Do you struggle with being productive? Taking on more than you can handle? Is God really a priority in your life, or does your time with Him come after your other to-dos? Great thoughts on productivity by a sister in Christ.

Productivity: I was kind of hesitant to take on this topic. I feel like I am the last person who should be talking about productivity. There are times where I find myself wasting more time than I should – however, I knew that I needed to study this topic for myself and make some changes.

Productivity can be described in so many different ways – it looks different for each and every person. We all have different scales of productivity, and we all handle different amounts at a time. Like I said, this area of my life can definitely be a struggle.

Some of you seem to relate to me – it is easy to get distracted and become overwhelmed when trying to be productive. It is also tempting to compare ourselves to others and feel as if we are not doing enough.

I want to encourage you, however, to slow down. Take a breath. Being productive is not a contest. Like I said, productivity looks different for every one of us. Let me give you some spiritual tips to grow in this area of your life that I found to be encouraging and helpful to me:

Stop wasting your time and start being intentional

I know this seems obvious, but I don’t want you to just read over that. As women of God, we are called and commanded to not waste our time. Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us to redeem the time. We should be prioritizing our time – what does this look like for you? Take a minute and write out all of your priorities. What is at the top of that list? How do you prioritize your time?

Do you TRULY put God above all things? I thought I did before I started this study. Here are some tips that I made for myself, and I hope they help you!

Make time for daily Bible reading

Set aside a certain time of day to read your Bible. This is not a race, and there is no “right or wrong” way to read your Bible. You can read 5 chapters, 1 chapter, or 1 verse. Take your time: make sure you are understanding and comprehending what you are reading. Make application to your life. Reading and studying the Word is so important, and it is vital for us as Christians to be ready and prepared to answer any questions thrown our way. Find a time that works for you, and STICK TO IT! I cannot emphasize that enough. Do not make your set time in the morning when you know you will not wake up to read. Set a realistic goal, and do not let Satan distract you from it. (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 3:15)

PRAY!

I don’t know about y’all, but I struggle with prayer. I don’t know why, but I have always struggled to pray. I often “forget” to. I shamefully admit that. However, there is so much power in prayer. Prayer is so intimate. Prayer is special - as it is made only for God’s children. We have direct access to God through prayer!

We make sure to take time out of our day to talk to our friends, family, and even complete strangers; so, make sure to take time out of your day to pray and talk to your heavenly Father.

Pray when you’re happy or sad; pray when things are good or bad; pray when you need encouragement or when someone else needs it. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! (Matthew 26:41; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Psalm 55:16-17)

Encourage a brother/sister in Christ

With all of the extra down time that some of us have due to this pandemic, it is a perfect time to reach out to fellow brothers and sisters and encourage them. We don’t only need to do this when we have extra down time, however. We always need to be encouraging one another. You never know when someone is having a bad day and needs the encouragement. Reach out to your Christian family, check on them, pray for/with them, and encourage them. (Hebrews 3:13; Colossians 5:5-6)

Manage your time

Part of productivity is managing your time. I am constantly trying to find ways to balance my spiritual growth, school, work, family time, friend time, personal time, laundry, cleaning, cooking, exercise, hobbies/projects, etc. Take some time and write down what all you have to balance - It can get overwhelming, right? I have a problem with trying to do too many things at once, which stresses me out and puts me in a bad mood. However, I have come to realize that it does not have to be that way.

Take on one project at a time. Multi-tasking is smart and efficient; however, it is important to not overload yourself or compare your productivity to others. If you only have time to get one load of laundry done instead of 3, then that is okay! Take your time. Slow down. Get done what you can and don’t feel obligated or rushed. We all have different talents and responsibilities. I encourage you to experiment with managing your time in different ways and find what works best for you!

Stay motivated

Use your talents, and be happy! It is so easy to get stressed out and become unmotivated. I know there are plenty of times when I sit around and think that the talents God has blessed me with are not that important. I have developed a sorry attitude and given up way too easily. I am reminded on the one-talent man. He was ashamed of his one talent, and was punished. You know, it is the same idea with us. If we are lazy and do not use our talents to the best of our abilities, God will not be happy with us. God blessed us with talents for a reason - He wants us to use them! Moreover, no matter what we do, God wants us to work at everything we do to the very best of our ability. There are so many times when I feel like doing the bare minimum, but God holds me, as well as all of you, to a higher standard! He calls us to do all things in His name to the best of our ability. Girl, don’t waste the talents that God has blessed you with. Find a way to use them to the best of your ability. It is hard to develop a sorry attitude when you are working for God - always remember that! If you keep your mind focused on God, then you will find it easy to be happy! (Matthew 25:14-30; Colossians 3:17,23; Proverbs 10:4)

I hope these tips help y’all! I could say so much more, but for the sake of this post not being any longer than it already is, I will stop talking. I just want to encourage you all to really look at how you spend your time and what you deem productive. You may think that you truly put God above all - but do you really?

I challenge you to write down (in order) what you do during the day, and how much time you spend on each of those things. I found that I do not give God near as much time as I should.

I also challenge you to start a daily to-do list, and make it realistic. Make sure to mark off everything on your to-do list. Manage your time in a way that is fitting with your lifestyle. Make yourself a priority and take care of yourself. Most importantly, be faithful to God. Give Him the most time; grow in your relationship with Him. This world is lazy, and it is very tempting to be lazy and ignore our duties and responsibilities as Christians. Pray about this, especially if it is a struggle for you. Pray for me, as well as others, who struggle with this area. I will tell you what Paul told Timothy:

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Please comment below your thoughts, questions, and/or concerns! I would love to hear from y’all! How do you feel about this area of your life? Do you struggle like me? What other tips and scriptures do you all have about this topic? Tell me what is on your mind! I can’t wait to hear from and grow with y’all!👇

Thoughts on Productivity for Christian Women