Are you buried under the weight of your to-do list? Do you feel anxious and overwhelmed because you want to finish this year out strong, but it seems impossible? Have you procrastinated on the goals you had for 2020 because of the pandemic and now you’re feeling defeated? Girl, I feel ya! I’m a perfectionist, so I know all about procrastination and being paralyzed by indecision and overwhelm.
I’ve got writing projects, blog updating, and packing to do as we just sold our house and are buying a new one, on top of my duties as a wife, mom, homemaker, church secretary, and ministry leader. Sometimes I can keep my schedule organized and life running smoothly, but other times, my mind is as cluttered as my schedule, and I struggle with the stress of it all.
There are 5 things I do that help me find clarity and complete my God-given assignments. I think they’ll help you focus and finish strong too!
5 Steps to Help You Focus and Finish Strong
- Pray
- Prioritize
- Pare down
- Plan
- Put your hand on the plow
Prayer is Vital for Focusing and Finishing Strong
When I feel overwhelmed and stressed out by my schedule, prayer brings me peace and calm in the chaos of life. Communicating my needs to my Heavenly Father helps me to be sober-minded and stable.
Prayer is necessary throughout the entire focus and finish process! Without prayer, we operate in the flesh, but when we pray, we tap into the power of God’s Spirit within us. Trying to be self-sufficient only adds to the stress we already have. Putting our plans in the hand of the Father brings clarity to complete what the Lord desires for our day.
Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV ~ Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Prioritize Your Life to Help You Focus
After I’ve prayed for focus and to finish strong, I write out everything I need to accomplish in categories. For example, I title a category with ‘Writing Projects’, and list everything that pertains to writing. If it has a deadline, I put that date in parentheses.
I categorize my obligations to rank them in order of importance more easily. That helps me to keep first things first and to move systematically through my list instead of sporadically.
Getting it all out on paper unclutters my mind and allows me to focus.
I pray through this step, as I want the Lord’s priorities to be mine. I never want my pursuits to displace God’s perfect plan for my life. It is so easy to get out of order, and difficult to see when you are, but the Lord is faithful to reveal any misplaced priorities.
When our priorities get out of order, we get out of balance and start down the slippery slope into a spiritual slump.
Matthew 6:33 KJV ~ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
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Pare Down Your Schedule and Remove Distractions
Once I have all my tasks on paper and prioritize them, I simplify my schedule by delegating or removing them altogether. I place unrealistic expectations on myself and get too ambitious with my goal-setting, so some items must go.
Again, I pray through this step. That way I have the discernment I need to know what to keep, delegate, or cut out completely. I only have a certain amount of energy and no time to waste, so I need certainty that everything I do fits my purpose, gifting, and calling.
This is where I reduce my social media activity and turn the TV off to maximize my time for Kingdom work. Some people advise turning down lunch dates, nights out, and things like that when you’re trying to be super productive. I agree if I’m on a tight deadline, but if there’s some wiggle room, I take it!
I find those connections with family and friends as life-giving and stress-reducing, and they rank higher in importance than a checkmark on my to-do list.
Planning Helps Us to Focus
Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” In other words, if we want to crush our goals, we need a plan.
You may want to create a daily schedule that includes a little of everything or try out block scheduling, where you designate certain days to specific tasks. Here are some articles from other Christian bloggers about planning:
- Block Scheduling For Bloggers by Carmen Brown at Married by His Grace
- How to Cultivate Peace in the Home by Time Blocking by Kayse Pratt at the Anchored Woman Blog
- How to Create an Effective Block Schedule to Reach Your Goals as a Busy Mother by Shenaede at The Simple Mamma blog
Experiment and find a plan that works for you, your family, and your season of life. The point is to get organized and have clear objectives to accomplish your goals and finish strong.
Put Your Hand on the Plow and Get to Work
It’s good to have a plan, but it’s useless if we don’t execute the items on that plan! We have to put our hands on the plow and get to work.
Pray for the Lord to give you courage, clarity, and clear-cut direction for your next steps. Then go forward by faith, following His lead.
It has been a super stressful year for a lot of us. I for one, am excited to see what God has in store for 2021, but first, we have to get through the rest of 2020. I’d like to do that with joy and peace. How about you?
By applying these 5 steps to help you focus and finish strong, you can succeed, and so can I. We just have to take the time to pray, prioritize, pare down, and plan, so we can put our hand to the plow and accomplish what the Lord has assigned to us.
Colossians 3:23 KJV ~ And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
More to Help You Focus and Finish Strong:
How to Be a Good and Faithful Steward of God
Renew Your Mind and Revive Your Heart with ‘It is Written’
How to Live Victoriously in Christ
Trade that Stressful Schedule for Simplicity in Christ
From Worry to Worship~ Shifting your focus from the “What ifs” to “What is”
The Importance of a Sober Mind in Times of Transition
Grow Closer to Christ with “My Jesus Journal”
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Pray With Confidence
Prayer helps us focus and finish strong. If you desire to grow in your prayer life, check out Pray with Confidence. It’s a website for helping women overcome prayer obstacles, and I am one of the regular contributors. Here are some articles I wrote that will renew your mind and strengthen your prayer life as you delight in the Lord:
3 Short Prayers for Spiritual Stability
When Your Prayer for Pain Relief Goes Unanswered
Check out the prayer resources, Bible verses, and tough questions tabs as well. There are many great options for your spiritual growth!
Knowing the right order of priorities is so important. When we first got married, my husband went to a conference and was told that church should be a higher priority then his wife….. Thankfully, we don’t worship the church but we worship God. He helps us in all our ways and helps us with our priorities.
Amen! It’s definitely hard for ministry families to find balance. But I think God’s word is clear that our marriage comes before ministry. If we’re neglecting our spouse we’re violating God’s clear commands in Eph.5. I don’t see a passage instructing pastors or ministry leaders to put the church before their wives. The marriage and family are always under attack from the enemy, and he seeks to destroy the home in an attempt to halt the work of the minister of the gospel and steal God’s glory. If anything, pastor’s and ministry leaders should give extra attention and care to their wives to avoid drama, discord, discontentment, and division, because that only hinders the work of the ministry.
I’m so glad you started everything off with prayer, so that you are doing everything through the Spirit and not the flesh. Prayer is vital for everything we do.
Absolutely!