E86: How I Get Things Done While Working Full Time

10/31/22 • 10 min

Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked to lots of women who are working while pursuing their God-inspired dream on the side. I bet you can guess the most common struggle they expressed. If you said it’s all about time, you would be correct. In Episode 86, we’re gonna chat about how to get all the things done ... and the way I do it might be a little surprising.

Hello friends! Welcome back to Just One Simple Thing. A couple of months ago I announced in Episode 80 that I’m narrowing the focus of my strategic planning and project management services to creative women (like writers, speakers, and podcasters) or small business owners, who are pursuing their God-dreams while they’re still working their full-time job. That is the situation I’m in and I feel like I have a lot to share in that area.

I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know that the most common struggle they face is having time to do all the things.

So today I want to share with you how I get all the things done. Okay, here’s the secret. I don’t get all the things done because no one can get all the things done.

It’s not about getting all the things done. It’s about getting the right things done. And guess what? I don’t even get all the right things done.

Here is what I get done: I get done what I can get done. Sometimes that’s a lot depending on what’s going on, and sometimes it’s not very much but it’s always what I can do. And the really cool thing is that because I can’t get all of the important things done, I have to rely fully on God to do the things that only He can do.

So let’s dive into the things that I can do.

I rotate my strategic focus every month. I have a clear strategic plan for my business ... specific things I want to implement in the areas of Marketing, Content, Finances, and Administration. (For more details about these strategic focus areas, head back to Episode 76.) I’ve learned that I can’t focus on all of these areas at the same time every month. But I can focus on them one at a time.

I commit to a small list of non-negotiables... a very few things that I do every week no matter what.

Some weeks the only thing I get done may be those non-negotiable items and I don’t have any time left to work on new content and or new products or different projects. Those very important strategic focus areas just have to wait until I can do them.

I don’t commit to things I can’t do. I have to be very careful about opportunities that come up and say no to things I’d love to do but I can’t do because it would impact my non-negotiables and other strategic focus areas.

Develop your network of partners. Sharing the workload with a friend can be a huge time-saver.
ACTION STEP:

Spend some time thinking about what your non-negotiables are and how will you fit those into your week. When you do what you can, I promise that God will show up and do what only he can.
RESOURCES:
Episode 78 Four Strategies You Need to Stay Focused and Save Time

Episode 80 How God Uses Boundaries and Barriers for Protection and Provision

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Are you tired from trying to share your God-inspired message while working your full time job? Do you wonder if it’s worth it, or even possible, to build a ministry or business on the side?
I have good news for you. It is possible. It is worth it. You can do it.
Download the Honor System Guide, to help you honor all the work God has given you to do.

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I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know that the most common struggle they face is having time to do all the things.

So today I want to share with you how I get all the things done. Okay, here’s the secret. I don’t get all the things done because no one can get all the things done.

It’s not about getting all the things done. It’s about getting the right things done. And guess what? I don’t even get all the right things done.

So let’s dive into the things that I can do.

I commit to a small list of non-negotiables... a very few things that I do every week no matter what.

Develop your network of partners. Sharing the workload with a friend can be a huge time-saver.
ACTION STEP:

Episode 80 How God Uses Boundaries and Barriers for Protection and Provision

Previous Episode

E85: What to Do When the Wait Is Over

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It’s been a long wait. You’ve been patient and trusted God through the waiting. But now, God says it’s time to go ... to jump into the dream He’s given you. So, what do you do now? Welcome to Episode 85 of Just One Simple Thing, where you’ll learn what to do when the wait is over.

I hope you got some good tips in Episode 84 about how to get out of the procrastination pit. But in Episode 83, we looked at what David did between the time when he was anointed as the future king, and the time that he actually became king. You might think that after years of waiting for God to release you to do your thing, it would be easy to jump right in and finally take some action. But that’s not always the case. You’ll have to create some momentum to get things moving.
There are four things David did to make that transition and move into the space God had created him for.

1. Leveraged his relationships
David didn’t have to go out and gather these people up. When he finally became King, they came to him. If you have been investing in people and relationships while you are waiting, when it is your time to step into the spotlight, people will rally around you and want to help you succeed.

