From Overwhelmed to Overjoyed: A To-Do List Makeover For Busy Moms

Life as a mother is a race of sorts, testing our physical endurance and mental fortitude, yet so often, I feel ill-equipped for what is in store. So, what if we could move from overwhelmed to overjoyed simply by addressing our to-do list as busy moms? Consider these five strategies to add more joy to your daily tasks.

1. See the Sacred in Your Everyday

Sacred moments are dedicated to acknowledging God at work in our lives. This can look like a family devotion or attending to Sabbath rhythms. While there is no substitute for these intentional sacred acts during a week, I would argue some of the most holy acts aren’t on our to-do list at all.

Making a meal so that hearts and bellies remain nourished, picking up the house so an item can be located when it matters, and running a child to practice such a discipline rarely make our top list of accomplishments. However, I would argue these in-between moments point to, not detract from, pointing our children to Christ.

Finding the last band-aid to comfort a wound allows us to praise God for the smallest of victories. Travel time in the car invites a life-giving conversation in a culture of distraction. Clasping hands in prayer at mealtime reminds us of our dependence on God’s ultimate provision. Gratitude in the seemingly small moments of the day is a powerful way to invite the sacred into your everyday life as a busy mom.

These sacred moments compound in a child’s life with great and holy purpose over 24 hours. So, don’t minimize the sacred in-between minutes of your day as anything other than prime opportunities to draw young hearts and minds to the life-sustaining presence of Christ.

2. Count Service as Worthwhile

Our acts of service are rarely recorded in adequate measures, yet a mother’s life includes consistently pouring out energy, time, and love for the good of another. Motherhood involves pick-ups and drop-offs, grocery runs, and last-minute project deadlines. These sacrificial moments inevitably interrupt our preferred plans, so it’s tempting to grumble.

We continue along our way in self-pity due to a jam-packed schedule, but what if a life of service marks your truest calling? It did for Jesus. He came not to seek fortune and recognition nor to be served but rather to serve and love others (Matthew 20:28). It is convicting when entitled emotions ensue, assuming the role of a mother should be any different than that of the King of Kings.

So, what if we cease begrudging our to-do lists of constant service because they are worthwhile, not wasted? The minutes of sitting and reading a book or changing a diaper for the millionth time is sacrificial love in the truest sense. Following in the footsteps of our Servant King equips us to rejoice in a life poured out, washing hands and feet as we journey onward.

3. Order Your To-Do’s by Values

Admittedly, one of my favorite possessions is a paper calendar, which includes a section designated for tasks by level of priority. Approaching our to-do list in order of importance is not simply a beneficial strategy; it is a proven necessity for living productive lives. But what defines our priorities?

If we aren’t careful, we may allow urgent demands to take precedence over our most closely held values, snuffing out the light God uses to guide us when we put Him first. When I don’t prioritize time with God in prayer or devotion, something else will capture my attention. When I am too rushed to stop and engage a teary child or provide a listening ear to a longing heart, I’m foregoing the very values that I ascribe to as a Christ follower.

Rather than merely scheduling obligations, what would it look like to filter commitments through values first? Then, we can better order our days by considering Kingdom importance rather than worldly urgency, leading to an increase in joy overall.

4. Focus On One Thing at a Time

I can hear it now. The murmuring in your head suggests that efficiency requires multi-tasking. In fact, as a broad generalization, women tend to view multi-tasking as a superpower or even as a badge of honor over idle counterparts. Yet, I’ve noticed in our hurry-up culture, we have lost the art of giving our attention fully to any one thing. I’m guilty as much as anyone.

I listen to my podcast while cooking dinner, helping a child with homework, and cleaning up dishes. Then, I wonder if I’m really helping my child or only trying to get them through one task so we can all move on to the next thing. The bacon burns, and tears fall readily as a sign that maybe I do, in fact, need to simply slow down and address one thing at a time.

If anxiety knocks at your door regularly and overwhelm peeks through the cracks of your day, try focusing on one thing. Reject the lie that efficiency is more effective in loving others well. Embrace tending the garden, making the meals, waiting in traffic, and listening to one child at a time in order to slow down simply. Then watch as joy slowly moves back home in your heart and your breath steadies.

5. Consider Your Time as Minutes Invested

Last but certainly not least, with a husband who is an investor, I admittedly view the world through the lens of investing. Investing is not solely a financial term but a process of depositing an asset for a greater return. The Bible speaks often of our choices in spending.

Galatians 6:8-10 speaks on how to invest as believers. If we sow to our flesh, we will reap in our flesh, which eventually leads to death, but if we invest in the Spirit, we will receive eternal life. In verse 10, Paul says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (ESV).

Investing our time in the training, loving, and serving of our children is depositing our resources into people and a mission that will reap the dividends of future grace. Such a radical mindset shift around our to-do list will radically shift your impact on the world as well.

As mothers, life will always be busy. The demands on our time will not lessen. Therefore, I can’t think of a more compelling opportunity to reject the urgency and embrace the intentional so we can better love those around us and walk forward with sustainable joy.

These strategies not only provide a starting point for your to-do list makeover but also offer hope and encouragement that there is more value in the minutes of your day than you dare to imagine. So, spend them, but spend them wisely and embrace the sacrificial, ongoing demands of your day. Your works will most assuredly produce a harvest of life and love if you do not give up (Galatians 6:9).