Life feels chaotic for so many of us. Overwhelmed schedules, endless to-dos, family demands, and that nagging sense that time is slipping away. I’ve seen it firsthand—people like Kristie, who was running a local organization from dawn till dusk, caring for a sister with special needs, and trying to grow a side hustle. She was buried. Sound familiar?
The good news? You can cut the chaos without fancy apps or overhauling your life overnight. I use a simple acronym: CUT — Clarity, Unload, Thrive. It’s straightforward, actionable, and rooted in real experience. Let’s break it down.
Clarity: Know Where Your Time Really Goes (A.P.S.)
Most of us think we’re productive… until we look closer. The first step is gaining clarity with A.P.S.:
- Audit your time. Track everything for a full seven days—including weekends. Use a simple piece of paper. Write down what you’re doing in the moment. No judgment, just truth. You’ll be surprised how much time vanishes into scrolling, “quick” checks, or habits that don’t serve you.
- Prioritize. Once you have the audit, ask: Does this move me toward my goals and dreams? Rank your activities. If you have 35 priorities, you have none. Focus on the top few that matter most.
- Start your day intentionally. How you begin sets the tone. I wake up between 4 and 4:30 a.m. every day (yes, even weekends and vacations). Within 90 seconds, I’m in a cold shower—it jolts you awake like nothing else. Then I dress, step outside, ground barefoot while squatting for about four minutes (hip flexors thank me later). I read about this in Built to Move, and it’s transformed how I age.
Your routine doesn’t have to match mine. The point is consistency. Pick what works for you—a quiet prayer time, journaling, a walk—but make it deliberate. No scrolling first thing. What you do in those early moments shapes the rest of your day.
Unload: Stop Carrying What You Don’t Need (O.D.A.E.)
We overload ourselves. The fix is the O.D.A.E. method—carry a notepad and capture everything you do in a week (in the moment, not later). Then review four times:
- Outsource: What can someone else handle for pay? Virtual assistants, services—it’s 2026; options abound.
- Delegate: Who on your team (or family) can own this? Hand it off with clear instructions.
- Automate: Tools, AI, scripts—what repetitive tasks can run without you?
- Eliminate (my favorite): What no longer needs doing? So many “we’ve always done it this way” activities waste time. In my corporate days, I produced daily reports nobody read. When I questioned it, no one had a good answer. Stop the nonsense.
Unload the excess, and suddenly you have breathing room. Freedom isn’t about adding more—it’s about subtracting what drains you.
Thrive: Do the Deep Work and Protect Your Energy (W.I.N.)
Once you’ve got clarity and unloaded, focus on thriving with W.I.N.:
- Work deep. Find your rhythm—maybe 45 minutes for me, 90 for others. Turn off distractions completely and go all in. No multitasking. If you’re watching TV while scrolling, you’re half-present everywhere. Pick your prime time (mornings for me; afternoons for night owls) and protect it fiercely. Cal Newport’s Deep Work is gold here.
- Invest in rest. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every single night—not just weekdays. Consistency matters—your body thrives on routine. I hit the sack by 8:30 p.m. and wake naturally. Even after struggling to sleep on New Year’s Eve due to neighbors setting off fireworks, my internal clock pulled me up at 4. Fight the urge to binge on weekends; it wrecks your rhythm.
- Nurture habits. We all have good ones (my daily run streak of 8+ years, 15,000+ steps, podcasting weekly) and bad ones (procrastination, mindless scrolling). Write yours down—seeing them on paper makes them real. Replace bad with good: when you drop a negative habit, plug in a positive one right away.
Putting It All Together
CUT the chaos: Get clarity on your time, unload the unnecessary, and build habits to thrive. Start small—pick one part this week. Audit a day or two. Eliminate one useless task. Protect one deep work block.
Time is the one currency you can’t buy more of. Steward it well, with purpose and grace. When we align our days with what truly matters, we don’t just get more done—we live more fully.
What’s one small step from this framework you’re going to try first? Clarity on your time leaks? Unloading something that’s weighed you down? Or protecting rest like it’s sacred? I’d love to hear—it’s in those honest reflections where real change happens.
Keep pressing forward, man. God’s entrusted us with these days—let’s honor that by living them intentionally. You’ve got this.