How to Take Hold of Your Time: the Mother’s Timetable

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

John 5:19

How often do we as moms feel like we wish we could get through everything on our checklist yet still prioritize what we know to be important and of eternal value? Or we feel overwhelmed with aaaaaallll that is on our plate? Do you feel exhausted by the end of the day? Not the good, exhilarating kind, but the kind where you’re completely drained - emotionally and physically - and yet you STILL did not get to everything on your checklist. Have you ever felt that way?

Well, one of the first challenges we work through at Life-giving Motherhood - a nonprofit ministry for Gospel-reliant moms wanting to grow in life-giving habits - is something we call “The Mother’s Timetable.” We are often so good at creating schedules or school timetables for our children, and yet, we forget to create one for ourselves. We would do well to do for ourselves what we lovingly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully do for our children.

Though I cannot go into depth here about the challenge we do together in Life-giving Motherhood, I’d like to share what I can  - perhaps it can be called a summary? - of the steps we take. They may surprise you!

Below you will find the steps I shared some years ago on Instagram. They were a series of 3 posts, but I will put them all in this article for you, with some appropriate edits. If you have any questions after reading through them, leave them in the comments, and I will reply to you as soon as I can.

Oh! And if you’d like a simple CANVA Template to copy and customize, you’ll find a link for one I made, at the very bottom.

POST 1 of 3:

To create and cultivate the HABIT OF FAITHFULNESS there are 2 things we need to get started:⠀
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1️⃣ The Mother’s Timetable⠀
2️⃣ An accountable community of like-minded sisters⠀
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Before we actually get into the HOW of creating a Mother’s Timetable, we need to sit at the feet of Jesus” first some honest assessment.⠀
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Are you with me? Are you committed to doing this?

Okay, so this week, here are FOUR PREREQUISITE things you must do:⠀
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1️⃣ Honestly evaluate your activities, responsibilities, commitments right now, with a pen and paper, in silence and solitude, at the feet of Jesus⠀
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2️⃣ With Jesus, look at your list and go through each item while asking Him: “Is this what You have invited me to do with you in this season of my life now?”⠀
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3️⃣ Confess, ask for forgiveness, and allow God’s rest pour over you as you cross out the things where His answer is, “No.”⠀
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4️⃣ Make a list of the people you need to contact, and do it. Tell a friend who can hold you accountable, with a set deadline to make those calls.⠀
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✨Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” —John 5:19✨⠀
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If Jesus lived like this while on this earth, how much more must we?⠀
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So the first step is, with Jesus’ guidance, to figure out what you have on your plate that your Father did not put there.⠀
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It might be taking up the space of God’s invitation to join Him in what He is doing in areas beyond your imagination.🙏🏼⠀

POST 2 of 3:

“[I]n some sense we’re all living in a parsonage, longing for a true home… we priests of the New Creation will be clothed immortal to reign over our own gardens, and we’ll do it without the specter of Death hovering over all, taunting us with the sorrow of Time and the lie of futility. Glory be to God, Time itself will be redeemed, because it will no longer be an adversary, but a friend, an everlasting Sabbath, an unending feast.”
—Andrew Peterson, The God of the Garden, p.51-52

Do you spend time protecting and nourishing that longing for our Everlasting Home?

My heart aches with this longing every morning when I come before the feet of my Lord.

I cannot wait for the fullness of His glory to be revealed upon the earth.

But in the meantime, I pray fervently that He would enable to “make the most of opportunity” and to use this fleeting gift of Time in being about my Father’s Kingdom business.

💬How did the challenge go?

(If you are new or haven’t seen it yet, take a look back to the post with the glass jar of dried lavender.)

📝For this week, here are the tasks we must do before get into creating our Mother’s Timetable:

1. Observe and take note of your days
2. List all daily appointments
3. List all weekly appointments
4. Braindump your goals
5. Pray and ask for God to reveal His priorities for you in this season

💛COMMENT to let me know you’re doing this!

POST 3 of 3:

I’m happy to continue to share with you this TOOL to help you serve our GREAT GOD in your “everyday” and cultivate a HABIT OF FAITHFULNESS!⠀
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You’ve done the hard work in the previous 2 posts, and now you are ready to actually put it all together to CREATE your “Mother’s Timetable.”🙌🏼⠀
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🙏🏼 STEP 1: Enter your daily + weekly NON-negotiables that have a set time. ⠀
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E.g. Daily dates with Jesus, Dates with your spouse, medical appointments, etc.

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🙏🏼 STEP 2: Enter your daily + weekly NON-negotiables that do NOT have a set time. These are things that must be done, but the time is flexible.⠀
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E.g. Meal planning, cleaning, nature walks, etc.

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🙏🏼 STEP 3: Enter your goals and “flexibles”⠀
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I’ll share more about this next Friday, but for now, here are examples: visiting a friend, learning a new skill.

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🙏🏼 LASTLY, you MUST do 2 things with this new tool:⠀
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1️⃣Make it VISIBLE.⠀
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Put it in a prominent place both you AND your CHILD/REN can see it.⠀
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2️⃣Give a copy to your spouse.⠀
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Include him in your day by asking him to put it some place he ca see it, and cover you in prayer.

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✨👊🏼✨ACTION: I’m resolved to give “my utmost for His highest.” Our God is worthy!!! Let’s do this.
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🌿 Note I didn’t put in times. In that season, I simply needed a rhythm for my days/weeks.⠀
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🌿Create your timetable in a manner that works for YOU. It’s not to be your master. It’s a tool to helps you better serve THE MASTER.♥️🙏🏼⠀
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I’m cheering you on, dear sister!🤗⠀
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Always all for our King,⠀
♥️Min

P.S. If you’d like a very simple CANVA TEMPLATE to copy and customize, HERE YOU GO!