How to Make Time With God When Your Schedule Is Already Full

(Note: This is a formatted and slightly edited, AI-generated transcript to make it easier for you to read through. Please excuse any spelling, grammar errors and filler words – it’s just how I speak LOL)

If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll spend more time with God when things slow down, I need you to hear this. Things aren’t going to slow down. But here’s the good news. You probably already have time for Him sitting in your day right now. And in this episode, I’m going to help you find it.

Are you tired of competing priorities, a messy task list, and constantly feeling behind? Hey, I’m Lucy Reyes, and I help overwhelmed solopreneurs embrace faith-led productivity through simple systems for life, home, and business. So if you’re ready to clarify your priorities, honor your energy, and feel accomplished every single day, welcome to the Cheers to Better Systems podcast.

Hey, hey, welcome back. Today, I’m guiding you through three types of time you can give to God with real examples under each one, so that way you can find the best version that fits the season that you’re actually in and spend more time with Him. And no, I’m not gonna tell you to wake up at 5:00 AM. Girl, no. I don’t even do that myself, okay?

Unless you want to, but I think most of us, at least me, like, would rather not.

Before we get into it, though, one quick thing. One of the ways is community, because trying to grow your faith completely on your own is hard. Most of us don’t have a group of solopreneurs who are juggling a business, a family, and a faith life all at once.

And honestly, that can feel pretty isolating, and that’s exactly why I built the Real Life Productivity Lounge. It’s a free community where faith comes up right alongside business, systems, and real life productivity because all of those things are not separate for us. And there’s a paid tier inside too where we’ll do a monthly Bible study and a faith-led momentum challenge together.

But I’ll tell you more about that at the end. But if you haven’t joined a space like this, come join us at cheerstoproductivity.com/community. It’s also linked in the show notes

All right, so now let’s get back to talking about making time for faith.

And let me tell you, this was something that I thought I was good at, but apparently I wasn’t as good as I thought. Now, listen, I have always been big on my faith. I’ve always prayed. I always … You know, I would wake up in the mornings, I would pray. I would pray before bed. Yeah, maybe I fell asleep be- sometimes right be- uh, you know, in the middle of a prayer.

But I was like, “He knows. He knows I was praying. He knows what I was going to say.” And for a long time, I thought that was good enough, and, and I was good. Like, I felt like I was good. And then a few years ago, I started doing some devotionals. I started reading devotionals. I have a whole collection of devotionals.

And then I was feeling a lot better, ’cause I was like, “Man, I wasn’t doing this before, and now I am, so clearly I’m good, right?” Well, not necessarily. We hit a season as a family where things just got really hard, and I was snappy and more than usual. I was more overwhelmed than I’d ever been. And me and my husband, like, we were in that so-called honeymoon phase for, like, over five years.

Like, we were good. And then it started catching up to us, and we instantly both knew something was off. We’re like, “This is not us. This is not normal. Something is off.” And that’s when it really hit us that we weren’t as close to God as we thought we were. Like, we were praying, I was reading my devotional, and I was very confused as to why I felt disconnected from God and the people that I love the most.

And so yeah, I was feeling guilty, I was feeling ashamed, I was feeling confused. I’m like, “What? What? Why? Why am I feeling this way?” And so if that is similar to you because I know that some of you might be feeling the same. Like, “I feel like I’m good, but I also feel like I … God wants me to spend more time with Him, but I just don’t know how, and maybe He’s mad at me,” then I want you to know this is what Psalm 145:8 says.

” The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” God isn’t standing there keeping score of how far behind we got with seeking Him, and talking to Him, and praying to Him, and reading His word. He is not shaming us. He is ready for us whenever we are And the hardest part is actually accepting that, like, okay, maybe I haven’t been spending as much time with God as I thought I should have or as, as I would like to.

And sometimes we just don’t know. Like, we have now been out of it and, and having dedicated time with God every single day, and we’ve been encouraging our friends and family to do the same. We’ve been getting the questions in now, right? Like, how do we pray? How do I know that God’s listening? How … I- I’m kinda nervous because I feel like He might be mad at me.

