Rhythms that Keep Caroline Going
Caroline from Team GATG here!
At Go + Tell Gals we’re all about rhythm.
Why? Because balance isn’t a kingdom promise and the pursuit of it can leave us feeling defeated. Instead, structuring our schedules with healthy rhythms allows us to steward our souls and skills well while still leaving room for the natural spontaneity of life.
Making the shift from trying for tidiness to reaching for rhythm has helped me experience more grace in my days.
I’m so excited to share some daily, weekly, and monthly practices that help me live livelier. I hope they provide some inspiration on how to manage your days so they feel more rhythmic and restful.
MONTHLY RHYTHMS
It feels like life moves pretty quickly and seasons shift often. While I love yearly goal setting, I seem to do best with a monthly reset. These are a few things I do to set my months up for success.
I always block out half a day at the end of each month for a monthly reset and try to have fun with it. I go to a location I love, bring some snacks and all my supplies to ready my spirit for the month ahead.
During these monthly resets, I do a few things:
Reflect on what happened the month before. I try to count the fruit and surrender the sticky stuff.
Pull out a physical calendar and map out any already scheduled events so I can get a visual grasp of the days ahead. (I love this one).
Schedule in friend care, family care, community care, creative care, and soul care activities for the month. This could include a phone call with an old friend, a coffee date with a new friend, a retreat I hope to go on, time spent creating something new, etc.
WEEKLY RHYTHMS
Besides doing my best to plan scheduled events, meals, and workouts every week as anyone else would do, these are two weekly rhythms that I’ve really leaned on lately:
Commit to Budget Check-in Fridays
Every Friday after prayer and a morning workout, I carve out 30 ish minutes to check in on my budget and see where my money is going. Finances can sometimes cause a lot of feelings, but when setting a weekly time to check-in and re-align, I’ve found that the stress easily fades.
Take an Inspiration Intermission
Excuse the cheesy title, but it is what I like to call it. Every week, I like to take half a day (often a Saturday morning) to do something by myself that inspires me. This could include going to a cute coffee shop and taking a walk, visiting an art museum, going on a hike, reading a fun book, etc. The goal is to just enjoy God and notice Him around me for a little while. Spending this time alone with no agenda really reignites my love for life. At Go + Tell Gals we like to say that rest and leisure are not the same things. I agree! Taking both an “inspiration intermission” and a sabbath helps me fill up on both.
DAILY RHYTHMS
You know what they say, our days are numbered and they all add up. To make the most of each day (or at least get the grace I need to do so) here are some habits that help me.
Set my schedule the night before
Taking a few minutes to write my daily schedule out hour-by-hour the night before gives me a lot of clarity and confidence about what’s ahead. Using the Goodnotes app on my Ipad, I list all 12 hours in a day. Next, I fill in any commitments like meetings, outings, or appointments. Then, I fill in my non-negotiables. These are things like prayer, movement, wake up and bedtimes, meal-prep, etc. If I don’t assign these things a time, the chances of them happening rapidly decline. This habit also shows me the time I have left to fit tasks in. While referencing my to-do list, I then fill in the things I want to get done that day and when. This gives me a realistic outlook on what really can happen in a day and protects my boundaries to ensure I prioritize what matters. Doing this at night allows me to wake up with peace and momentum the next day.
Putting the phone to bed
Ten o’clock hits and I could scroll for days. Do you relate to this? To curb the habit, I’ve created a rhythm of “putting my phone to bed” coupled with a solid wind-down routine. First, I bought a charging dock that sits in my kitchen next to my fridge where my devices live. Every night when I “put my phone to bed” I do a few things:
I dump any thoughts that I need to deal with the next day into my notes app so I can go to bed with a clear mind.
My monthly Powersheets and calendar hang on the side of my fridge so I am reminded to track my progress and renew my focus daily.
I keep a note on my phone called “Miracle Material.” Here I list all the things I’m thankful for and all the ways I am seeing God move in my life. Before turning my phone off, I reflect on my day and add to this list.
These simple practices have allowed me to get more sleep and have opened my eyes to the spirit moving in my days.
There is no perfect formula for life and I encourage you to discover what rhythms work for you! Our Rhythms of Worship & Work course is an amazing deep dive into structuring your life with a kingdom perspective. If you need a reset, I couldn’t recommend it more!
What rhythms work for you? Are there any habits that you swear by? I would love to hear about them! DM Go and Tell Gals here and let’s talk rhythms!