inspiring joy filled living
Unlocking Time Management: Doing Less, Living More
October 14, 2025
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For years, I thought good time management meant color-coded calendars, multitasking, and squeezing just one more thing into my already full day.
But the more I tried to control my time, the more out of control I felt.
I was filled with anxiety, trying to check every box — but missing the peace, the presence, and sometimes even the people right in front of me.
Sound familiar?
The Morning That Changed My Mind
It was a regular weekday — making breakfast, filling up water bottles, emails on my phone, laundry still in the washer.
Somewhere between zipping lunch boxes and answering messages, I heard a small voice say, “Mom, you’re not listening.”
My little one was right. I was there… but not really there.
That moment stopped me.
Because what’s the point of managing every minute if I miss what matters most inside of them?
We Live in a Culture of Busyness
We live in a world that glorifies busy.
Somewhere along the way, we were sold the idea that being busy means being productive.
It’s absolutely not true.
Busyness doesn’t always equal impact.
In fact, constantly being busy can leave us scattered, stressed, and distracted — without ever feeling like we’re actually moving forward.
We rush from one thing to the next, convinced that if we just work harder, push faster, or wake up earlier, we’ll finally feel caught up.
But that finish line keeps moving.
That’s when I realized: the goal isn’t to do more. The goal is to do what matters most.
And that’s when I stumbled on Dr. Cal Newport’s research — and everything started to make sense.
What Dr. Cal Newport Taught Me About Time
Dr. Cal Newport is a computer science professor and bestselling author known for studying how we use (and misuse) our time.
He writes that real productivity isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing deeply focused, meaningful work.
In his book Deep Work, Newport explains that our constant multitasking and digital distractions actually make us less productive and more anxious.
We lose our ability to think clearly because we’re constantly switching between tasks — what he calls “attention residue.”
Basically: every time you jump from one thing to another (like checking your phone mid-conversation or juggling too many to-dos), your brain carries a little leftover attention from the last thing.
You’re never fully present anywhere.
That hit home for me — because that’s exactly how I’d been living.
From To-Do Lists to Time That Feels Aligned
For years, I started each morning with a long to-do list and this quiet panic — how am I possibly going to get all this done?
I’d spend the day cramming tasks into the tiny gaps between everything else, hoping I could somehow stretch the hours.
Now, I’m learning to do it differently.
I keep what I call my “wish list” — all the things I’d love to get done in a day — and then I look at the actual time I have.
From there, I assign specific time blocks to my top priorities.
Some things roll over to tomorrow.
Some fall off the list completely.
And that’s okay.
This small change has made a big difference.
It’s taught me to be realistic, not rigid. Present, not pressured.
Instead of feeling behind, I end the day knowing that the things that mattered most got my best energy.
The biggest lesson I have learned is that pivoting is a super power. Life will always be filled with the unexpected. Some of my personal favorites: (insert sarcasm here!) the car maintenance light coming on, our fridge dying or the call from school that my kiddo is sick. I have also been derailed for beautiful reasons too: a phone call from a dear friend that lasts an hour, my hubby surprising me by coming home on a break, or saying yes to volunteering at a class party at school. All of it matters. The things we have to do and the sweet, unexpected moments.
Maybe It’s Not About Doing More
What if good time management isn’t about fitting more in…
but about creating space for what really matters?
What if success isn’t about how much you do — but how deeply you live inside the moments you already have?
Dr. Newport calls this “deep work.”
I call it intentional living.
How I Practice It Now
These days, my version of time management is slower, simpler, and more human:
- I turn off notifications when I write or spend time with my family.
- I schedule blocks of focus — no multitasking allowed. And time to batch all the daily tasks together: answering emails, starting the laundry, returning calls/texts.
- I make personal development a top priority every day: reading a few pages or listening to a few minutes of a podcast while I’m driving and writing down my gratitude list. Over time, it adds up!
- I remind myself that saying no is a way of saying yes to peace.
- I set a timer for certain tasks, for example: 30 minutes of cleaning up and whatever doesn’t get done, has to wait. This allows me to schedule and stick to deep work, like writing, teaching or working on music. Otherwise it is too easy to compromise by squeezing in one more task which usually inevitably drains the time and leaves me feeling frustrated that I didn’t make progress on the things that truly matter to me.
It’s not perfect. I still have messy, stressful days (and lots of laundry).
But when I protect my focus and my energy, I end the day feeling lighter — even if I didn’t do it all.
Doing Less Isn’t Lazy — It’s Wise
Dr. Newport says, “Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”
That line stays with me.
Because that’s what time management really is — choosing what matters and letting go of what doesn’t.
When you do, you start to see life differently:
🚗 The car ride chats with my girls on our way to school.
💬 The conversation without a phone nearby feels deeper.
🌅 The slow progress is no longer frustrating — it fulfilling.
We stop chasing time and start living inside it.
This Week’s Challenge
Take a breath.
Look at your schedule with new eyes and ask yourself:
💬 What can I remove — so I can give more energy to what actually matters?
Try making your own wish list this week — not a list to conquer, but a list to consider.
Then assign your top priorities real time — and let the rest roll over or fall away.
Time will never slow down.
But you can.
You don’t need more hours in your day.
You just need more presence in the ones you already have.
✨ Doing less isn’t failure. It’s freedom. ✨
I know you might be thinking, that all sounds good but the reality is I have work deadlines, kid sports, and someone needs to figure out dinner. I would first like to give you an air hug because I feel this on a very deep level.
If you can’t say no, then find ways to fast track some of the tasks that could give you more time. Grocery pick up was a game changer. With an Amazon membership you can get free grocery delivery if you spend $100. Ralph’s and Target pick up orders are also great! Another trick that has worked for me. Try cooking a double recipe and then freezing the leftovers, it’ll make for a quick dinner! Trying to sneak in a workout? Can you walk/jog while your kiddo has their practice or warm-up before a game? Every step counts! And the biggest one, how much time are we actually looking at social media?!
By finding ways to sneak in the every day tasks, it will allow for tiny pockets of time to be more intentional.
One final thought: what if we judged our lives on the quality of our relationships? Would we live differently? Thank you, Dr. Newport, for asking the question.
🌿📚 Books Mentioned in This Post
(Inspired by Dr. Cal Newport’s research on focus and meaningful productivity)
📘 Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Learn how to reclaim your attention in a world that constantly pulls it away. Dr. Newport shows that true success comes from focused, undistracted effort — the kind of “deep work” that creates lasting impact, not endless busyness.
🕰️ Why I love it: It helped me understand that peace and productivity can coexist — when you give your best attention to fewer things.
📗 Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
A refreshing antidote to hustle culture, Slow Productivity is about doing fewer things, better — and finding fulfillment instead of exhaustion. Newport’s research reminds us that slowing down isn’t falling behind; it’s finding rhythm.
🌿 Why I love it: It perfectly matches this season of life — steady, intentional growth without the burnout.
(Some links may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Seeking Roses!)
With Love, Jen
