Time Saving Tips from the Time Saving Mom

Let's be real. Moms often feel like there’s not enough time to get it all done. This is such a helpful, practical episode addressing *time* in motherhood. Listen in as we talk with Crystal Pain (author of The Money Saving Mom and The Time Saving Mom) where she shares how she manages her time as a busy mother of 6.

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Crystal Paine (www.moneysavingmom.com) is a New York Times bestselling author, a popular speaker, the host of The Crystal Paine Show, and the founder of one of the top personal finance blogs on the web, Money Saving Mom. Her desire is to help women across the globe live with more joy in their everyday lives. Her biggest passions are helping women understand how the Gospel can radically transform their lives, raising awareness for foster care, and finding great deals at the grocery store. She lives with her husband and kids in the Nashville, Tennessee, area.

CHECK OUT HER BOOK
The Time-Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most

Creators & Guests

Guest

Crystal Paine

@MoneySavingMom

What is The Connected Mom?

Form a deeper connection with God, more empathic connection with other Moms, and more intentional connection with your child.

Welcome to the Connected Mom Podcast, where we have real conversations helping you to connect more deeply with God, more empathically with your fellow moms, and more intentionally with your child. I'm Becky Harling, your host, and I have with me today my amazing cohost, Sarah. Sarah hey, how are you?

Hey, Becky. So good to be here. So good to have a guest that is making to my world. Just last night, Becky, I was going to go to sleep and I discovered that I had two piles of clean laundry on my bed and that I had not carved out the time. It just feels like, moms, we never quite have enough time, right? Uh, yes. Definitely longing for some time saving hacks and tips on how to get through our busy schedules. So that's a little, uh, personal anecdote for me that I'm excited about this topic. So let's tell them more about the guest.

Yeah. So today I am so beyond excited about this because I have been wanting to have this guest on with us for quite a while now. We are going to have as our guest today Crystal Payne, who is a New York Times bestselling author. She's the founder of the money saving mom. In fact, you might know her as the Money Saving Mom if you follow her on Instagram. She's got all kinds of great hacks about that. Anyway, she is also the host of the Crystal Pain Show podcast. She loves helping women across the globe live with more joy, purpose and intention in their everyday lives. She's passionate about foster care, which I personally love. She's passionate about finding deals in the grocery store and, uh, ongoing adventure on adventures with her family. She and her husband have six kids. So a valid question would be, how do you do it all? Today we're talking with Crystal about her new book, the Time Saving Mom. Welcome, Crystal.

Thank you so much for having me. Becky and Sarah, it's just such an honor.

Hey. We are so excited about having you. And before we dive too deeply into the book, I just want to ask you to tell us a little bit about your son David and his part in this book.

Yes. So when I actually said yes to writing this book, had no idea that we were going to end up adopting him. And so I start out the book with sharing a little bit about his story. So, like you said, we are passionate about foster care. We have been fostering since 2019. And we had a little boy that came home from the NICU that we fostered for eight and a half months. And we got to then see him reunify with his mom and then be really involved in his life for the next two years. And three months after he went back with his mom, we said yes to David. Um, I remember I was sitting getting my nails done and I got this text from DCs saying, we have a baby boy just came into custody. He is almost eight months old. He has down syndrome and a cleft lip. Are you interested? And just that moment where, you know, this is kind of like you're standing on the precipice of, um, life before and life after. And I didn't know how much he was going to impact our life, but my husband and I just felt really strongly that we were supposed to say yes. We thought it was going to just be yes for maybe six months, um, but ended up being yes for forever. And he has just been such a gift to our home. When he came, he was, um, severely malnourished. It took about six months for his brain to turn back on because he was so malnourished. He was, um, in zero to three month clothes and he could barely hold his head up. And not only did he have down syndrome and clefless, but also severe cleft palate. And, um, he had a lot of what we thought it seemed like a lot of other issues as well. We have since learned that a lot of that was just due to the malnutrition. And once he started, um, being fed regularly, then, um, he has slowly just gotten healthier and healthier and healthier. But he is just such a gift to our home. He will turn three in July and he is walking and climbing upstairs and his favorite thing right now is to try to sneak into the bathroom and get into the toilet. Um, he's very adept at that. We just love him so much.

