Achieve a full life. Live a full life. Isn’t this what we are constantly told to do? Everywhere you look you see signs calling you to do something. In the course of a day you can find yourself inundated with things you should spend time doing; Sale flyers (you MUST go shopping), Movie trailers, curriculum (you simply must buy), Activity flyers (your child will shine above the rest if you only sign your kid up), Gadget ads (you will save oodles of time if you only purchase this one gadget), Infomercials, haircuts, field trips, vacations, manicures, pedicures, makeovers, spa treatments, community organizations, co-op activities, volunteer opportunities, church groups, school committees, massages. I could go one for a couple of pages about all the “signs” I see each day to commit my time to things. Then there are the people who devote their time to getting you to spend your time with their activity or product. The pressure to have a life full of activities and stuff is more than overwhelming.

You sign up and commit to all these things and before you know it you are up in the middle of the night unable to breathe just thinking about all you have to do for the next day. And yet, we wear our over scheduled calendars like a badge of courage. I know; I have been there. I am there. I will be there again. Just a few months ago, when it was still summer, the time of the year when you should be able to take it easy, my life was running on empty. My calendar was so jam packed that I was struggling with when to fit school in. My head was over flowing with things I had to remember. The result was a cranky wife & mom. This affected my husband and children. They became cranky too! Not just from my attitude, but from the constant movement and thoughts of the next commitment. There wasn’t a moment of down time; literally. Most days I would get about 3-4 hours of sleep before beginning to tackle all that encompassed the next day. Here is what a typical week looked like for my family.

Monday: Skating practice (4hrs), unpack RV (1.5 hrs), cleaning (1hr), school (1h.5 hrs), preparing dinner for company (1 hr), company (3hrs), Bible study (1 hr), walk (1.5 hrs), work (4 hrs), study (2 hrs)

Tuesday: School (3hrs), household activities (2hrs), appointment (1.5 hrs), work (4hrs), study (2hrs), homework for co-op (2hrs), work (2hrs), teen time (3hrs)

Wednesday: Appointment (1hr), co-op (3hrs), library (2.5hrs), skating practice (3hrs), school (2hrs), Bible study (2hrs), housework (1hr), work (4hrs)

Thursday: Appointment (1hr), School (3hrs), work (2hrs), skating practice (3hrs), study (2hrs), prepare food for weekend travel (2.5 hrs)

Friday: Pack for the weekend (3hrs), school (1hr), setup RV for weekend (1hr), skating practice (1.5hrs), work (9hrs), prepare for following day (2hrs)

Saturday: Skating practice (2hrs), study (2hrs), school (2hrs), work (12hrs), preparing for the next day (1hr)

Sunday: study (2hrs), school (1hr), skate (2hrs), work (12hrs), pack the RV to head home (45min)

What is not in this schedule is time for prayer, family, driving to and from activities, personal hygiene time, volunteer work, friends, sleeping, meal time, board meetings, random appointments, and all the other unexpected daily events that happen. Yep, this is how I was running my life for the last few months; scary, coming from a woman who is all about simplicity. What God has shown me over the years is how to have a checkpoint system in place and scale back when needed. I got to the point where I couldn’t breathe (this is my warning that I need a checkpoint) and said ENOUGH! Are you there? Have you had enough of all the whirling of the “full life,”? Then call out to God and tell Him so!

I wrote an article about the system I use in my first phase of scaling back with my calendar. It is painless, I assure you, but it really is an awesome way to see what encompasses your life. One warning, when you do this activity you will be able to clearly see what has the most emphasis in your life. So as not to take up extra space you can find the article here; on Heart of the Matter, but I want to tell you what has transpired since my checkpoint.

I actually said the words, “no more.” I talked with my husband. He agreed I have way too much on my plate. We re-prioritized our family. With much prayer and waiting for answers and using Visual Simplicity, I began scaling back. Little by little, day by day I am ridding our calendar of activities that are not a fit with the priorities God has set before us.

I am by no means back to my simple life in entirety, but I am well on my way. I am able to return a focus to my health issues. I have been spending more non-school time with my children. I am making more efficient use of my time. A strict priority has been placed on us controlling our lives, instead of our lives controlling us. Isn’t that what truly happens? All of the things we commit our time to begin to take control. They become rooted so deeply in our lives that our family is moved further and further down the priority list. When you begin to notice this, it is time for a checkpoint.

Following God’s will for life is always rewarding. Over the last couple of weeks I have been able to help orchestrate an event for a team, reach out to a friend in a high stress situation, teach at our co-op, watch a few movies with my kids (this is a big one), and hear God clearly. I have said NO when something arises and it does not fit into our plan for scaling back. I actually took a few days off from work. When asked if I could please come in, I said no. When asked about working on a day when there is an event for my children, I said, “I am sorry, but my family comes first.” My husband has been very supportive and helpful in transitioning me back to a simpler life. You can achieve this and so much more!

Simple life = Happy & Healthy Mom = Happy & Healthy Family = Honoring God

Oddly if you turn this around, it works as well! When we take the time to honor God and His will for our lives He sends us the correct guidance and abilities to achieve His will. This spills over onto our family. We are happy and healthy. THe ultimate result is a simpler life.

If you are overscheduled, overwhelmed, and stretched as thin as possible take a few moments to read Visual Simplicity. Start whiting out your blocks and prayerfully find the ultimate balance for your life. You can then put together a plan to accomplish it! Keep checking back here as I chronicle my steps to living a simple and full life, on God’s terms.