Episode 37
37 | Stop Spinning Your Wheels: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live Your Purpose
Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in the day — between caring for your family, managing your home, and trying to find a moment for yourself (and your purpose)? You’re not alone.
In today’s episode, we’re diving into how to find balance in the chaos — especially for you busy Catholic moms who feel like you’re juggling a million plates: work, kids, home… and somehow, you’re still the one holding it all together.
I’ll share one small mindset shift that can help you protect your time, create more peace, and start living your God-given purpose — even in the middle of busy mom life. You’ll also walk through a simple, practical exercise to uncover where your time is really going and how to start using it more intentionally with God at the center.
If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, constantly spinning your wheels, or unsure how to balance it all, this episode will help you take that next faithful step toward peace and purpose.
Grab your favorite pen and notebook — let’s roll up our sleeves and make some space for what really counts.
I pray that this episode blesses and encourages you!
Michelle
✨ Ready to start discerning your God-given purpose?
Join me live on Nov 17th for the FREE Discern Your Purpose Workshop!
🔗 Save your spot: bit.ly/discernpurposeworkshop
✨ Next Steps:
- Ready to Discover Your Unique Purpose with Clarity? Book your 1:1 Purpose Coaching Session Here
- Connect with Catholic moms discovering God’s plan in everyday life Here
- Receive Weekly Encouragement and Action Steps to Help You Move Forward with God: Subscribe to the The Inner Flame Here
✨ Feedback or Questions? Contact me at hello@michellebrannam.com
✨ Listen to Related Episodes:
- 03 | 3 Ways to Make Time for God (Even When You're Busy!)
- 09 | No Time for Your Purpose? Try These 3 Steps to Take It Back
Transcript
How you wished yesterday had gone.
Speaker A:So what would your ideal day have looked like?
Speaker A:Do you ever feel like you're juggling all the plates, work, home, kids and everything in between and somehow you're the one still holding it all together?
Speaker A:You want to be present for your family, but you also feel this pull to discover and live out your purpose.
Speaker A:Yet there's just never enough time.
Speaker A:Today we're getting real about that tension and what it actually looks like to start finding balance not by doing more, but by learning to protect your time and partner with God in it.
Speaker A:So if you're ready to make space for what truly matters, grab your notebook and pen and let's dive in.
Speaker A:If you're ready to break free from stuck, gain clarity and take steps towards discerning your unique purpose, all while following God's guidance to become the person he created you to be.
Speaker A:If so, you're in the right place.
Speaker A:Hello, I'm Michelle, a Catholic discernment mentor and spiritual coach who went from lost and questioning my purpose to confident in my unique calling using a Catholic based strategy that places God and the Catholic faith at the center.
Speaker A:Are you ready to dive in?
Speaker A:Grab your pen and notebook and get comfy, open your heart and mind and invite God in as we get ready to become who God created you to be.
Speaker A:Let's do this.
Speaker A:A few years ago, I was doing everything I could to figure out what I was supposed to be doing with my life.
Speaker A:I wanted to contribute, to stay home with my kids and to feel like I was walking in my purpose.
Speaker A:But nothing seemed to click.
Speaker A:No matter what I tried, I just felt exhausted, anxious and honestly, like I was failing.
Speaker A:Looking back now, I realized the biggest thing missing was was God.
Speaker A:I was striving so hard to create something meaningful, but I never actually invited him into the process.
Speaker A:And that's where everything changed.
Speaker A:One day I hit my breaking point.
Speaker A:I remember lying on the couch pregnant, questioning what my purpose even was and just crying out to God for clarity.
Speaker A:And in that moment, he met me.
Speaker A:My breakdown became my purpose breakthrough because I finally let him lead.
Speaker A:When I partnered with God, he started revealing things that I could have never discovered on my own.
Speaker A:He gave me peace where there was confusion, purpose where there were striving and joy where there had been frustration.
Speaker A:And that's why I created Discern your purpose live workshop happening November 17th.
Speaker A:This free live 45 minute horizon Holy Spirit led workshop is for the woman who's ready to stop trying to figure it out alone and start discerning her purpose with God.