Oh, I love that. But when he entered your home and you were thinking, I mean, he had so many special needs, which translates to many doctors appointments. And in the book you talk a little bit about feeding tubes and all of those things and getting in touch with specialists. I mean, all those things take a toll on time, right? Because just keeping everybody's doctor's appointments straight when you've got six kids is a full time job, right?

Yes, and I think he has currently it varies but about twelve to 15 specialists that he's working with and including his therapist. And so just keeping track of all that we have learned. We are so grateful for the hospital, the children's hospital, their app, because we can look on there and have all the details of, uh, which doctor is he seeing? What did we talk about last time? What are just all the details there? Because otherwise it would be very hard to keep track of. But we are so grateful for all of these appointments because the medical team has just been such a gift to our home and a gift to him, and he would not be where he is today if it wasn't for modern medicine. Mhm.

Wow. So crystal. Six kids. It's not really a surprise that you probably needed some time saving tips to survive and present tense. Even so, we're curious what prompted you to write this book?

For the longest time I've been sharing on Moneysavingmom.com M tips for getting your finances in order and just encouraging people to be intentional with their money. And I found that in writing about money, so many people would say, well, I just feel like I don't even have time. I don't have time to figure out how to cut my grocery bill, or time to figure out how to get on a budget, or time to figure out how to pay down debt because I'm just barely surviving here. And so I just started encouraging people. Intentional living is not just about your finances, M, but it's also about your time. And, um, we just keep our life very simple. I'm all about Simplicity is a superpower, and for the longest time, I felt like I didn't even have anything to write this book. My publisher actually begged for this book multiple times and I was like, you guys, it's so simple what I do. I don't know that there's enough to write a book about it, but, um, over time, they convinced me to just really pay attention to the different rhythms and routines and systems that we have in place, even though they are very simple. And, um, ultimately I realized that I am super passionate about this topic. And in fact, I talk in the beginning of the book how when I was 18 years old, at my home school, high school graduation, I shared a speech about time is short. And so it's something that has really been kind of an undercurrent of my life. And so it's just really cool that, uh, I wrote this book when I was turning 40. And so just to have all of these years of living this out and then to be able to encourage people to wrap their time in their life and their energy around things that are really going to matter in eternity, mhm.

I love that so much. Crystal okay, you talk about simplicity in your book. You talk about implementing a four step system to kind of organize and simplify your life. And some moms would hear four steps and they would think, oh man, that's too hard for me. And yet your whole goal is to make it simple for them. So can you just describe that system and the four steps involved in that system and what you do to make it easy? Yeah.

