Mastering productivity is a quest so many of us are on.

We make lofty plans and have big goals. Some of us too, have watched more productivity YouTube videos than we care to admit.

After all is said and done though, productivity hacks and all the advice of the ‘gurus’ will amount to nothing more than a bunch of quack if a heart change isn’t first made.

Creating healthy habits, I believe, will likely succeed only after a decision from deep within is made.

We must decide to honor integrity with ourselves.

God therefore, is a crucial component of the changes I make that bring forth fruit and stick.

Knowing that a new habit aligns with God’s purpose for me has been the most compelling reason to cheat on my feelings and give in to the prompting for obedience.

Achieving the success we seek and making daily progress then will come through spiritual diligence. (You can check out my previous post about cultivating diligence.)

Diligence is no easy feat.

Let’s be honest, lots of habits that are indeed good for us, somehow, just aren’t easy.

At the very least, they are not fun.

Exercise isn’t fun and neither is drinking enough water daily.

Going to bed early or waking up early for that matter also isn’t fun.

So clearly, we cannot continue to be slaves to our feelings right?

We must submit to a higher calling. 

And you know what, I have found that our Lord is quite willing to help us manage our time.

It continues to blow my mind how much He actually cares about…but lest I digress.

To master productivity through spiritual diligence we must start with Prayer.

So… This Productivity Thing

Now let me be as transparent and honest as possible from the jump.

I have not yet mastered this skill… Not by a long shot.

Hence, why I find it so crucial to give this quest to God in prayer.

I use my Youversion Bible app’s Prayer List feature heavily.

Praying for diligence and following bible plans within the app helps to anchor my day.

I start the days off asking God to direct how I spend my time.

Productivity is something I have been shooting for and by God’s grace, I am making strides.

For the rest of this post I will hone in on what I’ve learnt this far through research. Still, most of it will be from my own experience.

Mastering Productivity Without The Overwhelm

This is one God has really been helping me with.

I often feel like I just have way too much to do and that I will never be finished.

But which other mom doesn’t feel like that all the time right?

One strategy I have found that has made all the difference in combating the overwhelm is Time Blocking.

It is a real game changer for me. 

What is Time Blocking?

Time blocking refers to a time management and planning strategy where we schedule tasks in blocks of time.

We then focus wholeheartedly on those tasks during the allotted time. 

It lets us divide our entire day into slots that work for us.

Tasks are basically batched into a time frame and when that time is up, we move on to the other tasks.

We don’t necessarily put pressure on ourselves to complete the tasks but we must move on the next preset task in order for this strategy to work. 

Here is the video that introduced me to this technique.

It teaches us how to schedule our time like a boss: 

Using The Pomodora Method To Master Productivity

Now that we’ve learnt about time-blocking, we can further capitalize on that technique by pairing individual tasks in our blocks with the Pomodora method.

Basically, we divide up our tasks into 25 minute slots of focused time. We set a timer for those 25 minutes and we work on absolutely nothing else but the assigned task.

When the timer goes off, we take a 5 minute break.

It is that simple.

This method helps greatly with eliminating distractions. In that 25 minutes, you will be surprised at how much gets done.

What is awesome is that this method not only helps me to get more done, I get the added bonus of seeing it help my children to study.

I encourage them to only study in 25 minute blocks.

They become less overwhelmed by content-heavy subjects like history and biology etc.

They then enjoy the reward of the 5 minute physical and mental breaks.

Mastering Productivity Through Lists

List writing has been very instrumental to me on this journey.

I try my best to write down everything.

I go from the most mundane and repetitive, to specific goal lists for different areas in my life.

Truth be told, I don’t always check these lists religiously.

This might seem counter-intuitive and perhaps it really would be for many people.

For me though, the very act of writing a task down. It etches it in my brain, making it far easier for me to get said task done. 

I have all sorts of lists.

I have the typical daily to-do list which I fondly title “Eat That Frog”. It was influenced of course by the bestseller with that title.

My weekly list has been given the affirmative “My Productive Week”. This one covers those tasks that would make my week a success even if many smaller tasks aren’t done.

There is also a list for my household chores and my weekly meal plan. (Admittedly, I have failed miserably many a week).

I even have a list for my son’s skin care and physiotherapy routines. 

I could share all my other lists but you might just think I am a bit of an over-doer. Practically too, it would likely wouldn’t apply to your own life. 

(Shhh, I have to whisper. A quick check just now revealed that I actually have all of sixty nine lists! Color me shooketh!)

Using Time Management Apps

While I do enjoy writing physical lists and I use a regular kitchen timer to get a lot of my chores done, I do rely heavily on digital apps.

They really help me manage my time well.

I have tried many such apps over time.

My two favorites however are the Microsoft To-do app (formerly Wunderlist) for list-making and Forest to help me with my Pomodora technique. 

There is no shortage of productivity apps out there today.

Should you try these and they don’t tickle your fancy, try any other one.

I only encourage that we use our mobile to help us conquer our days rather than have it be the main catalyst for time wasting.