Confession: Half of the time I’m writing, it looks like I’m just staring into space. This is especially true when I’m working from a coffee shop, and there’s plenty to rest my gaze on while I think through what it is I want to say. It may not look like I’m making progress, but I assure you- staring into space is part of my process…most of the time :).

In my early writing days, when I was cobbling together fragments of time to work (thirty minutes during nap time, an hour after they went to bed, scratching notes on a napkin while I served up lunch), a major frustration was when I finally had time to sit down and write, I would spend the time “thinking”, instead. Then, when I got home, my husband would ask, “How did writing go?” and I’d feel awful because while I felt I made progress, I couldn’t exactly give him a completed piece to read. The progress was in my process; it was in the preparation.

This is, in fact, the very reason I created the 5 Pockets of Time Workbook– because I realized there were pockets of time better suited to dreaming and planning and other times that were best used for writing and editing. Unfortunately, every summer I find this same tension comes around again. With our families at home, we may have less time throughout the day to think, dream, plan, and process. Yet, each of these things is vital to the creative process. So, when I’m not able to dream or plan as I go about my day, I am forced to do it during my work time, instead of writing.

Progress is in the Process

This is what I want to encourage you with today: productivity will not *always* look like progress. Things like dreaming, planning, thinking, and processing are foundational pieces to our work. Though, they rarely produce visible proof of progress. Don’t begrudge yourself the time to do those things, just because it doesn’t immediately end in work you can point to.

Don’t be afraid to use one of your workdays simply to dream about the future of your ministry. You don’t have to shy away from spending a day planning and creating some structure for your business. And don’t be frustrated if you spent your entire work time thinking through your next step instead of taking it. This summer is all about keeping momentum in your business without sacrificing your summer. That means some days are going to look like laying the groundwork while others will be building on it. It all counts and it all matters.

So keep moving forward, Mama.

I’m cheering you on,

PS- You know me and my love for handy resources, I just had to create a four-page Summer Planning Guide to help you map out your summer. This guide helps you identify your two top goals for the summer and provides you with all the space you need to map out your action steps for every day of each month. I pray this guide will help you take one step forward each day, so you can accomplish all your goals this summer- without sacrificing any time with your family.

Fill out the form below to snag your Summer Planning Guide!

Looking for more tips on staying productive this summer? Check out the next post in this series: 4 Productivity Traps (And How to Avoid Them!)