So first off, um, is to pray and to begin your life, begin your day with a posture of prayer. And so this is not something that you really need to spend a lot of time on. It's more about your mindset, it's more about your heart. And so for me, this looks like starting my day with praying over the details of my day, praying for each of my kids, praying for anything that I'm carrying that I need to just really release and give back to the Lord, having gratitude for the blessings in my life and having that perspective shift. Because gratitude really does reframe your perspective. And so starting from that mindset, uh, of, I don't know how to do this in my own strength, but I don't have to because I can rely upon the Lord and to walk in the Spirit and to really lean on the Holy Spirit. And so I unpack in the book what that looks like, what it really looks like to pray over your day, what it really looks like to trust God ultimately, and to lean on Him when life is hard. And I talk about flare prayers, shooting up those prayers to God whenever we don't know what to do, or you don't know what to say, or you don't know how to approach something, and that he is just so faithful. And so starting from that foundation, really, that gives me a perspective shift for all of my life, because it makes life so much simpler, because I don't have to carry it on my own. The second step in the system is to prioritize and again, keeping it simple. I have, um, six priority areas that I wrap my life and my time and my energy around. And I only focus on two priority areas per day because I have two hands, I can hold two things at once. If I try to add in extra things, I'm going to start dropping stuff and feeling overwhelmed and feeling stressed and feeling like it's just too heavy. And so just choosing two priority areas to focus on per day, but then rotating the priority areas that I focus on, um, so that over the course of the week, I have spent intentional time in each priority area at least two times. And so that just really simplifies my life, because I don't have to feel like I'm trying to do all the things all at once. And I also can be fully present where I am because I'm not feeling like I'm dropping things right and left. By being with this child, or having a date night, or being with a friend, or working on my house, or working on a business project, or just investing in my health, I am not also letting a lot of other important things go. And so that's been really helpful for me. And then the third step in the system is to plan. And I talk about my hybrid planning system. I use Google Calendar to brain dump everything out of my head. I found that the more that I can brain dump things from my brain to free up space in my mind, then the more that I have energy, the more that I have just this breathing room in my life. And so using Google Calendar as the place to put all the things that I need to remember, the things that I need to do the things that I don't want to forget, the things the task and the projects and the activities and all of that. And then every night before I go to bed, I write out a time block to do list for the next day. And so this really helps me. It's like my budget for my day. And I talk a lot, um, on moneysaviewom.com about budgeting for your money. And that when you have a budget for your money, it feels like your money goes further, it feels like you have more of it. And so budgeting my time, it's also the same thing where it feels like I have more time, but I'm also able to be more intentional with the time that I have. And so this just really helps me that then I don't have to think about what do I do next or what do I need to remember? Um, I just set intentional time for each of the things that I'm going to do that day. And I allow a lot of breathing room and wiggle room and extra time in my day. And this also helps me so that I don't pack 37 hours worth of work in a 24 hours day and then wonder what my problem is, why I'm not getting it all done. And so that's the plan. And then after that, the fourth step is prep. And this looks like not only prepping your home and your space by having morning and evening routines, but also prepping your mind. Because I feel like so much of our success and failure begins in our mind. And so if we tell ourselves, I'm not organized, I have way too much to do, I cannot do this, and we just kind of have this negative defeatist mentality that is probably going to really stifle us and hold us back. And so I really encourage people to stop saying, I can't do that, or I don't have time, and instead say, what can I do? Or I'm choosing to spend my time differently. And these things really change your mindset. And then that really impacts the way that you live.

Mhm. I love that so much. Crystal, those are such practical steps that we can all take.

No kidding. Okay, so Crystal, I love those four steps, but I can imagine a few moms, including me, going, okay, cool, so I'll do those, but I'll just get less sleep to give me a little bit more time. And maybe I'll just work longer hours and make the 24 hours feel like it's less about sleep and more about work. How would you counter that?

One of the things that I talk about in the book is that I feel like sleep is one of the most important priorities that you can have. And I actually shortchanged my sleep for a long time. I tried to burn the candle at both ends, and I can tell you that burning the candle at both ends doesn't make you more productive. It actually makes you exhausted. And so I just really encourage people the more sleep that you get. I mean, to a point. There is a point when it becomes laziness. But for most of us moms, we're not struggling with that, um, that it's going to cause you to be a lot more productive. And so I found that if I shortchange my sleep, then the next day I will find myself scrolling on Instagram Productively Procrastinating, or just finding myself really running in slow motion because my body didn't get refueled and refreshed the night before. And so I really encourage people go to bed. One thing for me is turn off the phone, go um, to bed. When my kids go to bed. I've got little kids right now, and they go to sleep fairly early. And so for me, I most nights actually go to sleep very soon after they do, because then I'm actually going to probably get a pretty good night's rest. If I tell myself there's so much to do, I'm just going to stay up just for one more hour. Some of that one more hour becomes two and then three. And all of a sudden, it's like 12:31 a.m.. And I then am going to be exhausted the next day and kind of just start this cycle over again, where then the next night I'm going to feel like I need to stay up really late because I'm so far behind.

