Planning when your hands are full? Learn how busy moms can make steady progress toward goals with little kids, gentle habits, and realistic routines.
S4E5 – What Do Jerusalem, Athens & Rome Have to Do With Your Faith? – A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast
- S4E5 – What Do Jerusalem, Athens & Rome Have to Do With Your Faith?
- S4E4 – You Don't Have to Agree With Them to Learn From Them: Why You Should Study Church History
- S4E3 – Bible Alone? Can We Really Just Follow the Bible?
- S4E2 – What If Questioning Your Faith Isn’t a Bad Thing?
- S4E1 – Before You Pass Down Your Faith, Ask Yourself This
Hi, I’m Cayce Fletcher, and this is A More Beautiful Life Collective. I’m here to walk hand in hand with you as we grow in grace, build with purpose, and live beautifully. Today, we’re continuing our series on living life with full hands, full houses, and full hearts. We talked about goal-setting with your hands full in this post, and then, we talked about reading with little kids (plus my top 5 books for 2025) in this post.
A Life Ruled by ‘If Only’
As you heard in our post about goal-setting, I love making New Year’s Resolutions. Something about setting down my dreams on paper and imagining how life could look someday is just exhilarating. But, as we hit February, the dreary reality hits.
Goals don’t truly change us. They can guide us and direct us, but they don’t intrinsically change our behavior.
It always hits me like a gut-punch when I start working at something and see what I can accomplish – and then think about what it would have been like to start earlier.
This comes in stark reality when we think about our health and fitness. Weight loss can only be done incrementally, as we think in tangible terms of 1 lb a week, and I’m sure we can all relate to the feeling of kicking ourselves as we wish we started our weight loss program last January instead of waiting for the new year to roll around.
But, really, this feeling is true for every area of our lives. We think in terms of “If only.”
If only I had kept running after college…
If only I had started this blog sooner…
If only I had paid down my debt right away…
If only I had learnt that skill as a kid…
It’s easy to let the ‘If onlys’ rule our lives. But, there is a hidden curse underneath these sayings.
The If onlys keep us stuck in the mire of regret. Instead of offering hope, they just offer resignation. The If onlys lead us to believe that our current reality is inevitable, even as we imagine how life would have been different if we had taken a different path.
The If onlys make us believe that we cannot change.
We blame it on our past selves that if we had been smarter and more disciplined in our youth, life would have turned out better for us. But the truth is that we have to cast aside our If onlys and walk forward confidently in the direction of our dreams.
As the proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
So let’s leave behind a life ruled by ‘If Onlys’ and start to make some real progress this year.
A Life Made of a Thousand Distractions
My days are often made up of a thousand little things that pull my attention in a million different directions. You can probably relate.
When I get up to get my day started, I start by making my children oatmeal. Oatmeal requires a dish, which leads to washing the dishes. Washing dishes reminds me that I need to run a load of laundry – which reminds me that I need to fold and put away clothes from yesterday which reminds me that I need to tidy my children’s rooms which reminds me that we need to get our homeschool lessons done which reminds me that I need to prep the children’s bible study class for this week which reminds me that my husband has some drawings he needs in the computer for tomorrow… which reminds me which reminds me which reminds me.
Growing up, I loved to read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. I loved the cute pictures of the mouse and all the fun things he got to do. But, as a parent, this book takes on a whole new meaning of a life lived with children.
We are pushed, pulled, and prodded in a thousand different directions. It’s not only our children who demand our attention. Our spouse, our work, and our ministry are also vying for time.
I have felt the frustration of planning my day in the morning, only to be derailed by 10:00 am by a pressing need that needs to be attended to. It’s easy to feel like everything is meaningless when we can’t accomplish our plans.
But what if we took a different view? What if we stopped letting this be a frustration and we embraced a life like this?
Related: How Routines Calm the Chaos of Life (+ My Stay at Home Mom Schedule)
Life Built with People in Mind
As a Christian, our lives are supposed to be dictated by God. We are meant to live together with people, and our love for people represents God’s love for them. We are supposed to lay down our lives for one another, just as Christ laid down his life for us.
People aren’t a distraction from the most important thing. People are the most important thing in life.
