I mentioned in my last post that I would follow up with some specific tips about how I managed an incredibly busy season of going to school, serving on the women’s ministry team in my local church, managing the Women’s Ministry Toolbox ministry, writing and launching Women’s Ministry Essentials (affiliate link), and serving my family.

Not to mention some big celebrations in the last two years, including our son’s wedding, a bridal shower, a baby shower, and a big family trip for 12 people to Hawaii.

I didn’t do it perfectly.

I tried to do my best, but there were definitely times of operating in survival mode.

Sometimes good had to be good enough.

Many of the tips I’ll share today are applicable to busy ministry seasons, whether you’re working full-time and serving in your church, you’re caring for a loved one, or life is just life-ing.

I hope at least one tip, if not several, helps you navigate life and ministry with greater joy and grace. 

Surviving and Thriving in a Busy Ministry Season

This post includes affiliate links.

I’m going to organize my tips into four specific categories:

1. Schoolwork
2. Reading
3. Household
4. Stewarding My Time and My Health

Schoolwork Tips:

1. I learned to look at my class syllabi as soon as possible. I needed to know how many books I’d have to read, papers I’d have to write, and what other requirements there were for each class.
2. I learned to record my assignments for each week at the bottom of my planner so I could check off the videos watched, book pages read, quizzes, forum responses, and so on. I made notes on the weeks I’d need to start working on papers, so they didn’t sneak up on me. Here’s a link to my favorite weekly planner with 30-minute time slots. I really did schedule almost every minute of every day.
3. I plugged in important family events, appointments, women’s ministry meetings, and anything else necessary in my planner first.
4. Then I plugged my classwork around those non-negotiables. Before I started school, I had learned to chunk my time. Rather than multi-tasking, I’d focus on one thing at a time and then move onto the next thing. I had also figured out years ago that I am more productive in the morning. I scheduled my most important work in the mornings, when possible.
5. I learned to utilize the resources we were provided by my school such as Logos (click here for a 30-day free trial and save $10 off if you choose to purchase, for new customers), the writing center, and the online library.
   
   Admittedly, there was a learning curve for each one that took additional time, but it was worth it. I was so glad I turned my very first paper into the writing center. I was so sure I’d figured out the Turabian format, but I hadn’t. The writing center sent me a formatted Word document I used for every paper I wrote from now on. I’m so glad I didn’t turn that paper in without submitting it to the writing center first.

Reading Tips:

It was not unusual for me to average 200 pages of reading per week for each class. Sometimes it was more, and sometimes it was less.

1. I learned to quickly identify the purpose of the reading I needed to complete. Did I need to take notes to use in a future paper? Did I need to highlight important points for an open book quiz that week or for a midterm later? Or was this a book I needed to read, but I wasn’t going to be tested on the material?
2. Based on the use of the book’s material, I determined the best way to read each book. Some books I read on my Kindle Scribe so I could print out my highlighted notes. Some books I listened to on audio while I walked or ran errands. Some books I wanted a paper copy to flip through for tests or writing papers.
3. I prefer paperback books and rarely used eBook versions. I went through a lot of highlighters and sticky tabs to make it easier to find important facts and quotes later.
4. I also had to check to see if there was assigned reading each week or if I needed to figure out a reading plan for myself.
5. I found it difficult to stay focused and read 200 pages at once. I usually divided the page numbers by 4 or 5 days to read it in smaller chunks and sometimes in the cracks of my schedule.
6. I had to try taking notes a few different ways until I figured out what worked best for me. If the professor had slides, I learned to print them off and handwrite notes as I watched the lectures. However, by the end of my time, I discovered I prefer typing my notes while watching the lectures. I would use a split screen so I could watch the closed captioning on the video while taking notes.
7. I almost always watched the lectures at a faster speed. I’ve always listened to podcasts sped up and need that faster pace to keep my attention.
8. I got a three-ring binder for each class. I printed off my syllabus and any class notes and Power Point slides. Some classes had open-book tests, so having those notes tabbed and organized was a tremendous help come test time. If I was going to be tested on definitions, I learned to create a master-list I could reference quickly during my test.
   
   In case you’re curious, most tests had a three-hour time limit. For some of my classes, I needed every bit of that time.

Household Tips:

I’m not a great housekeeper. I usually enjoy having people over because it gives me an excuse to really clean the house.

Housework was probably the one thing that was most neglected during the last three years. I have so many household projects I need to tackle now that there’s more time. While I love for at least one of our guest bedrooms to be ready for guests, neither is at the moment. They’ll get there.

