How to Get Stuff Done

May 18, 2026

I'm finally getting around to painting the other three chairs that I didn't get to last summer!

It was almost 11:00 in the morning, and there I stood, still in my pajamas, not even having exercised or showered (2 activities I try to accomplish early in the day).

My children had asked to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Knowing the sacrifice of time this breakfast would require, I said, “yes,” and so began the floury preparations.

After the delicious breakfast was cooked and consumed, my new little guy was calling (or rather screaming) for his breakfast. I fed him and cooed with him for a few minutes and then proceeded to change his diaper. Let’s just say that not only did I have a very dirty diaper to clean, but now I had to wash my bedding (where I usually change diapers) because of a common situation with little boys that I did not wisely avoid.

I sighed and almost laughed to myself. The day just kept getting more and more ridiculous, it felt. I certainly was not getting to all of the tasks that I had hoped to accomplish.

Then something dawned on me. I could have a bad attitude about the whole day (as was my customary habit) or I could move forward from that moment in time and do the best possible.

I was disappointed with the day but not discouraged (discourage—to lose heart and courage)—a definite sign of growth in my own personal life. What once used to bring me to a level of despair did not make my day spiral out of control, a sure sign of grace working in my life.

Today I would like to share a few thoughts on how to get stuff done…even when life just keeps on coming.

Value Time

Time is a precious commodity—my most valuable asset to living productively. Time is one of the best gifts that God gives me, and He expects me to redeem it—to buy it back and cultivate value with it.

Realizing that time is a precious commodity, I need to utilize and maximize my time as best as possible. And in order to maximize my time, I need to learn how to use it as efficiently as possible. Like a precious and valuable substance used as sparingly as possible, my time should be used in a calculated and thoughtful fashion.

So how can I maximize my time for greatest productivity?

First of all, I need to make sure that I’m not wasting time. Recently I’ve asked myself, “Are there pockets in my day when I’m not doing anything productive?” Purposeful times of rest are actually productive, but are there times when I’m mindlessly doing nothing (not out of a need for rest)?

Reorganizing my food containers was quite the project. This project took me a while, a little at a time.

Second, I have been creating a general framework of time for myself each day. While I would not call my time framework a schedule per se, I like to have time checkpoints throughout the day to make sure that I am using my time in a focused way. If I allot myself a certain amount of time for a specific task, I must stop once that time is up and move on to the next necessary task.

Third, I need to stay conscious of my use of time. There are times in life (pun intended) when time is not the most important (such as ministering to people, especially our families), but when time is of the essence for required tasks, I need to stay cognizant of the time.

My phone timer has been a helpful asset in using my time wisely. I often set time limits for myself for certain tasks which gives me a goal to strive for. Once I realize that I only have so much time for a task, my mind focuses and I quickly hone in on what absolutely has to be done.

Plan Ahead

For the longest time, I kicked against planning and refused to “box myself in.” I would get discouraged that my best plans never were fully accomplished and so I began to think, “Why bother planning? I never get everything done anyway.”

But as I have grown personally, I realized that there is value in planning my days. Yes, my days often do not go according to plan (flexibility enters here), and many times God has other plans for me than what I think the day holds. But a little planning on my part maximizes my God-given time and what is within my scope of control. I often only accomplish half of what I planned in a day, but that is often still more accomplished than if I did not plan.

At the beginning of the week, I try to set aside some time to think through the week and jot down what needs to be accomplished. Even if I do not have a weekly planning session, at the start of each day, I try to jot down about 4-5 tasks or goals for the day. This list then gives my day focus and forward momentum as I seek to fulfill my responsibilities.

Start Afresh at Any Point in the Day

Some days just do not get off to a good start, and before I know it, half of the morning is gone. So what am I to do? Despairing that the day is not going well is a waste of time I’ve learned. I’ve realized that no matter where I am in the day—even the afternoon—I can start from that point and be diligent and productive.

So it was a rough night with the baby and I’m just now eating breakfast at 9? Ok, move forward from that point in the day with diligence and do not wallow in discouragement that my neat schedule of an 8:00 breakfast never occurred.

Have a right attitude.

In many ways having a right attitude is the most pivotal part of getting stuff done in my life. For one, having a right attitude is pleasing to the Lord, and second having a right attitude makes the work more pleasant for myself and everyone around me. I can work like a madwoman with a wrong attitude and not be pleasing to God. Or I can work with a cheerful attitude, and though I may not accomplish all that I set out to do, I can be pleasing to God.

More times than I care to admit I have slipped into a mental pit of mud when my day did not go as I had planned. The more I wallowed in my disappointment about the day, the more mired I became in that mental mud. I’ve found that the only way to get out of a mental mud pit is to surrender my heart anew to the Lord and ask for grace to move forward in the best way possible in that moment.

While the mental mud may still be splattered across my emotional state, I’ve found that taking the next step forward in pleasing God with my attitude and actions brings stability to my mind and refreshed productivity for the remainder of the day. I still may not “feel great,” but choosing to have a right attitude begins the process of climbing out of the mental mud pit. Before long, the frustrations are no longer my focus, and I am satisfied in doing the work that is before my heart and my hands.

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Friends, I hope that you found these concepts a help and a blessing. I wish you a very productive week!

-Ashley

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