The Importance of Balance and Order as the Foundation for Success
- Stephanie Michelle
- Jul 28
- 6 min read
I am sitting here, listening to uplifting music and contemplating what I wish to share with you. My daily life involves a combination of motherhood, managing a household, business, self-education, and homeschooling, among other things. I don't mention the various roles I play to boast or seek praise. Instead, I want you to understand that I have many responsibilities to balance, and without effective management, something might fall short. Some days, I focus more on specific areas, with my family being a top priority. I’ve noticed that when I share a glimpse of my life, the common response is: “Wow, how do you do it all?” The answer results in maintaining balance and order. Without a structured approach to keep myself balanced, life can become overwhelming, and I start to feel the pressure. So, I’ve realized that the next topic I’d like to discuss is about establishing a foundation of organization to achieve everything you need and want to do. I believe many people could use encouragement in this area, and I hope my experiences can be of some help to you.
When I begin my day, I do my best to align my mind and body to establish a solid foundation. What does this entail? I start with prayer and meditation, expressing gratitude and admiration to my Father. I also use this time to read some Bible verses or material that feeds me spiritually. This helps me stay focused on what matters and minimizes distractions. Secondly, I stretch and exercise, aiming to be consistent by working out at least three days a week, though I sometimes fall short. I am working to become more disciplined in this area. Next, I sit at my desk and outline a plan for the day, including a realistic task list. Do I always achieve my daily goals? Not always; some days I deviate from the plan, usually because I need to attend to something with my sons or husband. However, I generally complete my tasks. I have found this routine beneficial and motivating in accomplishing my plans.
There was a time in my life when I frequently procrastinated. Whenever I thought about all the tasks I needed to accomplish, I would become anxious and stressed, resulting in not getting much done. By structuring my day, I can break down my tasks and hold myself accountable, which is so important. It also helps me stay disciplined. This approach has become a habit I've developed and refined over the past three years with real consistency. Initially, I started organizing my days using a method my husband taught me, which involved breaking down the hours in a week. Let me share it with you. A week consists of 168 hours, so first, you subtract the hours you typically spend sleeping (as an estimate). I usually sleep 5-6 hours a night (on a good night, lol), which amounts to roughly 38-42 hours. Subtracting, say, 42 hours from 168 leaves you with 126 hours to use as you wish. For me, this was a paradigm shift. Why? Because it showed me how much time I had and how much more I could accomplish by structuring it differently. So, I began by breaking down the hours of my week and day. Here's how that looks:
Self Care: (shower, brushing teeth, etc.) | 1hr a day x 7 days= 7hrs |
Cooking (including all meals) | 3-4 hours a day x 7 days = 21-28hrs |
Cleaning | 1-2 hrs a day x 7 = 7-14hrs 3-4 hrs a week for deep cleaning = 3-4hrs All together = 10-18 hrs |
Homeschool — includes lessons, trips, classes, etc. | 2-3 hrs a day x 4 days = 8-12hrs |
Business — relating to any home business you may have, or even running the finances for the household (budgeting, etc.) | 3-4 hrs x 6 days = 18-24 hrs. |
Study/ Read — this is for self studying, learning something new, etc. | 1-2 hrs a day x 5 days = 5-10 hrs |
Family Time — time at the end of the day or time to go out with the family. Some days may be more, some days less. | 1-2 hrs a day x 7 days = 7-14 hrs. Sometimes I add extra time here because some weeks we may take a day for the family. |
Exercise | 1 hr x 4 days = 4 hrs. |
Time for Self | 1 hrs x 7 days = 7 hrs. |
Total = 80-103 hours per week |
So, if you have 126 hours and are only utilizing 80-103 of them, you have 23-46 hours available to do whatever you wish, including taking some time to laugh and enjoy life — that's incredible! I followed this plan weekly and then wrote out my plan for each day as well. My daily plan would look like this:
Homeschool — Math and language arts, or science and math, or history and language arts, and also art, usually mixed in. OR Class at the museum. | 3 hrs — 10:00am-12:00pm |
Study/ Read — Read 10 pages, write for an hour | 1 hr — 6:00pm-7:00pm |
Cleaning — bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, and clean up | 1 hr — 2 pm-3 pm |
Cooking | Breakfast 30mins — 1 hr. 9 am-10 am Lunch 30 mins — 1 pm - 2 pm Dinner 1.5 - 2 hrs — 3 pm - 4:30/5 pm Total: 3.5 hrs. |
Business — This time varies depending on my homeschool schedule | 2 hrs — 7 am-9 am |
Exercise | 1 hr — 12 pm - 1 pm |
Self Care | 1 hr — 5 am-6 am or 8:30 pm-9:30 pm |
Family Time — this means uninterrupted, no cell phones, etc. | 1 hr — 7 pm-8 pm |
Self Time — uninterrupted time, even if this is screen time for my kids | 1 hr — 6am-7am or 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm |
This offers a quick glimpse of what it might look like. Some activities may overlap; for instance, during independent homeschool work, I might tackle another task or clean while dinner is cooking. Each day can differ—sometimes it's mostly family time, and other times business demands more attention. The goal is to develop a habit that helps you track where your time goes. I often used to say, "If only I had time for this," or "I never have time for that." This exercise taught me that if we truly want to accomplish something, we will make time for it. It's our responsibility to find a way to complete the tasks we need to do. Structure is the key to growth. Now, after years of weekly planning, I simply jot down a daily list, and since I've cultivated the habit of time awareness, my days generally flow smoothly, without idling or procrastination as before. Some might argue this is too much effort, but that's just an excuse. To achieve great things in life, you must work hard and develop the discipline to get things done.
As you start focusing on self-improvement and making changes, you'll discover your true self. I often say that during my awakening, I truly met myself for the first time. I began to recognize the strength and resilience within me. I started to understand what life is like when you genuinely dedicate your heart to God and let the Spirit of God guide you. You start witnessing miracles in your life. I used to be a woman lacking self-love and confidence because I prioritized others' opinions over my own. God didn't intend for us to live this way; it's a result of fear. So, when I finally took steps to awaken my mind and spirit, I understood what love truly is. Love is God, and we should view ourselves through that love. That's when you start recognizing your self-worth and gain the confidence to become who you are meant to be. So, take the necessary steps to become your best self, work towards your life goals, and you will achieve them. The tools I've shared will help you take charge of your time, and if you give it a try, you'll realize how much you can accomplish when you give yourself your best effort.
I hope this piece encourages you, and if you have any questions or just want to share something with us, then please leave a comment below, and make sure you subscribe today so you can join our community.
Shop With Me
I adore planners because they assist me in keeping track of my tasks and organizing events for my family and myself. Take a look at one of the planners I use from Amazon. The link is below.
Additionally, a great pen complements a great planner! Having a pen that writes smoothly is crucial for me when I'm writing. For my planning, I prefer using these erasable pens from Amazon. They write beautifully and boldly, and the eraser is effective. You should definitely take a look! I'll include the link below.
First, like all the other people, "How do you do it all?" That is crazy.
I love the bit where you said that when you do so much, you will fall short of doing something else.
Sometimes it might lead to also becoming a master of none with too much on our plate.
Loved the breakdown of the hours, always feels like you don't have enough time, until you actually take note and you notice there are a lot of hours spare.
Also, learning to be gracious to yourself. We are all quite hard on ourselves whilst God isn't. We put a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves.
Thank you for this, sis. Loved it all. So helpful. Continue being…
Very important topic; this was also a game changer for me as well, it held me accountable, but most importantly it allowed me to see where my time was spent...thank you for sharing, your insights are inspiring.