I m love that I place a huge value on sleep, too. And I have also learned that, uh, to turn my phone off at night to put it on Do Not Disturb. Um, now my kids are older. They're out of the home, they're married. We now have 14 grandchildren. So if there's an emergency with somebody, they can call twice and break through that. But setting that phone on Do Not Disturb has really helped me get a decent night's sleep. And for young moms, um, I love that you said you go to sleep when your kids go to sleep. That's brilliant because that's the only way you're going to get a decent night's sleep. So I really love that. So Crystal, you say that you ask yourself two questions regularly. What are those questions and how do they impact your daily life?

Yeah, so two questions. Actually, in the book, I talk about four different questions. So I'm going to go two different places here. So one of the questions that I ask is, how can I make this easier? And so often I feel like we don't step back and ask, how do I make this easier? It's a simple question. You're like, yeah, we should all be asking that. But sometimes we overcomplicate our life. We're trying to put all this on ourselves. Like, I need to be the one that I'm going to do everything from scratch. I'm going to do it all perfectly. And no one can. And so how can I make this easier? I'm not saying that this is a cop out to be lazy, but I'm just saying if there's an easier way, let's find that way. And let's do that. For me, oftentimes it's like asking for help. Right now, um, I'm in the midst of my daughter is graduating on next week. Um, we are, let's see, eight days out from it. And, um, she decided just last week that she wanted to have a party for her graduation. She had said all along, no, don't want to have a party, just want to do this little dinner. And then all of a sudden, she changed her mind. And she then wrote out a guest list of 170 people that she wanted to invite. And ah, they're not all going to come. I mean, that's one good thing of like, last minute in it is maybe people already have things that they have planned. Um, but probably 60 or 70 people based upon the RSVPs are going to come. And so instead of me being like, I got to do this all myself, is to start with saying, how could I make this easier? And so inviting some of my friends who are really great with balloon arches and decor and food and all of that, and saying, hey, could I pay you a little bit to help me with this and to pull this off. And so they're using their gifts and their talents. They're super excited about it. They're making a little bit of money. And it's saving me hours of time and so much stress. And so just how can I make this easier? Is one question I ask a lot. And then the second one, um, is what's going to matter in 25 years from now? So often I think we're living in today. We're focused on today. We're focused on these things that feel overwhelming or things that we're just psychoanalyzing and we're not zooming out and thinking what's going to matter in 25 years from now. And when we do that kind of zoom out wide lens, we recognize that so much of the stuff that we can worry about psychoanalyze, it really isn't going to matter. And so that really helps me to be a lot more intentional with my time. A lot more intentional with what I prioritize. A lot more intentional with what I allow in my brain. Um, what I'm worrying about or psychoanalyzing, most of it, is not stuff that I need to be investing that time and energy on. And so what's going to matter in 25 years from now? How can I make this easier? Those two questions are kind of guiding questions for my life. And they help simplify things so much.

I love that perspective. HM.

Always so good. Okay, so I'm definitely somebody that, um, crystal, if you're asking me to help at a graduation party, I'm going to have trouble saying no to that. Because I'm totally in on helping, even if maybe I don't have time. So what advice would you give to moms like me who struggle to say no when they know that they probably don't have that margin right now?