A consider it a win that we were fed and we had clean clothes to wear. 😊

1. I have done meal planning of some sort for most of my adult life. I shop our freezer, fridge, and pantry before making a grocery list. I try to go to the grocery store once a week, if that. Mapping out my meals a week at a time helps. While some people find online grocery shopping a huge time-saver, I actually really enjoy going grocery shopping. Since I work at home, grocery shopping provides an opportunity for me to get out of the house and interact with people outside of my church community.
2. While I love to try new recipes, we tend to eat a lot of the same meals on rotation. That makes shopping easier.
3. I buy a lot of items in bulk. Some I order, some I pick up locally. It’s probably a good thing our closest Costco is 30 minutes away.
4. I also cook more than we’ll eat in one meal. Thankfully, my husband is good to eat leftovers for lunch the next day. I love to make muffins and put them in the freezer for easy snacks or to pair with a smoothie for breakfast. I grill extra chicken breasts and freeze some to thaw for quick salads or sandwiches later. Extra soup gets frozen in Souper Cubes for an easy lunches or dinner.
5. I always have key ingredients for a few simple meals on hand. Our pantry is never bare. Those days when I failed to plan in advance, I could pull together breakfast for dinner, spaghetti, grilled chicken, or soup and grilled cheese.
6. I order several items on subscriptions including vitamins, supplements, frozen meat, and protein powder. That freed up my brain space from having to remember to reorder them and we didn’t risk running out. I’ll share some links in the show notes if you’re interested in some of my favorite companies and what I typically order from them.

Here is a list of my favorite subscriptions:

Some of the links below are referral links below. Your purchases help to cover the monthly expenses of the Women’s Ministry Toolbox.

• Rowe Casa Organics (personal care, hair care, body care, and more!)
• Good Ranchers (You receive $100 off your first 3 orders — $40 off your first box, plus $30 off your 2nd and 3rd deliveries; we love their chicken breasts, ground beef, and steak)
• Thrive Market (Save $40 off your first order; a great source for healthier gluten-free groceries, natural household cleaners, and more)
• We Heart Nutrition (love their vitamins and supplements)
• Just Ingredients (Save $10 off your first purchase; brain support, protein powder, electrolytes, and more)

Stewarding My Time and My Health:

1. I stepped in and out of my small group leadership role when my semesters were extra heavy. I hit a point, especially when I was also writing the book, that I knew I was stretching myself too thin.
2. I was prayerful and careful about taking on extra responsibilities – both on our women’s ministry team and ministry opportunities such as interviews and speaking engagements. It wasn’t easy to say no, but I quickly learned to be careful with my “yeses”. I’m way past the point of all-nighters. My brain and body have real limits.
3. Speaking of my brain and body, I tried to keep them well-fueled. I focused on fixing healthy meals and having healthy snacks on hand. There were definitely some days when I rewarded myself with chocolate for a completed task. (*wink)
4. I scheduled my time in God’s Word before I tackled my schoolwork or other work each day. It had to be a priority, even if it wasn’t lengthy. As I mentioned in my post about going to seminary, if I was reading the Bible for class or to prepare for a speaking or teaching engagement, that was my quiet time. I had a plan for where I’d be in God’s Word each day.
5. I prioritized walking, often with my husband. I found getting outside, even just for a 30-minute walk, helped tremendously.
6. I was very conscious of the time I spent on social media. If it weren’t for the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Facebook group and social media channels, I probably would have gotten off them completely.
7. I did my best to do my schoolwork during my husband’s work hours Monday through Friday so we could enjoy most of the weekend together and so I could honor the Sabbath. While we usually had until midnight on Sunday night to turn in our work, I did not want to be up at 11 PM Sunday night trying to get it done.
8. Communication was key. If I had an important deadline I was coming up against, I made sure my husband knew what that was going to require. I learned to ask for help when I needed it.

I am still in awe of the things I accomplished by God’s grace these last three years. There were weeks that made no sense on paper, but God got me through it.

I learned new things, I did hard things, and my prayer is that God would get the glory. I am nothing without Him.

My challenge to you today is this: What is one tip from this post you could implement that would allow you to serve God more faithfully in busy ministry seasons?

You may also want to check out:
My Favorite Planner
Logos (30 day free trail, plus $10 off your purchase for new customers)
How Seminary Shaped Cyndee’s Vision for Deeper Women’s Ministry