Godly Gains: Time Saving Secrets for Your Daily Grind

Show Notes

Step into a world where time works for you! In this eye-opening episode of The Estherpreneur Podcast, "Godly Gains: Time Saving Secrets for your Daily Grind," we unveil nine surprisingly effective strategies that blend ancient wisdom with cutting-edge practices. Discover how to streamline your daily routines and significantly boost your productivity without the burnout. From strategic planning the night before to smart delegation and beyond, each tip is tailored to help you carve out more time for what truly inspires you. Perfect for anyone feeling swamped by their schedule or looking to enhance their daily effectiveness—this episode is your guide to transforming chaotic days into structured success. Join us as we decode the secrets to managing your time like a pro. Get ready to challenge everything you thought you knew about productivity and start making every minute count towards a more fulfilling life.

Timestamps

00:00 Adapting to plans and letting go control.

04:21 Simplifying meals and priorities during busy days.

08:56 Outsourcing saves time, say no gracefully.

09:55 Prioritized ministry aligned with calling and gifting.

14:00 Reduced Netflix use and time management tips.

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Join me, Edna Harding, on a journey through spiritual growth, personal development, and entrepreneurial insight, where Timeless Wisdom meets Timely Methods in every episode. Subscribe to The Estherpreneur Podcast for ongoing wisdom and inspiration.

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What is The Estherpreneur?

The Estherpreneur is a weekly chat about doing business and life God’s way. Join your host, Edna Harding as she offers biblical strategies and practical applications to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as she talks with guests on how to thrive in all areas of life. Edna is a Wife, Mother, Growth Strategist, Author, Minister, Certified Maxwell Business Consultant and Executive Coach, an accredited Master Mindset Coach, and Speaker whose message of hope, truth, and wisdom reaches people all around the world. FavorandWealth.com Estherpreneur.com

Edna Harding [00:00:02]:
Well, hello, everyone. Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Esslepreneur podcast. My name is Edna Harding, and I just wanna welcome you guys. In this podcast, we blend timeless wisdom with practical advice that helps you lead a more productive and fulfilling business life. I'm your host. And today, we're diving into a topic I know all too well, And that is the constant battle against the clock. Now I wanna say that it's about making the most of every minute without feeling like we're just running from one task to another. Because how many of you guys feel like a hamster on a hamster wheel sometimes? It's never ending.

Edna Harding [00:00:43]:
It's always going, and there's always something else that you need to do. That is a story of my life being a mom of young children, a military wife, a servant in the church, and also leading, multiple groups and organizations. And then on top of that, servicing my clients. So there's always something I need to get done. And so I'm happy to talk about this topic today because I think it's really, really important that we get some timeless wisdom from the word of God and how to exactly, incorporate these time management strategies from the bible. Now I wanna say that in Ecclesiastes 3:1, we read that to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. This verse reminds us that there is a right time for everything. And part of our journey is to learn how to identify and make the best use of those moments.

Edna Harding [00:01:38]:
Correct? So let's get to it. Now I do gotta record this pretty quickly because my time is limited. It's kind of funny, that I'm talking about time and my time is limited. So here are the top 9 time saving hacks that help me keep my life on track, allowing me to focus on what truly matters. So let's go ahead and talk about number 1, the night before planning. K. You need to start each day right by ending the previous night with a plan. So what I do is I typically spend 10 minutes every evening mapping out my next day's task.

Edna Harding [00:02:15]:
It's about setting intentions much like the parable of the builder who doesn't begin construction without first calculating the cost and planning thoroughly. So being a planner is, is one of my strong suits, but it's also my downfall because I like to plan things ahead. And with military life, you can't really plan accordingly. It's kinda like an example when we found out a week and a half ago that all of a sudden we were moving in August. That was not in my radar, and so that kinda threw me in for a loop. But by god's grace, I was able to, find a school and also find a house. And so it's really part of, you know, asking the holy spirit to help you in those areas that you're weak at, because I'm such a control freak. And so when things don't go according to my timeline and recorded to my time frame and something catches me off guard, it kind of frustrates me a little bit.

Edna Harding [00:03:10]:
Alright? So here's hack number 2. You need to prioritize through the Pareto principles. Now you've probably heard about the 80 20 rule where 80% of the results come from 20% of our efforts. So what you need to do is you need to identify tasks that yield the most significant results and prioritize those. And this is practical practicing wisdom, understanding where your loaves and fishes are that can be multiplied to be 1,000, metaphorically speaking. So what does that mean? I typically focus on systems. That's me. Because I know if I could create a system for everything, it will streamline things a bit.