Speaker A:You'll leave with a clear Holy Spirit led framework to begin building your own discernment plan, one that fits the real everyday life and you don't have to stay stuck.
Speaker A:God's already speaking.
Speaker A:It's time to learn how to listen.
Speaker A:So join me live on November 17th.
Speaker A:Save your spot at Bitly DiscernPurpose Workshop that is Bitly Bit Ly DiscernPurposeWorkshop Bitly PurposeWorkshop and the link is also in the episode description as well.
Speaker A:So let's dive into today's episode As a busy mom of toddlers, there are days that just feel completely chaotic.
Speaker A:I'm trying to juggle family, home duties, my podcast content, and trying to find time for myself and my purpose can feel impossible.
Speaker A:Even even when the days when I was trying to discern what my purpose was, it took a powerful mindset, shift and consistent action to help me start finding balance.
Speaker A:Finding balance between work and family life can be challenging, especially as mothers.
Speaker A:We're taking care of the groceries, we're cooking, we're cleaning laundry, and the list just goes on.
Speaker A:You're trying to care for your family and yourself and somehow also manage your home duties to help find that balance.
Speaker A:We need to protect our time.
Speaker A:We are all given 24 hours and it's what we choose to do with that time that matters.
Speaker A:If you were to look back on your day or last week, you've probably see little pockets of time that could be used differently.
Speaker A:Moments where if you had been intentional, you could have created a bit of breathing room or clarity.
Speaker A:This little exercise has helped me build self awareness and it comes back to one fundamental question I often ask myself.
Speaker A:We know what we want.
Speaker A:Since this podcast is about discerning your purpose, it's safe to say we want to live out our purpose.
Speaker A:But are we actually spending time working on finding and living out our purpose?
Speaker A:Now you might be saying, michelle, do you not remember that I'm struggling with my time and balancing work and family life, let alone time for myself?
Speaker A:Yes, I understand.
Speaker A:As a busy mom myself, there are days it's chaotic and I find that I didn't get time to work on it because of the choices I made during the day.
Speaker A:There are days lately that I've chosen to sleep in and not get up early to work on my purpose.
Speaker A:The truth is, the choices we make affect our time and what we do with it.
Speaker A:So what did I do to actually start reclaiming my time and move closer to my purpose?
Speaker A:Let me walk you through a simple exercise that has made a big difference for me.
Speaker A:Here's a simple exercise that you can do to start finding balance and time to focus on your purpose.
Speaker A:Now, I want you to think back, or better yet, grab your notebook and write down everything you did yesterday, as much as you can remember.
Speaker A:I know we've got that mom fog, but let's try to remember down everything that we possibly can.
Speaker A:And I want you to go ahead and pause me right now.
Speaker A:I'll be right here as soon as you're done.
Speaker A:Next, I want you to write down how you wished yesterday had gone.
Speaker A:So what would your ideal day have looked like?
Speaker A:How did you want it to feel?
Speaker A:And again, pause me.
Speaker A:And then resume.
Speaker A:Now I want you to grab your highlighter.
Speaker A:Oop, forgot to tell you you're going to need a highlighter for this.
Speaker A:So pause me again if you need to go grab a highlighter if you're not doing this close to your stuff.
Speaker A:So I want you to grab your highlighter and I want you to highlight everything that wasn't productive towards your day.
Speaker A:Now, I'm not that mean, so don't highlight the things that are essential to running your household, like cooking dinner or doing laund.
Speaker A:That's something productive you have to do.
Speaker A:Those are things that are necessary and productive for a functional home.
Speaker A:But one of the things you highlight might be watching a TV show, playing a game on your phone, or scrolling mindlessly on social media.
Speaker A:This exercise isn't about guilt, it's all about self awareness.
Speaker A:You want to use wise and sound judgment, but you also want to be honest with your activities.
Speaker A:And you can also bring in the Holy Spirit during this journaling process as well to help you and remember, this isn't about beating yourself up, it's about seeing where your time goes so you can start making those intentional choices.
Speaker A:So after you've highlighted those items, then let's proceed to the last step that I invite you to do.
