Well friend- you made it.
You made it to the last episode in our 4-part series on setting up your year to create a WITH-God Life. I’m so proud of you for doing the work- you’ve listened to the podcasts, you’ve done the homework. Now we’re gonna make sure you’re seeing life changing outcomes.
In fact, whether you’ve been hanging out for just a few episodes or for a while now, doubtless if you’ve implemented what we talk about, you have already seen and felt a shift. I’d love to hear and so would others who come check out the show to see if it’s worth a listen- in fact when you share what value the REDEEM Her Time ™ Podcast adds to your life, more busy Christian women can find it too. So let’s not keep a good thing to ourselves. Would you do me a favor and leave a quick review?
If you’re on apple podcasts, just click Leave a review, give it 5 stars (I trust that’s what you’d pick) and then write a few sentences about why you keep coming back. And I’ve extended the 100th Episode celebration, so when you leave a review, your name goes in the drawing for $100 OFF the REDEEM Her Time System coming soon….that’s something to celebrate for sure! I so appreciate you and will be waiting here when you get back.
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
We’ve all heard that famous saying, but do we really live it? Over the past few weeks we’ve created a WITH-God Vision in the 8 areas of attention on Episode 94, set our WITH-God Goals that are STICK-y to create our intentions on Episode 96, identified our WITH-God Priorities to focus on less in Episode 98…all those visions, goals and priorities are great, but without a plan, they’re just a wish. That’s why you need this final step- building your WITH-God Plans.
Now for those of you who would say, “I’m not really a planner.” I’m here to tell you, you actually are. Cuz whether you have an intentional plan or not, that’s your plan. This is why so many people don’t make it past the first month of the year (or the first 31 days)…cuz they stopped short. Perhaps they created a vision, maybe they set some goals, possibly they identified priorities…but if that’s where it stops, it’s probably not gonna happen. That’s what I call being on the one day or the someday plan. I don’t know about you, but if I’m gonna be a planner either way, I’d rather be on the side of a plan that will move me towards where I want to be. Which brings us to an important question we need to answer before we go any farther…
Why do we even bother to set goals and create plans?
First, let me answer with a story I bet you’re familiar with.
“Would you tell me please which way I should go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.
“I don’t much care,” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
Apparently Alice in Wonderland had not taken the time to create her vision, goals and priorities…no wonder she had no plan. No wonder even the cat could not help her.
We’re reading The One Thing by Gary Keller in our Redeem Her Time Community and he says this, “Live with purpose (vision) and you know where you want to go. Live by priority and you know what to do to get there.”
How often have you felt like Alice- at a crossroads in your day, week, month or year and not quite sure where to go? You are not alone. I’ve been connecting with a lot of busy Christian women lately and asking about their challenges around time and they all say the same thing-
I want to know what I should be doing in the moment.
Do you want that too? To know that right now, in this moment, you are right where you are meant to be, doing exactly what you are meant to do? Me too. That’s why we need plans. As Gary Keller says, “We set goals and create plans to be appropriate in the moments of our lives that matter.”
We know where we should be and what we should be doing.
Don’t get me wrong, if you do it the WITH-God way, that’s not a shaming thing, it’s a confirming thing. God has shown you the big vision of where He wants you to go in each area of your life, you have set goals about who you want to be in those areas and put the important ones at the top and now your plan helps you take steps towards that. Always following the rule, progression over perfection.
Have you ever had a moment when it felt like the world around you was just as it should be and you were so filled up with His Spirit that you wanted to freeze that moment in time because it felt so in alignment? That’s literally how I feel every time I get behind the microphone to talk with you. I know that I know that I know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be doing to be a steward of the gifts God has given me and His Spirit within me. That’s why I keep showing up. And that’s how you’ll keep showing up for what matters in this season and in light of eternity.
So we’ve talked about the process of REFLECTION + ATTENTION + INTENTION…but before we get into the last part, IMPLEMENTATION, I want to address something really important about making plans- holding them loosely.
Hold them too tight, and you risk missing out on what else God might have for you. Hold them too loosely, and you risk what He intended for you falling through your fingers.
There’s a balance.
And this is where our goal setting should look different as committed Christians than the rest of the world- because the source is not ourselves and our great ideas, but Him and His purpose and plan for us.
James 4:13-15 warns us about a wrong perspective on our plans-
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
That’s right- we need to remember that this life is temporary and short and we are not our own- we are here for His purposes. We are Redeemed. And when we understand who we are and whose we are, that guides how we live.
This is why we Redeem our Time.