So one of the biggest things I think is when you are asked to do something, to stop and say, first, is this in line with my priorities? And so that can really quickly help you determine a lot of things are not going to be in line with your priorities, and am I going to be able to focus and invest in my priority areas if I'm going to say yes to this? So maybe it's like recently, um, there was this Bible study, this amazing study that I would love to do, but it was on Monday mornings and I realized that I tried it, actually for a semester. And I realized that it was just putting our whole week out of whack to get three little kids out the door to this Bible study early on Monday mornings. And it kind of just then the rest of the week just had a trickle down effect that was not a positive thing. Loved the Bible study, but Monday morning just didn't work for me. And so for me to acknowledge and say, you know what, this is not the season for me to do something on Monday morning. Later on, I can. But right now, this is actually not helping me to have intentional time with my priorities and really prioritize those things that are important to me aren't going to matter in 25 years from now. And so that's helpful. The other thing that's helpful is to think, how am I actually going to feel when this yes comes up? So a lot of times we'll say yes to something that's next week or even farther down the line than that. And I'll put myself in the shoes of myself in a week from now and think, how am I going to feel when I'm actually walking out this yes? And if I'm not super excited about it, then that's usually a red flag to me to be like, why is that? And do I already have enough on my plate? And so just really analyzing that. And then sometimes it's for me of saying, is there a way that I could do part of this but do it in a different way that fits better with this season of life for me right now, with having six kids, three that are teenagers, three that are little. I, um, just really have to be very careful with what I commit to. So a lot of times I could do a one time commitment. I could do something for someone, or I could be like, you know what, I can't help you with that, but I could help you in this way. And so that I'm not saying no. I'm saying yes, but in a way that's going to fit for where I'm at right now because I do think I want to be sacrificing, I want to be giving, I don't want to be selfish with my time, but I also want to be wise and intentional. And we can get to the place where we're just so burnt out and we're not able to really invest in the people who are our most important priorities because we said yes to all these things that are just lesser priorities.

Mhm. M, that's so good. I love the concept of when you say yes, think through what you might need to say no to, uh, to free up the space. So thinking through all of the time commitments, tell us a little bit about the time blocked to do list. I mean, many of us love a good to do list. I mean, there's nothing more triumphant probably, than crossing something off of your to do list. Uh, but what is a time blocked to do list and how has that helped you?

Yes, so I mentioned earlier about how every night before I go to bed, I look at my Google Calendar and I see what task I have on my Google Calendar. And then writing out that time block to do list for me is really just me being intentional with my next day, me saying, I'm going to set a plan and I'm going to prioritize well for the next day. Now, is it ever going to be perfect? Absolutely not. My time block to do list, I think people need to hear this. And that is I never follow it perfectly. It is a guide and it is something that serves me and our family. It is not a task master. And so for me, it's more about seeing, okay, what do I need to prioritize? And then setting intentional times for that. And I really find this to be helpful, especially because I work from home. And so I have limited hours for me to be working on the computer. And if I just get on the computer and I just open it up and I'm like, uh, I should answer some comments, I should answer some emails. What about this fire over here? Let me put that out. And then I'll end up that I will have spent 3 hours working and I really have nothing to show for it because I was just kind of flitting around back and forth. And so for people that you're like, I can't do a time block to do this for my entire day. Maybe there's a time during your day where you have a two hour, three hour time block or when you're at work, if you work or work from home, that you're like, I'm going to time block that. So that I'm going to be a lot more intentional with how I spend that time. So that when I am opening up my computer, I know, okay, I'm going to spend this time on this project and then I'm going to spend this time on this project and this time on this project, and so that my time is just not sucked up by social media or comments or things that aren't really the most important things, but I have time to really invest in. Um what the book? Cal Newport talks about deep work. If we don't plan for having that time to write, to think, to research, and to really be able to put out content, we'll just end up putting out fires, but we won't have anything to show for it.

I m love that. I love the concept, um, of in your to do list. Maybe scheduling, like, okay, this task or this project is going to take me an hour. This 1 may only take me 15 or 20 minutes. So when I time block, that's the way I do it. I write that next to it, okay, I'm going to give myself ten minutes to do this and then maybe I love to give myself challenges. I'm kind of weird like that, but I'll be like, okay, what can I get done in five minutes before I leave the house? And maybe it's just fold a bunch of laundry and get it away or put the dishes in the dishwasher or whatever, but it's kind of another way to do the time block system. And I think the time block keeps us on track because it is so easy to say, okay, um, for me as a writer, it's easy for me to say, okay, I'm going to write today, and then if I don't plan what that's going to look like, all the different things pull you away from that. But if I time block it and I say, okay, I'm going to give 2 hours to this one chapter, or I'm going to give X amount of time to whatever I might need to do in marketing or whatever, it really does help break it down. So I'm a big fan of that, Crystal. Thank you for sharing that. And you can really use it in any work environment or home environment. It's just dividing up how much time you need for the different tasks you need to get accomplished.