Like, I haven’t, I haven’t prayed in a while or, you know, like, just all of these things. And so it really was a, a little bit of an eye-opener too to be like, man, like, one, we’re not alone in how we were feeling. Two, it’s a, it’s an honest thought that a lot of us have whenever we feel like we’ve backed up from God and we just don’t know how to come back to Him and we don’t know how to make time for Him, especially when our schedule is already so full.

And the thing that we need to remember is He is gracious. He is compassionate. He understands that our lives are full. He understands these things. He- but He, He does want us to go to Him anyway. But He is gracious. He gives us a lot of mercy. He is slow to ang- to get angry, and He loves us so much, And these moments of realization, so if you’re listening to this, maybe it’s a moment of realization for you too.

These moments can be hard to accept, but it’s what gets us closer to Him. Ultimately, when we started having more arguments, when we started feeling disconnected, not just from each other, but from our friends and family, and just it, it didn’t feel right. We were … We felt like we were doing the things. But all of that and then coming to realize that we’re not making time for God, like truly, genuinely making time for Him in the way that He wants us to- Even though we felt those feelings of guilt and shame, embarrassment, confusion, that is what ultimately helped us find a new rhythm that did help us get closer to Him.

So when and if you get to this point of this realization and you’re feeling guilty, you’re feeling ashamed, you’re feeling embarrassed, don’t stay there. Don’t stay there. What you do after you’ve made this realization is the, is what matters. It’s the important part. So that’s what today is really about.

It’s not about adding something else for you to feel bad about or something else that we’re like, “I, I just don’t know how to, uh, find time for God, and, and I just feel bad because I can’t do it. I literally can’t do it.” But we want to find the version of the time with God that actually fits your life right now, But before I get into these three types, here’s a couple of things that I want you to keep in mind. One, not everything I share here today is going to work for you, and that’s kind of the point. I’m giving you, like, a little buffet, a little pick and choose what’s gonna work for you. What works for me in this season, it might not work for you, and what works for you in this season, it might not work in the next.

So keep that in mind. Also, five minutes fully present with God is better than 30 minutes with Him distracted, It’s not about hitting a specific number or a specific minutes count with God. It’s about your heart posture and about being fully present in the time that you do give Him. And I’m also not going to tell you to give up sleep or rest to spend time with God, because rest is part of how God wants us to spend our time, okay?

He wants us to rest, so running yourself to the ground to, like, prove yourself to God is, like, not being obedient. So we’re not gonna do that either, So let’s go ahead and start with the easiest one, because I really do feel like you have more time than you think. You’re just not doing it or using it because you feel busy, So we’re going to start with time that you find. So these are moments in your day when your hands are already full, but You’re able to, like, consume information, or you’re able to mentally do something else, okay? We’re not going to add a new block to your day. You’re going to add a little something into s- a block that you’re already using for something else, So for example, when you’re washing the dishes or folding laundry or doing some other chore, you can put on an audio Bible. You can put in some headphones and listen to a Bible reading, a Bible study podcast. You can listen to something godly. When you’re in the pickup line for your kids or the drive-through, you can listen to a faith-based podcast episode.

When you’re in the waiting rooms and at appointments, you can do the same thing. There’s also apps where you can just read verses. 10 minutes before you start a call, five minutes before you record content, you can say a quick prayer. I said a prayer before I started recording my episodes.

I said, “God, please help me. Please speak through me. Please help me share the message that you want me to share.” So that is just one minute, one minute of intentional prayer time with God. If you’re going for a walk, for a workout, you can listen to a Christian playlist instead of your normal other music that you might be listening to.

Thankfully, there’s a lot of new genres, a ton of genres. There is, um, a ton of great upbeat music that you can listen to during a walk or a workout. during your lunch break you can pull out a devotional and read it, or there is, like, faith-based coloring books if you need to decompress. So with this one, with this, um, this bucket essentially, we’re finding time that you have and you’re using for something already, but it’s not so mentally exhausting or mentally driven that you could throw in something mental with it,

So that’s one way to make time with God in the schedule that already feels full and the schedule that you already have. The second one, this one is a little bit different. This one asks a little bit more of you, because you’re not going to layer it on top of something.