I love the wisdom in Proverbs about plans:
Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
Prov 16:3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
Prov 16:9 The heart of a man plans his ways, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Notice God does not say NOT to make plans- that would be like the servant who hid the talents he was given by his master in the ground. Instead, we are to commit our plans to Him in acknowledgement that He is the one who establishes them.
So how do we Build WITH-God Plans? I’m so glad you asked..
Now that you have a WITH-God Vision, WITH-God Goals, and WITH-God Priorities…there’s 1 simple way to build WITH-God Plans and follow through with intention. Are you ready for it???
Write down your plans.
Yep, that’s it. Thanks for joining me today on the podcast…
Just kidding- I won’t leave you hanging.
But it really is that simple.
Did you know that studies show just by writing down your vision, goals, priorities and plans you increase your chances of actually doing it by 42%? Those are odds I ever want in my favor. You too? This is a great reminder that if you didn’t take the time to write out your WITH-God Vision, Goals and Priorities based on the homework in this series, to go back and do that because it will make all the difference in your implementation and outcomes.
So let’s assume you’ve written those down and now you’re sitting in front of your cute notebook with a pencil in hand (I’ve been leaning towards pencils more lately, maybe because things can change and I might need to make adjustments) and you’re drawing a blank, cuz how in the world do you take these really big ideas in your vision, goals and priorities and actually make a plan to make them happen? No worries I got you.
It’s about backwards planning.
Say you have a vision in the area of family to build physical, emotional and spiritual intimacy in your marriage (yep- full transparency, that is one of my intentions this year, so you have my permission to ask me how that’s going and how it’s growing). You know that vision is from God because you believe He has ordained marriage and your relationship to be a reflection of Him and that when you have a strong marriage, it affects a whole lot of other things in your life.
So next, you set some goals- some STICK-y goals- things you can do to move towards that. My list includes praying for my hubby and our marriage daily, unplugging after 8 each night just to spend time with him, going outside to work on projects on the Figgy Farm together monthly, reading a book that will grow our relationship, going on a date night once a week and a getaway once a month, serving on a missions team together at church…
Then you decide which is the most important priority- for me I know it’s praying for him and us each day, so I’ve set a daily reminder with some hearts on my phone to do that. And not only do I want to talk to God about him, I want to start telling him directly what I prayed for so that he knows and can watch God do that in him and in us.
If that’s all I did, I know I will see big changes in our relationship, but since this is an area of attention, I am going to give it more focus by building a plan to keep working in that area.
Plans can either be for establishing ongoing habits or for executing a one-time project.
Either way, I challenge you to not make annual plans (aka in the next year). Why? Because that finish line is way too far away, so you’re more prone to be napping under the tree like the hare. Instead, build 12 week plans (or a 90-day focus, which is essentially a quarter, but does not have to start on a specific date) What’s the difference?
That finish line is close enough that it keeps you moving towards it.
The next step is to anticipate where you want to go in that area in the next 12 weeks. (As an aside, if you want to sit down and identify your focus in that area for each 12 week segment of the whole year now, that’s great. If you’re not sure about planning that far out, just focus on the quarter in front of you.) For me, we are heading on a mission trip in the next 90 days where we each have individual roles as well as together roles, so my plan is around that focus.
As part of the Redeem Her Time Plan that I mentioned is coming soon, I’ll have a printable resource to help you do this, so for today, just grab a sheet of paper and write your 12 week focus at the top. My paper says, Central Asia Missions Trip. Now Number from 1-3 leaving space between to divide the paper approximately into thirds.
Don’t make the mistake I used to make about writing down the first thing that comes to mind and focusing there…let’s start with a braindump on the back, on the side or on another sheet of paper. What are all the things that need to happen in regards to that focus? Let’s see, mine include- getting our itinerary, gathering our paperwork, scheduling our workshops, planning our materials, praying for our trip, telling clothes what we’re going and why (most people look at me cross eyed when I say Central Asia and wish they had paid better attention in geography class), finding a house and dog sitter…push pause and make your list, knowing you will think of more things later.
Got your list? Good. First pray over it. Then it’s time to build your plan.
Ok, so now you simply ask, where do I want to be at the end of the 12 weeks? For me it’s home from our trip, for you it may be completing that project or getting to a specific milestone. Write that next to number 3 (as in Month 3). Now ask yourself, where do I want to be ⅔ of the way in? Write that next to number 2. Finally ask yourself, where do I want to be about ⅓ of the way along? Write that next to number 1. See how we planned backwards? Sometimes those three milestones are evenly spaced out, but sometimes you’ll find you pick up momentum as you go, so you can do more in month 2 and 3 than you may in month 1.
Either way, it’s a target to shoot for.