That's good. Hey, one follow up question on the time blocking. Sometimes life hits us with some unexpected stuff, right? Like, a kid gets sick, gets you up in the middle of the night, you don't have the energy you hoped, even though you were all set. So, Crystal, what's a reset that you sometimes do when that happens? Because I feel like we can have really good systems, but sometimes life happens or we're just having an off day. So what do you do when that kind of hits you?

So, two things. First off, I try to pad my time block to do list with a lot of wiggle room because interruptions are going to happen. Um, when you have teenagers, it's. Going to happen. And it's like today somebody was texting me, I need the book, can you send me a picture of this book to show my teacher or whatever? Uh, and then also when you have toddlers, there's going to be interruptions. And any age children, there are going to be interruptions. And so, and even if you have grandchildren or adult children, I feel like you're still going to have interruptions. And so for me, padding the time block to do list with, um, extra time, so if I think it's going to take me ten minutes, I'm going to put 15. Um, so just adding in some extra time for those interruptions. And then also near the end of the day, I try to have in two to 4 hours where I don't plan anything, it's just free time because then when those interruptions come up, then it's not frustrating because it's like, oh, I planned for this, this is okay, I've got time for this. And so I can just have a lot more calmness because I planned for interruptions. The second thing I would say is if the day is really going off the rails, like, we're halfway through the day and I'm 3 hours behind and it's just really going off the rails. I do this often. I will just sit down and I will rewrite the list for the rest of the day. So, okay, it's 12:00 p.m. And I have until 08:00 p.m.. And so I'm just going to rewrite and rework. And so I'm going to maybe just decide that those three things are just not happening today, they're going to happen tomorrow, or I'm just not even going to do that at all, or I'm going to downsize my expectations for that, and I'm just going to do 15 minutes of that versus the 45 minutes I was hoping to do. And so doing it, um, rewriting it halfway through the day has been very helpful to me. It just kind of is like this reset button to get you back on track.

Mhm I love that. What would you say about the difference between systems and routines? I think a lot of parenting experts suggest, like, you need a routine for your kid because they feel safer then, and then you have systems. But what's the difference between all of that, in your opinion? Crystal.

I think it can kind of be the same thing. I feel like that systems do that, um, word in general feels a little bit more rigid, whereas routines just feel a little bit more relaxed. But some people are going to call them systems, some people are going to call them routines, some people are going to call them completely different things. But I think figuring out what works best for you, for your children, too. And so for me, a time block to do list has been really great for some people that can feel really rigid. And so I encourage people who are feeling like, no, I could never do that. Well, let's just start with two things you're going to do in the morning, two things you're going to do in the afternoon and two things you're going to do in the evening. And so that you're just being intentional. Or maybe so that at the beginning of the day, you say, these are my three top priorities. But it's more so about not how you do it, but predeciding that you're going to be intentional and then finding the way that works best for you to be able to walk that out.

Mhm, I love that. What would you say to procrastinators.

Just in case we have any there is a lot of research out there actually, that shows that procrastination can be a good thing. So I try to not take this super hard stance about procrastination is always bad because sometimes if you have this deadline, then you can get so much done. But I would say that if you are feeling like I can't get up and do anything, then I just really encourage people that feelings follow action so you don't have to feel it in order to do it. And so if there's something that you need to tackle, um, first off, I would say break it down into a bite size piece. So maybe it's that you've got four loads of laundry to talk about. Laundry like you talked about earlier, Sarah, you have four loads of laundry that you need to fold and put away and that just feels so overwhelming. You could say, you know what? I'm going to fold five things and put them away, or 15 things and put them away, or I'm going to set the timer for 15 minutes or even just five minutes, and I'm going to work until the timer is done. Then I'm going to give myself a break for five minutes, and then I'm going to come back to it. Whatever you need to kind of help you just get started. Because oftentimes the getting started is the hardest thing. And so maybe that's a reward or something that I've done, especially when I'm in the middle of morning, um, sickness, or as I call it, morning, noon, and night sickness, um, is that I will say if I'm having a day where I'm just feeling really off. I will get up for ten minutes and work, and I'll set the timer, and then I get to lay down and watch a show or read a book or do something that's just more relaxing and fun for those ten minutes. And so just figuring out what works for you, um, in the season of life that you're in, what's going to motivate you. But I think the biggest thing is just to know that you don't have to feel it to do it, and that feelings will follow action usually. So if you get up and get started, oftentimes you'll find that after you do those five pieces of laundry, you're like, you know what? I can do five more. And then pretty soon you've done your whole pile. You just needed that little nudge to get started.

