The progress felt so good.
 

I’d been using my timeblocker up to this point to manage the day, and everything had been flowing well. My husband and I had gotten up at 5 a.m. and read our Bibles side-by-side—a morning routine that we cherish. Then we took the baby on a sunrise walk while the big kids were still snoring cozily in their beds.
 

Once we laid the baby down, we both hopped on a team meeting about project management for the business. I drew from the notes I’d been making in my planner throughout the week to contribute to the solutions we were brainstorming.
 

My husband switched gears to his day job (he works remotely from home), and I shifted into homeschool mom mode. This past week has been all about practical life activities as we prepare the home to support our academic goals for the new school year. So I supervised the children as they assembled and hung their new clock and bedside lamps in their freshly organized bedroom. (We had a blast.)
 

Soon, it was time for my afternoon meeting for the family business. I set the children to preparing their lunches, put on makeup, fed the baby, and drove down to the office. McCauley (my sister and co-founder) and I enjoyed a great meeting with a leader of another like-minded community.
 

At the close of the meeting, McCauley left to do a math lesson with her six-year-old while her babies napped. My niece came in and offered to play with Margaret while I got some deep work done. I focused and completed my next top target: writing the script for the new day page planner tutorial we were releasing soon.
 

The day was running so smoothly. Truly, it was timeblocking at its finest.
 

As soon as I finished that task and sent the file to the team for review, I habitually glanced at my planner (as I had at each transition throughout the day). I checked off what had been accomplished thus far, noted what didn’t so I could make sure to take care of it later, and then checked in with my timeblocker for what was next.
 

It was time to leave for the homeschool planning meeting my friends had scheduled at a local coffee shop.
 

Suddenly, I felt a familiar feeling crop up inside of me—emotional resistance to the transition.

Related: 
- Timeblocking Made Simple - Podcast Episode 15_
- Morning and Evening Rhythms that Actually WORK

Transitions Demand Both Rational Thought and Emotional Energy

Earlier, while using my planner with an objective mindset, I had already decided that if I could complete my top business targets for the day by the time I needed to leave, I would use the rest of my workday to attend that meeting.
 

Even though I had really been looking forward to it earlier in the day, now that I was in the flow, I was resisting the shift.

The momentum I had at work was strong, and the thought of pausing that to focus on something entirely different felt counterproductive.
 

“It’s so quiet. The baby’s sleeping. It would be so simple to stay in the office, keep the momentum going, and skip the meeting. After all, I am already in my work zone and it is a thirty minute drive one way… “

However, I knew that this meeting was more than just a break in my day: it was an opportunity to invest in my friendships and sink into deep work as a homeschool teacher—which is also a vital part of my calling in this season.
 

These were all the rational thoughts that flooded my mind as I considered the transition. But still, the emotional resistance was there. The time I had for the transition was tight (especially with an infant in tow)—so I needed to be decisive.
 

I also needed to create inertia in the new direction so I wouldn’t be late—it was time to wrap up at the office, print some worksheets from our course that I was going to share at the meeting, load up the baby, and hit the road.
 

My Two-Minute Trick for Emotionally Connecting to the Next Part of My Schedule

I reached for my planner and flipped to the timeblocker section. For just two minutes, I allowed myself to envision the next part of my day. I pictured the coffee shop we’d be going to—sitting down with my friends and cracking open my planner.
 

I thought about touching base with each area of study we enjoy in our homeschool, creating shopping lists for materials we still needed, and thinking deeply about how the coursework I had been writing connected with our family’s “Kingdom why” for pursuing knowledge (a phrase my friend Rachel Tenney uses that I just LOVE). I could almost smell the coffee being roasted in the background.
 

In the to-do list beside my timeblocker, I jotted down a few things I wanted to accomplish during the meeting, imagining the joy of connecting with friends. As I did this, the resistance I had been feeling began to fade, replaced by a quiet excitement for what was to come.

The Challenge of Transitioning Between Roles and Responsibilities

Transitioning between roles can be tough. Whether it’s shifting from business owner to homeschool mom, or from one project to another, these transitions often feel like a jolt to the system.

When you’re deeply immersed in one role, the thought of switching gears can be jarring. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in one thing that moving on to the next feels almost impossible.

This is where timeblocking comes in. For me, timeblocking isn’t just about structuring my day; it’s about preparing my heart and mind for the shifts that need to happen. By taking just a few moments to visualize the next block of time and the tasks it will hold, I can mentally and emotionally prepare myself for the transition. This practice allows me to honor the work I’ve done in one role while giving myself permission to fully engage in the next.

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 reminds us of the God-ordained rhythms of life.

Note the emotional transitions that are inherent in this passage:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."
 

These verses speak to the ebb and flow of life’s seasons. Just as there is a time to plant and a time to harvest, there is a time to work and a time to rest, a time to focus on business and a time to nurture our children’s education.
 

God, in His wisdom, has ordained these times and seasons, and it is our responsibility to move through them with grace and intentionality.

Related: How to Outline Your Goals for Clarity
 

This meeting with my friends wasn’t just another item on my to-do list: it was an opportunity to pour into the lives of others in my community, to build each other up, and to share in the journey of intentional living. Local Christian friendships are core in my “circles of influence”—and they deserve my time and attention (even while recognizing that family responsibilities take priority). Stewarding each of these different areas of life is an important part of living intentionally and seeking first the Kingdom of God.
 

When we resist transitions, we often miss out on the fullness of what God has for us in each season. Just as we can’t plant and harvest at the same time, we can’t be fully present in one role while clinging emotionally to another.

Timeblocking, when done thoughtfully, becomes a tool that aligns us with God’s timing. It helps us to acknowledge the importance of each role we play, allowing us to give our best to the task at hand while trusting that there will be enough time to return to other responsibilities.

As I stepped into the coffee shop, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I was soon seated with friends, enjoying the aroma of fresh ground coffee, discussing all things homeschooling, and making my lists for the upcoming semester. It was good to be here with the friends God had given me, rather than alone, squeezing out an extra 2-3 hours in the office.
 

I looked around the table and smiled as I watched my sister tell our friends a story. I remembered that I was enjoying the smallest taste of the eternal banquet my Lord was preparing for us.
 

In that moment, I felt deeply grateful for my friends—and for the simple yet powerful technique of timeblocking that enabled me to enjoy them.
 

“Every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.” — Ecclesiastes 3:13