You’re actually gonna trade it out. You’re gonna swap it. I’m calling this one time you swap. So something that you would normally do is gonna get replaced. And a lot of what you might be doing, or a lot of the things that you might be swapping out, might be stuff that you do on autopilot anyways, or it might be part of a routine or a schedule that you have.

And it could honestly be something that could wait till tomorrow. So trading and swapping out an action for an action that is getting you closer to God, an action that is helping you spend more time with God, is the whole point of this one. So you’re going to essentially be saying that spending time with God is more important than this other thing that I was doing before.

So examples, the doom scroll. So if you are opening Instagram or TikTok, then instead of doing that, maybe you open up a Bible app. Maybe you download … I think there are some social based, or some faith-based social apps out there. So you can open up something else. You can open up to read a devotional on your phone, Bible verses on your phone, instead of your usual playlist, which we already covered.

Um, listen to Christian music. So you’re replacing your old playlist with the new one. Instead of doing a specific chore, like for example, picking up the toys in the living room, you decide to leave them. You’re like, “You know what? It takes me five minutes to pick up these toys. I’m going to leave the toys on the floor, and I’m going to read a devotional for five minutes instead Yeah, that might be hard for some of you.

That might be a little tricky because we’re so used to it. We like things in a certain order. We feel a certain way if certain things don’t get done. But remember, we’re choosing to swap something because we’re saying spending time with God in this way is more important than XYZ. So yeah, spending time with God is more important than getting a chore done.

Um, the show that you might be putting on at night to decompress, maybe you put on a YouTube channel for, a Bible study, or you listen to a podcast instead, or you read a devotional, or you read the Bible. your usual podcast that might be about true crime, let’s switch it to a faith-based one, a Christian entrepreneur one.

A Bible study one, et cetera. again, scrolling in bed before you fall asleep, maybe swap it out for a different app where you’re just reading a verse and you’re saying a short prayer. and maybe also that extra half hour of work that you squeeze in after dinner, what would it look like for you to dedicate that time to God instead?

I know it’s hard. I know this is going to be hard. Swapping something out is going to be more challenging, but I want you to think about it in that way. What can you give up and intentionally decide that, you know what? Spending time with God is more important than this. The more you do it, the more you’ll be able, the more, the more and the more easier you’ll be able to give things up because you’ll start to understand better how God works and how much he wants us to trust him, and how much he wants us to spend time with him, and how if you obey and you do all of those things, all of the other things will get taken care of anyways.

A couple of things to keep in mind though, specifically for, like, social media. You could also tweak your algorithm a bit to give you faith-based accounts, so that you’re getting not just, like, entertaining entertainment on your phone, on your, on your algorithm, but you’re also getting some encouragement, some faith-based content in there.

Like, that is an option as well. But of course, with anything, with anything that you consume, you always have to use discernment because not everything posted is true, right? Not every scripture that is out there is accurate, and maybe someone’s interpretation might not be the message that God has for you.

So Make sure to use your own discernment on what you’re consuming. And also, just reading a Bible verse isn’t always the same as, like, reading the Bible for yourself. So definitely whenever you’re reading scripture specifically, I do encourage that you try to take a moment, even if it is a verse, but that you take time to really try to interpret it, to really figure out what it means.

And context is very important with some of these verses, so that’s why I personally like to read passages versus just single lines. But if that’s all you can do, you gotta start somewhere. So that is bucket number two, time you swap. Now, bucket number three is time you carve, and this is where everyone typically tends to start.

They try this first. So this one is the biggest lift ’cause you’re actually trying to save time somewhere where you already feel like time is so consumed by something else. And so if this is where you started, you started with the hardest option, okay? So that might be why it didn’t work, because this is where we’re creating a slot that didn’t exist before.