Yeah. I love that. Man. We are almost out of time, Crystal. And what I love about you, Crystal, is I've talked with a lot of personal organizers through the years, and so many of them seem very rigid in your system. And I love that throughout our conversation, you've been like, do what works for you? Because I feel like every home is different. And so you, uh, give great principles in the book, like, just get started and ask yourself two questions. What's going to matter in 25 years? And all of this is great. Think through your priorities, and yet you do it in such a loving, gentle way. I absolutely love that. And I appreciate your attitude, um, so much, Crystal. You're just delightful. So one last question and then I'd like to invite you to pray over our mamas, uh, especially those that might be feeling overwhelmed. But if our readers can only take one thing from your book, what do you hope they take?

I think the biggest thing that I hope that they take is that Jesus is enough. I feel like, uh, so often we feel like we have to be enough in our own strength. And we're carrying around so many heavy burdens that were never ours to carry. And we're not inviting Jesus in to walk with us. We're not living out the power of the Holy Spirit, which is, um, I give a quote in the book from Ali Worthington and she talks about how we're supercharged superhumans because we have a superpower inside of us. And so really, I would love if people get nothing that's going to help them use their time better, that they understand really from their heart what it looks like to rely upon the Holy Spirit. And for me, that has changed everything. And it's given me so much calmness and joy and peace and energy. And I feel like God is constantly multiplying my time and my sleep and my energy. And he is just so faithful. And so to lean on his faithfulness, that is my biggest hope. Because I feel like that's really what's going to change people from the inside out. The time management principles are great, but if you don't have that foundation of, ah, who God is and relied upon Him, all that stuff isn't really going to matter.

Well, hey, can you just close us out in prayer? Crystal, it has been a delight to have you on. And then, um, I'll walk us out of the outro. Go ahead, Crystal, and pray for us.

Termly. Father, I just thank you for the women who are listening right now for each one. I don't know what she's feeling right now, but God, I know that each woman you love her uniquely she is created in your image, and you want to give her everything that she needs to do, everything that you have called her to. And so I pray that each woman listening would truly just today, release whatever she's carrying that she doesn't need to carry, that she would look to you, that you would give her the hope and the practical help that she needs to do what you called her to do. That she would rely upon you, that she would see you multiply her time and her life and her energy. That she would see you multiply her sleep and her strength. That she would see you do great and mighty things on her behalf. That there is no explanation for but you and your power. And God, I have seen you be so faithful, and I know that you will be faithful. You have never once not been faithful. And so I just pray for each woman listening. Wherever her heart is, whatever she's carrying, whatever feels heavy, whatever feels overwhelming, that she could release that to you, rest in you, find her hope in you. And that you would just scoop her up, uh, and help her to feel so loved and carried by you that she could walk out of your love and just spread your love to everyone that she comes in contact with. I thank you and I praise you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Amen. Hey, Crystal, you have been a delight. We will have in the show notes, friends, ways that you can connect with Crystal online. We'll have her website, her Instagram, her Facebook, her Twitter, her Pinterest, and you're definitely going to want to pick up her book, The Time Saving Mama. I know you can get it on Amazon and wherever else Christian books are sold, so do order one of those. And hey, thanks for joining us today on the Connected Mom podcast. And we'll be live again next week with another episode helping you to connect more deeply with God, more empathically with your fellow moms, and more intentionally with your child. Thanks for joining us. Bye.