Edna Harding [00:03:48]:
It will take me away from the business, meaning, like, I don't have to actively do the same thing over and over again. So the first thing I prioritize is system. The second thing and, of course, let me come back up. My first priority is always god. That's what I typically do. Then after that, I focus on, my, personal development, ensuring that the girls are ready for school, like family stuff. And then, I'm not gonna lie. You know, cooking used to be a priority for me.

Edna Harding [00:04:21]:
But now I'm trying to simplify things, especially in this particular season because I really the girls are only in school until, 3, and I drop them off. By the time I get home, it's, like, 9. And I have a lot of different things I need to get done for my business, for ministry, and so forth. So a lot of times I try to, keep the meals simple by having prep meals already. We use this thing called little spoons, for the kids. But moving forward as we go to Alabama, we do need to, I need to change that a bit. The good thing is that kids will be in school a lot longer, so I'll have time to cook, you know, the really full meal. But in the meantime, what I've done is I prioritize the things that are gonna give lasting results.

Edna Harding [00:05:09]:
And at that time at this time, I food isn't one of those things that I focused on because, you know, we could find really good healthy food, that are fresh and deliver it to us versus and saves me a lot of time. Does that make sense? So that's what I mean by focusing on things that's gonna produce lasting results. And for me, it's all about systems. It's about relationships. It's about God. It's about ensuring that my my family is taken care of. Alright. Number 3.

Edna Harding [00:05:38]:
Automation tools. Now just as the Proverbs 31 woman reaches out her hands so that the staff and spindle, let modern tools do the heavy lifting for you. Okay? So you need to utilize technology to automate routine tasks, like bill payments, email sorting, and even basic work tasks through apps and software. So for example, for the podcast, I use Kath Magic. It really shortens the time. Also, one of my other favorite tools is Pictory because it helps add, captions to videos and audios and things like that. And also, AI puts actual video of, like, story scenes for those particular captions. So those are just a couple examples of automation tools that I utilize to help cut down my time.

Edna Harding [00:06:26]:
Number 4, time blocking. Now, scripture teaches us about the importance of specific times for specific activities. So what you need to do is apply this in your daily life by blocking out time for focused work. Kinda like similar to what Daniel does where he appointed certain times where he prayed on times of the day. I believe he prayed at noon in the morning and also in the evening, 3 times a day. But what it does, it also helps you know that this is a time when I'm gonna be focusing on, following up with clients. This is a time that I wanna do. And here's what I have to say.

Edna Harding [00:07:03]:
In the beginning, when I first started my business and first started, you know, my, even in my career, I time blocked everything from 5 AM until, like, 6 PM. It's really, really, really, like, block after block after block. Not being a mom of young children, being a military wife, and just everything that comes along with all the activities that comes with it, even with church, I don't time block every single hour. I I time block chunks. So it's like a modified time blocking where I mod I I block certain times, like an hour or a couple hours here, a couple an hour here, to kinda help me streamline my schedule, but also allow me the flexibility to do other things in between. Does that make sense? So that is one another hack that I I suggest. Number 5, delegate wisely. You know, Moses was advised by his father-in-law, Jethro, to delegate lesser matters to capable men.

Edna Harding [00:08:04]:
In your life, you need to outsource smaller tasks and even big tasks, both professionally and personally. It could be as simple as hiring a virtual assistant or using grocery delivery services. Like, I love the fact that I could pull up to a Sam's Club and get the groceries. I don't have to get out. They deliver my groceries in my trunk. That saves me a lot of time versus going in there with my kiddos, looking at the grocery shopping and everything. So that saves me time. Another thing that I did, for example, is although I can do my website myself, I outsource it to, someone on Fiverr, a contractor, to help me work on updating my website so that I will take it'll take me, it'll take it won't take time away from what I really need to do, which is finish my Batutobou ing group coaching, recording program.

Edna Harding [00:08:56]:
Does that make sense? So this is an example of how I outsource things that, yes, I can do, but I outsource it because it'll save me a lot of time. And right now, my time is so limited with all that I have going on that that is the smartest thing to do. And with the Fiverr guy, it cost me a $150 for him to update my website So I don't have to worry about revamping the whole entire site. And that's, again, hours and hours and hours and hours of time that I do not have. Alright? So delegate wisely. Number 6, say no gracefully. Okay? Now Jesus knew when to withdraw to lonely places when he need to, and sometimes saving time means saying no to tasks or events that do not align with your goals or energy levels. So part of this, especially for if you're a believer and you serve you're a servant, you like to serve in every aspect of church, all types of ministries.