2. Set up a home base
One of the first things David did as king was to take back control of Jerusalem and set up his home. As he continued to go out and battle for his people, he always had a safe place for himself and his closest advisors to come back to. Find the safe place for you, your team, and your followers to land in a strategic plan. Head back to Episode 78 for more details on the four strategies you need to stay focused and save time.

3. Kept his eyes on God
David recognized that the Lord had established him, not for David’s own benefit, but for the sake of His people. Like David, we need to keep our eyes on God and remember that any growth or opportunity He gives us is for the sake of His people, not our own benefit.

4. Made imperfect progress
We know the stories well of all the ways David messed up. Adultery, scheming, murder, lying. But one thing David didn’t do ... he didn’t quit. He learned to listen to his advisors. He asked for forgiveness and leaned into his relationship with the Lord. And he kept moving forward, for the sake of God’s people.

As you step out in ministry or business, I promise you ... you WILL mess up. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to quit. It’s time to learn from your mistakes, take refuge in God’s mercy and grace, and move forward imperfectly... for the sake of the people who NEED the transformation you can offer.

ACTION STEP:
What are you waiting for? Has God told you to go, but you’re still holding back? Look at these four things David did after the wait and decide which one will help you most .. then make a plan to do it! And if you need help making that plan, let me know!
If one of the waiting or procrastinating episodes 82 through 85 has been especially helpful for you, please share it on your social media and let me know.

RESOURCES:
Episode 78 Four Strategies You Need to Stay Focused and Save Time

Next Episode

E87: What Happened When My Focus Shifted

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Wonder what it looks like when someone makes a pivot in their business? How long does it take to re-gain forward momentum after a shakeup? In Episode 87 of Just One Simple Thing, I’m sharing what it has looked like for me, almost two months after making some big announcements.
About two months ago, I started making a big change in my business. In Episode 80, I talked about how I made the decision to shift in a slightly new direction. I heard through my Instagram stories that y’all wanted to hear more about how it has been going, so that’s what we are going to do in this episode.
Let’s dive in to what I’ve learned and how it’s going since I made the announcement.
In shifting my focus to women pursuing their God-inspired dream while working full time, it’s been interesting to see how it applies to women in other situations. So while I worried that I was narrowing down too much, I found the audience is a little broader than I thought.
A survey of my new audience gave unexpected results, and is helping me frame the content. I was surprised to learn that only about 40% of women who identified as having a dream AND a job actually want to quit the job.
I’m currently considering how to use these results to create a new group program for them after the first of the year.
As far as how long it took to regain momentum, I’d say it took about six weeks.
I’m not sure if people were confused about what I was doing, or what, but everything dried up about the time of my announcement.
I’m so thankful for the friends in my network who have shared about what I’m doing, sent me referrals, and invited me on their podcasts. With their help, things started picking up again by mid-October.
Making a shift like this is a project that requires dedicated time in your weekly plan, just like any other project.
Pausing the mastermind was a difficult, but wise, choice. Removing that from the plate for a time has created a spacious place for me to be creative, to think, to pray, to talk, to experiment.
I knew the direction I was taking about a month before I announced it, giving me time to start putting some pieces in place (like a new email opt-in) before I made it public. Overall, I’d say the shift is going well.
I’m more relaxed and have accepted working at a little slower pace.
ACTION STEP:
If you feel God is leading you to make a shift in your focus, I encourage you to look at the things you keep bumping into.
Are they barriers that can be moved with a little hard work and patience? Or are they boundaries that could have catastrophic results if you cross them? If it’s time to make a shift, make a plan so you can do it with confidence and intention.
And I want to end today’s episode by thanking you ... the listeners of this podcast and my social media followers ... for going on this journey with me. The Do A New Thing community is the best, and your support has meant the world to me.
RESOURCES
Episode 80 How God Uses Boundaries and Barriers for Protection and Provision
How to Pursue Your God-Inspired Dream While Working Full-Time free guide