How to Make the Most of Your Time: A Review of “Around the Clock Mom”
I awaken before the little ones for the first time in what feels like years. There’s a fresh skiff of snow resting like a cloak over frozen earth. I brew the coffee – careful not to make any noise whatsoever – and I whisper these words, “Make the most of your time alone, Stacey. This is a rare gift.”
Every mother knows about the gift of solitude. Space to sit with your thoughts before the daily barrage of endless questions is the most precious kind of gift.
I pull a chair to the window while the coffee drips like it’s keeping track of time. There are goldfinches at the birdfeeder today. They’re not eating a thing. They’re perched on the tiny wire footholds like they’re here to wait out the winter with me.
How to Make the Most of Your Time as a Weary Mom
A few minutes later, coffee mug in hand, I open Sarah K. Butterfield’s book Around the Clock Mom. Her words offer the perfect reminder for this quiet morning:
“Our culture would have us believe that our ultimate goal should be to hustle, to be productive, to have something to show for our time.”
Oh, how I relate.
There’s a quiet voice beckoning me to use my quiet morning moments well. It tells me to rush outside and fill the almost-empty birdfeeder. It calls me to wipe the sticky fingerprints from the sliding glass door and wipe the crumbs from the table.
I ignore the voice as I continue in Sarah’s book. I’ve been reading this book daily throughout the past week, and her words are an anchor for me. She is reminding me to create the life I truly want to live. She is speaking to me exactly where I’m at in this season of life.
I’m guessing you can relate.
I’m guessing you know all about trying to make the most of your time and use your moments well.
If so, here are five of the most powerful truths from Sarah’s richly practical insight:
1. Make the Most of Your Time by Focusing on People
I am a woman who is prone to put tasks in front of people (read more about my struggle here). I like the feeling of checking boxes off my list and completing measurable tasks. Sarah’s words remind me that Jesus focused on people. We are called to do the same.
Hustle, productivity, and accomplishment all make me feel highly valued. I pat myself on the back, and others even applaud me for what I can get done. Sadly, accomplishment easily becomes an idol in my life when productivity becomes more important than relationships.
Sadly, accomplishment easily becomes an idol in my life when productivity becomes more important than relationships. #slowingdown #productivityidol Click To Tweet
2. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Most moms know all about comparison. We compare everything from our kids’ behavior to the cleanliness of our houses. We look at other women, and we wonder how they have their lives entirely figured out while we are floundering.
Sarah’s book is encouraging me to consider what I want my life to be about and make decisions based on those priorities. If I spend my life trying to emulate the strengths of other women, I will stretch myself a mile-wide and an inch-thick. Instead, I’m learning to decide what matters most to our family and live to make space for our priorities.
3. Make the Most of Your Time by Filtering Your “Yeses”
I spent years of my life saying yes to every request from every person in my life. I eventually ended up burned out and frustrated. Learning to filter my “yeses” is changing the way I do life.
I’m less stressed.
There is margin-time in my life.
I have time to stop along the road and pick flowers and chat with neighbors.
Above all else, learning to say no is helping me be more present to my actual moments. Being present to my moments is opening my eyes and heart to encounter God in the ordinary again and again.
4. Don’t be Distracted by Your Phone
My favorite tip regarding the use of the phone is this: Remove it from sight.
Most of us have fallen to cell phone distraction. I am immensely thankful for the simplicity of Sarah’s advice on this subject. She goes into depth about how to avoid distraction, but the simple truth I gleaned from this chapter is this: Put the phone away, and it won’t be a distraction.
What simple freedom!
5. Make the Most of Your Time by Prioritizing Rest
Prioritizing rest is less complicated than we make it as well. Sarah’s words are nudging me to go to bed a little earlier. She encourages me to ignore the housework and take a nap when I’m totally exhausted. She reminds me to say no to weekend invitations when I need a restful weekend at home. These simple reminders are shaping my life in a powerful way.
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Little footsteps make their way down the hallway. I close my book and swallow my last sip of coffee. By God’s grace, I spent a full hour in solitude this morning.
On the surface, I seem to have accomplished nothing.
The birdfeeder is still almost empty.
There are still sticky fingerprints on the glass and crumbs on the table.
But something has shifted. It is the rhythm of this thrumming heart. I think it might just be keeping cadence with the rhythm of its Maker.
An Invitation to Make the Most of Your Time with Sarah’s New Book:
Around the Clock Mom is meeting me exactly where I’m at in this season of my life. I feel like Sarah stepped into my world for a few days to share my experiences. I absolutely love connecting with a new book in this way. Get your copy right here today, and Sarah’s words will challenge you to reflect on the way you spend your God-given time as well.
