It keeps me away from my phone. It keeps me focused. I highly recommend it. It also works great for kids during homework or maybe an activity they need to focus on where they get distracted and who am I kidding? It works for anyone who gets easily distracted. People ask me all the time about it, so I'm gonna link it in the show notes as well.

I think it's around $18 on Amazon, and there are other places you can buy it as well, but I'll put that link in there if you're interested. What's important here is. Focus. That's what time blocking allows you to do it prevents multitasking, I'll admit I'm a master at multitasking, but it's really hard to multitask and accomplish what I need to accomplish. So try this out and let me know how things change for you by time blocking.

next. Number seven, find moments for faith.

Even with your busy schedule. Find moments with God, whether it's morning prayer before bedtime. Anytime nurturing your faith can provide that solace, that strength, that perspective we all need. My routine is coffee with God. At least that's what it is. Lately. It centers me first thing in the morning. I find encouragement and I feel like I can tackle the things that I need to do through that day with the right mindset.

When I start the day this way, so I have a few different devotions that I've been working through. My new favorite is by Paul David Trip. It's called New Morning Mercies. It's a page a day for each day of the year, and my friend Jessica, my neighbor, loaned me this for the year. She did it last year and she wanted me to do it, and it's been such a blessing to me.

For example, here's today's message. Yes, you are weak. You are often foolish and you tend to want your own way. But God's redeeming grace is greater. Isaiah 53, 6, it says, and I'm gonna paraphrase this page because it really takes about five minutes, but Isaiah 53, 6 says, all of us like sheep have strayed away.

We've left God's path to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. Tripp says Sheep wander. They're sheep. It's their nature to do so, and our wandering is the same. It's the way we were born. That's what causes us to wander from the Great Shepherd and the Bible names it as sin. It's our nature again, it's how we were born.

So what does sin do to us? It causes us to make life only all about us.

The solution trip says, self-help won't work because we are our biggest problem. The only place to run for help is God's redeeming grace. What a great way to start the day. This is one of the many great daily devotions that take, again, maybe five minutes to read. I'm gonna link in the show notes because I know I'll have people ask about this particular new morning mercies, and I'll put that link in the show notes for you if you wanna grab that one.

It's been a really good one for me. Okay, so for my next two tips, let's move on. Let's get practical

number eight. Simplify your meal planning. It doesn't have to be hard, but meal planning is a game changer for time management and busy moms. Set aside time each week to just plan things out. Prepare a shopping list up for quick and nutritious recipes that are easy to prepare and consider some batch cooking to save you time during the week.

Sundays are this day for me. I often make. One meal and then I split it up for the week in little containers, and sometimes I make a double meal so that I can put one in the freezer for crockpot later that week. Whatever it is, just plan and do more than one meal at a time so that you're not making the mess in the kitchen more than once.

Number nine, set boundaries. I've done entire episodes on boundaries, but just in short here, learn to set boundaries to protect your family time and your personal space. Communicate your work hours to your colleagues. Resist the temptation to check work emails during family time or your focus time. I do talk a lot about boundaries because I feel it is just so important to set them and then let other people around you know what they are. I promise it's gonna help you manage your time, but you have to be disciplined with it. All right, and finally, please.

Celebrate your achievements no matter how small.

Recognize the effort that you put into balancing your career, your family, your faith, and your health. Celebrating your milestones will boost your morale and encourage you to continue striving for a balanced and fulfilling life. Take one step at a time and you are gonna see the positive impacts of effective time management.

I hope this week's episode has helped you and blessed you. I always love getting emails and messages from you, so feel free to reach out anytime. I'll talk to you next week.