Have you ever looked at everything you need to do…
and instead of starting, you turned on a show, grabbed a book, or started scrolling?
You’re not alone. Not even close.
At the start of 2025, I was juggling four jobs, trying to be a good husband and father, and keep up with normal life at home. I was tired all the time.
Even when I had time with my wife and daughter, it was all I could do to keep my mind from running off to all the things needed done.
Something had to change.
Then a thought hit me:
Time is not my master. I’m the one responsible for taking control of my time.
That mindset shift changed everything.
How I Hit Rock Bottom
It was July, in the middle of the busiest season in our family–peach season.
My in-laws have sold peaches at their barn stands for many years. My father-in-law has grown Eat Fresh Peaches into a local summer favorite.
With my web-design and marketing interests, I was quickly hired to take over all the marketing.
With this added responsibility, my already maxed-out brain could no longer keep up. I started dropping balls and letting people down.
I’ve seen enough in my time to recognize it: God was getting my attention.
It was time to step back and take a hard look at my life.
The First Step Out
I started asking myself some honest questions:
What is the big picture goal I’m working toward?
What is my big “why”?
Because these questions are deeply tied to my relationship with God, I prayed. I wrote the answers down in my journal.
Having them there in front of me on paper brought my life into a clarity I hadn’t felt for a long time.
How Knowing My “Why” Changed Everything
Once my big picture goal was clear, I asked one more question:
Does how I spend my day support what I say matters most?
The answer was uncomfortable.
Many of my habits were working against my goal. I wasn’t managing time—I was reacting to it.
So I decided to change a few simple things.
Implementing The Needed Changes
1. Brain Dumping
Any time a task popped into my head, I wrote it down. This cleared the mental clutter and killed the fear of forgetting something important.
2. Weekly Calendaring
Every Sunday, Tabitha and I sat down together. We marked our non-negotiables and planned the week around our priorities. I created a shared calendar so that we were both on the same page.
3. Scheduling Transition and Margin Time
One thing that always frustrated me about trying to stay on schedule was this: the moment something unexpected came up, my plan fell apart and the whole day felt ruined.
Through coaching, I learned a simple idea that changed how I see my time—margin and transition time.
Instead of stacking tasks back-to-back and pretending my life goes perfectly, I started planning for interruptions. I built space into my day on purpose.
I also got more realistic about projects. I scheduled time to prepare and time to clean up. If I had a meeting, I planned extra time so I wasn’t rushing out the door.
How This Changed Me
As I’ve continued to refine how I plan my weeks, something inside me has changed.
I’m no longer worried about forgetting things—they’re already on the schedule.
Big, overwhelming tasks are broken into smaller, doable pieces, and I’ve even finished things that sat on my list for a year.
Best of all, I can be fully present with the people in front of me. The peace of knowing everything has its place is hard to describe—and deeply freeing.
Pass This Along
If this helped you, send it to a friend.
We don’t get unlimited time here.
But we do get the chance to spend it with intention and meaning.
And that’s worth protecting.
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