Hey friends, it’s good to be back again this week. My apologies for not posting last week, settling back into uni meant not getting out to everything.
I’m sure many of you can relate to the chaos and overwhelm that the start of the university year brings. Not only with keeping up the academics but also stepping back into a much more independent season of life. The to-do list of admin tasks, home maintenance, events to attend and friends to catch up with has honestly kept me a lot more busy than my lectures have.
With that being said, today is going to be a slightly different newsletter - something that might be a little more practical for you. I thought it would be fun to share the top 3 systems and priorities I am setting up for myself to combat some of the disorder I have found myself in recently and become more intentional with how I spend my time.
1. Making Full Use of the Reminders App
This must be one of my most used and most helpful app on my phone when it comes to sorting out all the ‘adult’ things I need to do. I use my reminders app for a variety of different areas of life simply by creating new reminder lists. Some of my top lists include:
Uni tasks (homework, readings, projects, quizzes, ect.)
Home tasks (cooking, cleaning, things that need to be sorted out, snags I need to fix - anything that relates to the function and comfort of my apartment)
Groceries (anything we run out of or need to buy with our next shop gets added to this list)
Week tasks (general errands and tasks that I want to get to during the week)
2. Being Intentional with My Mornings and Evenings
The way we start and end our day has such a significant impact on how we live the rest of our day and, subsequently, our lives. It is a crucial time for us to set ourselves up for success. With that being said, I have definitely not figured out all the ins and outs of how to make the best use of my mornings and evenings. One of the best morning habits I have formed is consistently starting off my mornings with God. Making sure I spend time in scripture, journaling and prayer is definitely a big help to start me on the right foot. From there I try make sure to get a good breakfast in, respond to all my messages before the day carries me away and revise my schedule for the day.
I still haven’t set up much of a routine for the evenings but I want to try add a couple of small habits that include:
Giving my room a quick tidy - just packing everything back in its place
Plan what I want to do the next day
Clean the dishes from the day
Prep breakfast and lunch for the next day
Spend some time being recreational and with God
3. Prioritising God and His Community
Life gets very busy very quickly. It is hard to juggle so many responsibilities and stay on top of everything we want to do. But I think the one thing that needs to remain a non-negotiable is spending time with God. Having a quiet time to start your day off with equip you better than you can imagine. God has so generously made a way for us to have direct communication with Him through the blood of Jesus. We don’t need to go anywhere or do much more than become aware of His presence and dwell with Him. It’s almost easier to reach for God than it is to reach for our phones. (The only thing that would make grabbing our phones easier is that we have build the habit of doing so rather than a reflex to turn to God.)
There isn’t one right way to go about spending time with God or an minimum amount of time that you need to meet. Even if you spend 5 minutes reading a Psalm I am confident the Lord will use that to set your mind in the right space for you to start your day with.
In the same breath, seeking His community in the form of church is irreplaceable. The effort of going to a Sunday service is completely worthwhile and I think it can often be underestimated. Being with God’s people is so special and church is a place for us to be strengthened and taught about how to go about living our lives for the Lord. It is definitely something that I priority over any uni assignment or alternative plans and it was undoubtably the thing that kept my head screwed on straight throughout last year.
(Note: if you are looking for a church to try out in Stellenbosch area, feel free to send me a message x)
Prompts
What is an area or task that has been the most overwhelming recently?
What is one habit or system you can add to your daily routine this week that will reduce the amount of chaos in your life?
What is a realistic time of day and duration you can dedicate to spending with God on a daily basis?
So these are a few of the habits and structures I am adding to my daily schedule to manage the chaos and live with greater intentionality. If you enjoyed this type of newsletter, please leave it a like and comment any tips you find helpful.
Thank you for being gracious towards me as I figure out The Growing Seed and get back into the habit of writing. Remember to also be gracious towards yourself as you navigate a new season of life.
If you would like to receive these newsletters every Thursday morning via Whatsapp and receive more personal insight on The Growing Seed, here is the link to our chat.
Goodluck with the rest of the week and we’ll chat again soon.
Love, Cailyn xx
