How to Plan Your Day for Optimal Energy
Do you ever wish you could read your Bible more often, be a better wife to your husband, or be a better mom to your kids — but you just don’t have the time or energy?
It’s not just you.
While writing my book, “Fall in Love with God’s Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women,” I surveyed the Equipping Godly Women audience to learn more about the very real obstacles holding Christian women back from regularly spending time in God’s Word.
And what I found didn’t surprise me at all.
The top two reasons Christian women don’t read their Bibles as often as they’d like are 1. busyness and 2. tiredness.
I can definitely relate to that!
I remember when I was pregnant with my youngest. I was absolutely exhausted, trying to take care of two children while growing a third, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, and folding the laundry.
And whether you’re a mom yourself or not — we all have SO many things on our plates these days. It can definitely be difficult to find the time to juggle them all.
That’s why, I want to share one exercise that has been really helpful for me.
In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to use an Optimal Energy Tracker to figure out when is the best time of day for you to do all of the things you want to get done in a day.
Whether that’s finding time to read your Bible, spend quality time with your family, or pursue a passion God has placed on your heart.
This is an exercise I share in the “Fall in Love with God’s Word” companion workbook, but it’s so helpful, I want to make sure I share it with you as well!
Scroll down for video instructions, written instructions, and a free printable you can download and print out so you can do this exercise too.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps cover the many costs of running this site and allows me to help provide for my growing family. Thank you!
1. Gather Your Materials
In order to do this exercise, you’ll need colored pencils, crayons, or markers in three colors: red, yellow, and green
You’ll also need the Optimal Energy Tracker Worksheet. Simply enter your name and email below, and I’ll send yours right to you.
2. Review What Each Color Means
3. Color Your Optimal Energy Tracker
You can print out your sheet and fill it in over the course of a day (or the course of a couple days), or you can simply fill it out from memory.
The first method is more accurate, but the second method is faster.
4. Adjust as Needed
When are your green zones? When are your red zones? And how can you adjust your schedule so you everything you have to do in a day falls into the appropriate zone?
For example:
- What are the most difficult activities you do in a day? The ones that require the most attention or mental bandwidth? How can you find time to do these activities when you’re in the green zone?
- What are the easiest activities you do in a day? The ones that don’t require a lot of energy or attention? How can you find time to do these activities when you’re in yellow (or even red) zone?
- When are your red zones? Are there activities you can move out of these zones, to other times of day when you aren’t as stressed or tired? How can you proactively rest in advance so this zone isn’t so red for you? What changes do you need to make?
Now, of course, you probably live or work with other people, so you may not have complete control over when you do everything in a day. We all have limits.
But what small tweaks CAN you make to help your day go that much smoother?
Did you find this exercise helpful?
If so, I’d love for you to check out my new book, “Fall in Love with God’s Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women,” along with the “Fall in Love with God’s Word” companion workbook.
This book (and workbook) are chock FULL of practical tips and encouragement to help you not only find time to read God’s Word every day, but to truly enjoy what you’re reading.
If you’re someone who wants to read your Bible more often (and get more out of it!), this book will help you do just that.