Speaker A:I want you to look at those highlighted items and ask yourself what could I do?
Speaker A:Instead of to replace that non productive activity with a productive activity for working towards uncovering my purpose.
Speaker A:To make this easier or more visually appealing, you could draw a vertical line down your paper and on the left side write NPA and then list all those non productive activities.
Speaker A:And then on the right side of it you can write PA for productive activity.
Speaker A:This is basically as doing a pro and cons list, but instead you're focusing on your purpose.
Speaker A:Instead of pros and cons, it's NPA and pa. And if you're unsure how to replace your non productive activity with something purposeful.
Speaker A:I'd love to help you with that.
Speaker A:So grab a session with me and we can work on this together to find those steps that truly fit your day.
Speaker A:And you can grab a session at Bit ly catholicpurposecoaching or you can use the link in the episode description, whichever is easiest for you.
Speaker A:Okay, so let's take a moment to reflect on what we talked about today.
Speaker A:First, you want to protect your time intentionally.
Speaker A:We all have the same 24 hours each day and how we choose to spend them really shapes how we live out our purpose.
Speaker A:Awareness is that first step in reclaiming for what matters most.
Speaker A:And second, you want to turn the non productive activities into purposeful action.
Speaker A:It's easy to get caught up in the distractions, but identifying the those moments that aren't serving our purpose and replacing them with small intentional steps can make a big difference.
Speaker A:And finally, small shifts make room for purpose.
Speaker A:Replacing even one non productive activity with something that moves you closer to your purpose can create space for peace, balance and deeper clarity.
Speaker A:Let us pray in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Heavenly Father, we come before you today so aware of how much we need your guidance and grace.
Speaker A:You see the hearts of every mom listening, the ones trying to juggle work, family and faith, all while longing to live out the purpose you've placed within them.
Speaker A:God, remind us that you are not calling us to strive harder, but to surrender deeper.
Speaker A:Help us to see our time as a gift from you and to use it wisely in ways that bring peace, not pressure.
Speaker A:When our schedules feel full and our souls feel empty, draw us back to you.
Speaker A:Fill us with your wisdom and show us how to align even our smallest daily actions with your will.
Speaker A:May your Holy Spirit renew our strength and ignite a fresh desire to live purposely for you in our homes, our work, and in our hearts.
Speaker A:In Jesus name we pray in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Knowledge is power, but true change happens when we pair it with consistent daily action.
Speaker A:We cannot gain clarity if we're not taking those daily steps to help us move forward.
Speaker A:You can start moving forward in action by listing out your non productive activities, then listing the productive activities to counter it.
Speaker A:Ask yourself what I could do instead to replace that non productive activity with the productive activity for working towards uncovering my purpose.
Speaker A:And if you're unsure how to replace that non productive activity with something purposeful, I'd love to help you with that.
Speaker A:One way you can get started is coming over to our Facebook community finding your purpose, Discernment and Strategy for Catholic Moms Share a screenshot of your NPA and PA list.
Speaker A:You might help someone identify a non productive activity that they hadn't thought of or discover a way to replace it with a productive one.
Speaker A:And in return, you'll get the support, the ideas and encouragement from other moms who are doing the same work of protecting their time and living their purpose.
Speaker A:Remember, my beautiful sister in Christ, that God uniquely created you for a unique purpose.
Speaker A:You were made to do great things.
Speaker A:God is within you and you will not fail.
Speaker A:I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation.
Speaker A:Until then, may God bless you and give you peace.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker A:I pray that today's episode blesses and encourages you.
Speaker A:If so, would you please share it with someone you know that would be blessed by it?
Speaker A:If you felt inspired or learned something Today, please take 30 seconds to leave a written review on Apple Podcasts.
Speaker A:This is the number one way to let me know that you are liking the show and for me to reach other Catholic women like yourself.
Speaker A:If you're feeling uncertain or lost on your discernment journey, you're not alone.
Speaker A:Join us over in the free Facebook community where Catholic women just like you are sharing, supporting and growing together in faith.
Speaker A:I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:God bless you.
