One of my favorite parts of each week is the hour or so I spend either Saturday or Sunday afternoon planning the week ahead. I use that time to review the previous week and begin allocating my time for the week to come.

I start by identifying the “Big Things.”

What are the “Big Things”? I define big things as those areas that have the most impact on how I view the week in terms of success or failure. What foundation needs to be in place in order for me to begin the week with intention and end the week with a sense of purpose?

Here are mine: prayer, goal, challenge and moment.

As I look at the week ahead, I ask God to help me understand what prayer I need to make for myself. For example, some weeks when I see my calendar is super full, I might ask for my attitude to not be hurried.

The second big thing for me is identifying my goal for the coming week. Again, I am prayerful about this, full of the awareness that I cannot do it all – so I ask God to guide me to the primary goal as I navigate the time I have available. For me, identifying this big goal helps alleviate some of the ongoing stress in my life.

Next, I want to be wise about the big challenge I’m going to face. We all know every day brings its own set of complications, but if we can start our week aware of an obvious challenge, it helps develop a plan for navigating it. This week, my challenge is that I started out tired. We had a busy weekend and not much downtime. So I’m giving myself grace.

Finally, I always want to identify a big moment that matters to me each week. By big, I don’t mean a big deal – I mean big impact. For example, I realized a couple of weeks ago I hadn’t spent much time with my friends. Last week, my big moment was lunch with one of my besties.

Keeping the big things in focus can be hard. But I’ve learned that using the right tools and system helps me stay on track. In this season of life, those tools for me include my Bible, planner, PowerSheets and Bible journaling supplies. I love using Bible journaling products not just in my Bible but also in my planner and as I complete my PowerSheets each month. It’s such a simple way to visually keep my focus on the things that mean the most.

Keeping myself focused on what really matters means I start in the Word and then use the Word to guide my days. Incorporating beautiful Word-based reminders helps me integrate the truths from my Bible study into my planning and schedule every single day.

Knowing our Big Things helps keep us on track in every area of life – spiritually, mentally and relationally.

What are the “Big Things” in your life?