Edna Harding [00:09:55]:
I had to cut down on certain things. I had because my time is already limited, I had to pick and choose which ministries line up with the call and the assignment God has on my life. And, yes, I could serve in children's ministry, and, yes, I could serve in high school and all that stuff, but that is not the area that is in my gifting. That makes sense? Although I've done that for many years, and I love young people. Right now, so for example, for me, my my focus is on prayer team, women's ministry, and then also the third thing is young adults because these young adults are also in that stage where they're entering in the workplace, entering into business, and I have a heart for these young people to kinda warn them about the ugly side of business, right, prior to it happening. So it all lines up with the vision and mission God gave me, and anything else that does not line up with what he called me to do, I say no to. Alright? Number 7, set specific times for checking emails and social media. Now this is such a distraction for many people, including myself sometimes.

Edna Harding [00:11:01]:
And that's why I'm glad that I only focus on LinkedIn. I don't focus on Instagram. I don't focus on Facebook. I don't focus on audience audience is. My audience is in LinkedIn. And, honestly, it helps me focus my efforts on creating quality content and attracting the right people, to my to my feed. And, and the other stuff is more for entertainment. Got it? So it's more for my personal life.

Edna Harding [00:11:33]:
It's more for, like, keeping up with my friends and family. But ever since I've done that, that really helped me focus on the things that I really need to focus on, which is improving my systems, building those relationships with clients, and ensuring that I have the proper, things in place to ensure that our lives continue to move forward and not stay stagnant. Alright. Number 8, meal prepping. Now this is something that I don't I'm I'm still working on. Just put it this way. I I like to but if I do cook, which is not very often, but when I do cook, I like to cook a lot so that I don't have to cook daily. However, I know that if I do this more, this is really going to ensure that my kids are eating the healthy stuff and not the unhealthy things, especially when I don't have time to cook.

Edna Harding [00:12:28]:
And also for my husband that he's not gonna be eating veggie patties all the time. And that was all that kinda started because he he went vegetarian for about, I think, a year, and then he started doing it again. And I'm not really a good vegetarian cooker. So I'm like, yeah. I can't do all the fancy vegetarian chef things. So that's why it was easier, but it kinda became a habit. And so I gotta get better at this for sure. So I do love to cook.

Edna Harding [00:12:55]:
It's just very time consuming. And I'm hoping with a new move, I'll be able to cook more, because I'll have more time. Alright. And number 9, reflect and adjust. At the end of the week, what you need to do is reflect on what task took more time than expected. Just as David reflected on his actions and adjusted his plans, you need to use this particular practice to refine your approach and plan better for the coming weeks. And that's a way for you to really continue to improve. It's always about continuous improvement.

Edna Harding [00:13:28]:
Right? So there are times when I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, for real. Like, I remember I was I had a headache for some reason one time, and I'm like, okay. I need to go lie down for a second. And I started watching, like, a Netflix series, and all of a sudden, I wasted, like, 2 hours of my time because I was taking a little break, and I got caught up in, like, a really you know you know those shows that are like, oh, I gotta see what happened next. I gotta see what happened next. Yeah. This is the reason why I don't watch Netflix or I don't watch those series is because it's addictive.

Edna Harding [00:14:00]:
And so I I caught that about a month ago, and I'm like, nope. Not gonna do that again. So I specifically did was I removed the Netflix app from both my iPad and my cell phone, and I only put it, like, download it again during the weekends. That's when I'd, like, binge on not just do not binge, but actually watch shows that are more for fun, not for learning, if that makes sense. So that's another example. Well, there you have it. There's 9 biblical and practical hacks to help you master your minutes and fulfill your god given purpose in your business and in life with less stress and more satisfaction. I know this just scratches the surface.

Edna Harding [00:14:41]:
I have many more. But like I said, I wanna keep it nice, short, and sweet for you guys, especially because I know y'all are busy people just like myself. So I hope you implement these strategies and see how they transform your daily routine. Thank you for tuning in to the Estapreneur podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe for more insights and guidance. And please connect with me on LinkedIn, Edna Harding. That is where I post on a regular, and that's also how I, engage with my audience. And, also, if you don't wanna do that, you could also email me [e-mail].

Edna Harding [00:15:17]:
You could reach me on my website, favorandwealth.comorestrepreneur.com, which those are my 2 sites that I, like, I that I regularly communicate on. You could also join my mailing list. I have a newsletter that I send out on a monthly basis. It's called Ascend, and it's for holistic business life success. So if that's something that interests you, go to my website, click on resources, and the newsletter sign up is there. You can also sign up on my LinkedIn page. Now remember that every minute counts, so make it count for something great. Until next time, my friends.

Edna Harding [00:15:54]:
Keep shining. God bless you, and see you on the next episode.