Now under each of those monthly outcomes, I want you to number from 1-4. So under number 1 you’ll number 1-4, under number 2 you’ll number 1-4 and so on under number 3. Got it? Good- you catch on quick! Now it’s time to work backwards again. This time you can start with outcome 1 (aka month 1). Where do you want to be in week 4? Write that next to sub-number 4. Then Where do you want to be in week 3? Write that next to sub- number 3…and so on for 2 and 1. Essentially now you have broken down your Month 1 Outcome into 4 weekly outcomes. Do the same for Month 2 and Month 3.
I love it when a plan comes together!
Now you have a 12 week WITH-God plan- how does that feel? You should feel good cuz you’ve officially increased your chances of executing it by at least 42%. I recommend taking some time to pray over it and ask if it’s in alignment with what God is calling you to do or be in that area.
Once you know where you’re going, the only thing left to do is to go from knowing to doing.
So how do you do that- previewing + planning. At the beginning of each month (which starts today regardless of the date on the calendar) preview your month and make sure you block off time for this 12 Week Plan- when will you give it time and attention? Write it in your calendar. Then at the beginning of each week (which does not need to wait till next Sunday), preview your week and make sure you’re protecting your 12 Week Plan time blocks. Then each evening, preview the next day and ask, what is the 1 thing I will do tomorrow that by doing will make the biggest difference in moving towards my 12 Week Plan Focus? Write it down. (If you want, you can do up to 3 things, but not more). Then when the time comes that you’ve blocked off and already decided your steps, do it. Ideally, that focus block will happen before anything else distracts you or at least in a protected timeblock. And be sure to keep track of your progress on your 12 Week Planner, knowing you may find you are ahead or need to adjust your plans because things took longer than you anticipated.
Pro Tip: Check your 12 Week Planner often to keep it top-of-mind.
Guaranteed, if you create a 12 Week Plan and do it, you will get more done in 12 weeks than most people get done in 12 months…or at least more than you’ve ever done in 12 weeks before. But remember, this is not about checking off boxes (although I do find that satisfying too), it’s about measuring progress towards who God is calling you to be. You are welcome to stay with good intentions and see how far they get you towards life-change, but I’m here to tell you from experience personally and from talking with lots of busy Christian women, that plan will not get you far.
I don’t know about you, but I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
So there you have it- how to build your WITH-God Plans- write out a 12 Week Plan so you can follow through with your intention. That’s what we call implementation.
And you may be doing the math and thinking, “Lissa, 12 weeks x 4 only equals 48 weeks…what about the other 4 weeks in the year?”
I’m so glad you asked. After each 12 week focus, you take the 13th week to reflect, reset and refocus on what you’re doing in the next 12 weeks. Doesn’t that sound refreshing? It is.
May I also throw out a bonus tip I’ve learned from experience? Don’t do this alone. I know you’ve probably had a big vision or set goals in the past and maybe even had a plan to make it happen, but something happens around you and inside you and before you know it, another year goes by and you’re not where you wanted to be in that area- or where God was calling you to be.
That’s why we have the REDEEM Her Time ™ Community- a place off social, where committed Christian women can connect to find resources, coaching and connections that will help you to implement what He has for you….and experience way better outcomes than just being an island on your own. Come on and check it out and see for yourself. The door is open for you my friend. Just go to redeemhertime.com/community and we’ll welcome you with open arms.
Before we go, may I pray for you?
Dear Father- You have called this woman to be yours. You have given her time, gifts and resources in her life to use for Your purposes. Give her big vision. Show her the way. Press upon her what’s most important. Establish her steps. May she partner with You to Redeem her time to make a difference in this season and in light of eternity. And may she embrace community to help her along the way. To You be the glory.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Thanks for joining me for this episode and until next time, remember…
You DO have ALL the time you need to do ALL He has called you to.
Focus on who + what matters most to Redeem your Time in this season and in light of eternity…cuz you are here for Such a Time as This.
Binge the WITH-God Series
Ep 94 Create Your WITH-God Vision https://redeemhertime.com/94
Ep 96 Create Your WITH-God Goals https://redeemhertime.com/96
Ep 98 Create Your WITH-God Priorities https://redeemhertime.com/98
Visit the REDEEM Her Time Website at https://redeemhertime.com to
> Grab your free guide to REDEEM Your Time in 5 Min
> Schedule a free 15 Min Strategy Session
> Join the REDEEM Her Time Community (and get your first 3 days free!)
>>> or DO ALL-THE-ABOVE!
P.S. And don’t forget to leave a review to get your name in the drawing for $100 OFF!!!