When we recognize that a life lived with and for people is a life lived for the Kingdom, we can begin to walk forward in gratitude and contentment for the life we’ve been given rather than bitterness and resentment.
Most of our days will be spent in service to others… and that’s okay.
But how do we then accomplish our goals and dreams if we are busy being poured out into others?
Visit A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop for bible studies, planners, and other resources.
Do Not Despise The Small Things
I was recently listening to a Read Aloud Revival Podcast about time management with Laura Vanderkam. Laura advocates her audience to think of time not in terms of days, but in terms of weeks. Weeks are made up of 168 hours, and she pushes us to think about how we have more time than we think in these hours.
All too often, we fall prey to perfectionistic tendencies. We feel like if we don’t do something perfectly, every day, for hours, that it’s not even worth starting. But, she recommends that we aim to do something 3 times a week, then it’s a habit.
So that goal you’re thinking of? Look at your week. Where in these 168 hours could you set aside time, maybe in increments of 20 minutes to an hour, to work on that habit?
Small progress is progress.
In my small group this past week, we had been discussing the book of Zechariah. Nestled in these verses was a profound truth. The people looked around at the devastation of the temple, and it felt like it was too big for them. They felt like there was no way that they could move forward because how could they ever complete the temple with the opposition they faced? How could they ever accomplish something as grand as that?
In Zechariah 4:10, it says, “For who despises the day of small things? These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the ceremonial stone in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
Do we despise the small things? The small incremental progress?
All too often, I think we have our whole perspective inverted. We care most about the big things. The grand gestures. The movie style ‘overcoming’ as someone gets the girl, wins the trophy, or saves the universe. But we despise the little things. We live in the moment and think about what feels good now. We have a big view of our accomplishments but a short view of time.
At the same time, God calls us to flip that perspective around. He calls us to – even requires – a long view of time as we live with eternity in mind. But he also takes great care in the small things. We have to have a small view of our accomplishments and actions, but a long view of time.
Think of something as small and insignificant as a snowflake. But, even in that, God has made a masterpiece. The small things can be beautiful and profound. The small things are worth doing.
Related: Life Proofing Your Habits: How to Cultivate Good Habits and Make Them Stick
Improving by Iterations
So, we shouldn’t shirk our responsibilities or chafe against them. We also shouldn’t give up on our goals in an attempt to efface ourselves for others. What does this mean for our day-to-day planning?
We embrace the small progress and the seasonal nature of our lives through iterations. We have to be intentional about our time. We do have 168 hours in a week, but that statement means that we only have 168 hours. Developing a good schedule is crucial to making progress towards our goals. (See my stay-at-home mom schedule here.)
This intentionality doesn’t mean that our schedule ever truly ‘arrives.’ Instead, it means that we create a schedule that is flexible and grows as we ourselves grow in insight.
One example is found is this blog. When my kids were younger, I was able to use ‘quiet time’ in the afternoons for writing and recording. But, as naps have been dropped, it was harder to find time to work on the blog.
I had two options: I could give up the blog and writing in service to those around me, or I could work to improve my schedule, intentionally blocking off time to work on my writing in order to reach my goals and dreams.
For me, this means that I create bounded time in the morning that is ‘blog time.’ If I can work on my writing, I am able to set it aside and fully embrace ‘mom mode’ the rest of the day.
A Year of Making Progress
So, how can we start moving forward towards our goals and dreams when our hands are full?
We embrace a year of making small progress.
When you have lots of littles, it’s not the time to try to cram 12-hour days into your schedule. You won’t be able to work 24/7 on a new project. You have to understand the limitations of your attention with a life made up of many distractions.
Here are five tips for making steady progress this year:
#1 – Find a planner you love and use it every day.
I’ve gone through seasons in my life where my planner collected dust on the shelf, and I’ve gone through seasons where my planner has been my lifeline. The most productive seasons have always been when I am regularly using my planner every day.
With a planner, the most important factor is actually using it. I love the Passionate Penny Pincher system of checklists because it keeps me coming back again and again. If you are looking for a planner that has a built-in system of habit stacking, check out this index card planner.
You can read here about my top 5 planners for moms or anyone else who wants to reach their goals.