It still means that you’re giving something up, You’re still giving up something instead of swapping it, but you’re giving something up. And also, your day isn’t getting any longer. You’re still using the same 24 hours in a day. And so there’s nothing wrong with starting with this one, but just know that it’s a little bit more challenging.

So here are some examples of being able to carve out some time in your day for God. So you can wake up earlier, not 5:00 AM early, but a little bit earlier. Personally, I like to wake up 30 minutes before my kids wake up because that helps me give me time for my own routine, which includes saying affirmations and it includes a prayer.

30 minutes for me is enough to get all of those things done. So you can find whatever few minutes works for you. It could also be before bed, so how you close out the day instead of watching TV or doing something. So if you’re staying up later to go to bed later and give more time to God, you still need to make sure that you’re getting enough rest.

So we’re not trading rest here, Trading sleep to prove your devotion is not the goal. So if you are going to add this in before bed or even b- in the morning, make sure that you’re still getting sufficient amount of sleep. You can habit stack it. So you can attach it to something you’re already doing without thinking, so you can add it onto part of your day. So this is… These are all going to be a little bit similar to the other two, except you’re really going to find a slot and fully dedicate it to God whether you had something in that slot or not.

And then lastly, you can get into a community, so a church, a small group, or even an online space like, you know, my free lounge my Free Real Life Productivity Lounge, which is where faith meets business for solopreneurs like you. So these are all things that you can do and carve out time for these extra things and adding it into your day.

Just make sure that you’re getting plenty of rest, that you are being intentional with your time with God in this period, and that you are fully present with him. Remember, five minutes, intentional minutes with him is better than the ones that you’re distracted. He knows your heart, he knows where your mind is truly at.

So let’s recap. You can find time, so your hands are busy, your mind is free. You’re not stopping what you’re doing, but you’re just adding something in. There’s time you swap, which means you’re trading something out. So something that you would normally do is getting replaced. And then time you carve.

You’re creating a slot that wasn’t there before. This is the biggest lift, but that’s okay. This is where you’re at, and this is where you want to start. But here’s what I don’t want you to do. Don’t leave this episode and try all three. Okay? Just pick one, one example from one bucket and let that be enough this week, okay?

That is all you do. If you try to do it all at once, you already know how that’s gonna end. You’re going to drop it by Thursday, and you’re going to have one more thing that you’re feeling guilty about, and that is not what today was about at all. So we’re not trying to prove anything to anyone here. It’s not about a, an impressive streak.

It’s not about how long you’re spending time with God or how impressive your routine looks now that you’re spending time with him. It’s about actually being present with him when you’re with him. And the best part is he’s not keeping score. Okay? So if you’ve been feeling gone for too long, if you’ve been feeling like you haven’t been giving, dedicating the time that you know he wants and deserves, he wants you to go to him at any point, at any point.

He is waiting, okay? And he is not keeping score So I am curious, come tell me which of the three resonated with you. The Real Productivity Lounge is where I hang out and answer questions directly. So if you’re not sure how to make one of these fit for your actual week, then that’s the kind of thing that I want you to bring in there.

It’s free, so come join us. And if you’re realizing that you aren’t as close to him as you thought you were, then I want you to know about Faith-Led Momentum. It’s on the premium side of the lounge, and the very first challenge that we’re doing is the recommitment challenge, because that’s where I was. So we’re going to go through a Bible study together, and then we’re going to take one thing from it and carry it as a commitment, a recommitment to spending time with God, And it doesn’t matter when you’re hearing this. Whenever you join, the recommitment challenge will be in there waiting for you. That one’s part of the paid tier, so it’s there whenever you’re ready. But for now, go ahead and join us for free inside of the free tier at cheerstoproductivity.com/community. The link is also in the show notes.

Now go off and have some amazing intentional time with God. He is waiting for you.

If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, I want to encourage you to take one small action today. And if you want to go deeper and connect with other solopreneurs on a similar journey, come hang out with us inside of our free community. It’s where we keep the conversation going. And be sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss what’s next. Talk soon, and cheers to more peace, faithful steps, and steady progress, one system at a time.