Every day, I set my top three. Sometimes, this looks like just school, church, and a homemaking task. Sometimes, it is several big work projects. But, whittling down all my ‘must dos’ to just three really helps to keep me focused while not burning out and being filled up with resentment.
#2 – Weekly and Monthly Reviews are essential.
At the beginning of the year, I’m always filled with big goals and dreams. But the everyday minutiae of life often make me forget what I set out to do. You need a reset regularly to pull you back to your goals and dreams and set you on the right path.
This reset could be done at any length of time – 12 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 weeks, or, if you are like me, monthly. At the end of the month, I look at the goals I set out to do, and I rate myself on the different areas in my life. I write down areas where I struggled and areas where I did well. Then I look at how I want to live the next month out. I set new goals for the month, generally focusing on the ‘big areas of life’ – like family, business, personal, and home.
Each week, you need to set a planner date with yourself and look at your previous week – what you accomplished and what you didn’t – and then, make new plans for the upcoming week. I always fill in my schedule and make my meal plan, then. Then, I make a big ‘to-do’ list for the upcoming week, and check off any tasks like ordering groceries, gifts, or supplies.
#3 – Declutter your schedule.
Filling in your schedule each week will give you a good idea of your weekly rhythms, responsibilities, and commitments. If you are feeling overwhelmed, that is a recipe for resentment.
You need to declutter your schedule and make sure that you are only including what truly serves God and your family. We often automatically say yes to lots of things without thinking about our season of life or previous commitments.
A quick caveat here: Decluttering your schedule should always be done with discernment and lots of prayer.
Often, I find that when people are decluttering their schedule, they are quick to drop ministry commitments. Your local church needs you to step up and serve. Nursery, Sunday School classes, meal trains and dinners, and other ways of service are rarely glamorous, but they are crucial for a robust ministry at your church. If this is the first thing you want to cut out, you need to really take a good look at your motivations.
#4 – Create bounded time in your schedule through time blocking.
In the post on homemaking when your hands are full, we talked about creating boundaries around certain areas in your house and treating them like a container.
Your schedule is also a container. You only have a finite amount of time, and you have to determine what is deserving of your time.
Our kids and other relationships fill up a lot of our hours, but we still have self-directed time. We have to be intentional with this time. One way to be intentional is to create ‘buckets’ of time.
We do this with our jobs. When I was working, one of my coworkers said that she made sure she was using her time wisely at work because when she got home, she was not doing anything teacher-related. The planning hour was never just for chit-chat. She had bound her time by creating a work bucket. She gave the school those hours, but none more.
We can do a similar system with our hours at home. We can create a ‘work-out’ bucket, a ‘homeschool’ bucket, a ‘homemaking’ bucket, etc. We fill that bucket – or time block – with only what fits. This allows us to be intentional with our time through prioritizing what really matters.
#5 – Plan a Power Hour in your schedule to work towards your goals.
Many of our ‘buckets’ are going to be devoted to our day-to-day responsibilities of work, childcare, and maintaining a home. But if we have a project that is on our hearts, we have to recognize that we won’t just happen into completing it. We need to devote a little of our time to making steady progress towards it.
Each week, aim to set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour to move the needle on this project. Try to have someone else take care of the childcare and limit distractions. This is your ‘power hour.’
For my blog, I try to set aside time right after my quiet time to work for 30 minutes to an hour each day. I might not be able to finish a blog post, create a product, and design graphics, but I can do one of those things. Day after day, that little bit adds up.
Planning When Your Hands Are Full
A life with littles rarely leads to lots of undistracted time, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t move forward on our goals. Instead, we need to learn to embrace this season of life and work with it, not against it.
What are your best tips for planning with lots of little kids? Let me know in the comments below.
If you’ve found this post helpful, be sure to subscribe. You can listen along to our podcast as well for more ways to grow in grace, build with purpose, and live beautifully.
Don’t forget to check out our index card planner as well as our Cultivate Habits workbook in the shop.
Building a Beautiful Life Bundle – Christian Life Planner Printable + Devotional Toolkit
This Christian life planner printable bundle helps you align your faith, home, and habits. Includes a devotional workbook, planner pages, budget sheets, and more to build rhythms rooted in peace and purpose.
Until next time, keep creating a life you love and cultivating your heart for God.
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