A Piece of Quiet

Sometime after my daughter was born (26 years ago), I would mention needing some peace and quiet. I don’t remember which child it was (I’m thinking my middle child, now 28 years old), but somewhere along the way I realized he thought I was saying I needed a “piece of quiet”. Well, that’s kind of the same thing. In a noisy, active house of 3 kids, you can imagine that this mom could use a piece of quiet.

I craved it so much that I actually got up at 5 a.m. each day even though my children didn’t get up until 7. Crazy, right? Well, you have to understand. I had become more active in church and had learned about Ladies’ Bible Study. I joined the group – they had free childcare! – and the study we were doing required 45 minutes a day for homework. In addition, I desired to start learning how to have a “Quiet Time”, a structured time of prayer and Bible reading. The only way I knew to do that was to get up before my kiddos – and I’ve pretty consistently stuck to that for 26 years (though not always at 5 a.m).

I would love to tell you that I always do it and that I never get distracted by Facebook or looking at random newsfeed stories, but well, that wouldn’t be true. What is true is that the more I allow myself consistent quiet time and time for prayer and Bible reading, the more I resist social media, t.v., games, chores, reading the news and focus on my own thoughts, listening to instrumental music, writing, journaling my prayers – the more I do all of these things, the more productive I am and the calmer I feel.

This morning I was distracted by many things. First of all, I stayed up late last night and as a result slept in this morning (6:45 a.m. is late when you normally rise before 6!). When I finally got out of bed, I was groggy and slow moving. In this state, I don’t make the best choices and went straight to Facebook to “wake up”. Hello, black hole! Next, I was caught off-guard by realizing it was time for me to check in with my coach. Before that call was finished, my granddaughter was up (they’re visiting for the weekend) and I was ready to engage with her. All of that meant that it was 9 a.m. before I realized I’d yet to be still and acknowledge God or ponder my own thoughts and plans. Sigh. Hello, human nature!

Do I get it right all the time? No! Do you? I know that you don’t. What I try to do is look for the lesson, the gift. Today it is a check-in with my soul. I need a piece of quiet. I do. Every day. That time I take in the morning is one of the greatest gifts I give myself and it also a gift to those I love and serve. It’s here in this quiet space that I recalibrate. It’s here that I have time to think. It’s here that ideas are born and motivation is generated. It’s here that my soul finds rest and it’s here that I can hear the still, small voice of the Most High.

Steps to Finding Your Own Piece of Quiet

1 – Get up early. It may take a little work to get to where you want to be, but you can begin by getting up 15 mins earlier than normal and go from there.

2 – Steal away during the day for a mental break and check-in. Heather Jones recommends a 1-minute check-in every hour. Set an alarm on your phone and just ask yourself how you’re doing – do you need water? Are you in need of a healthy snack? Do you need to move? Stretch and prepare to refocus.

3 – Go to bed earlier. Rachel Hollis says she gets in bed every night at 7:30 to read and focus. That’s why she’s so productive! That may not be what you want but what about limiting social media at night? Turning off the t.v. 30 minutes before bedtime? No t.v. in your bedroom? Setting your phone on “Do Not Disturb”? Mine is set for no interruptions between 10 pm and 7 am.

4 – Feed your soul daily. “Give us this day our daily bread” indicates our need for God’s provision daily.

5 – Journal – make time to journal regularly. I journal prayers and thankfulness. I’m a perpetual notetaker.

6 – Go for a walk. A gentle stroll or power walk – either has the ability to give you time to think and reconnect.

7 – Plug In! I know we often advocate unplugging and with good reason. However, in a noisy environment, you can use earphones to put the sounds in your ear that are uplifting, calming, motivating – whatever you need. I love listening to Hawaiian music on Pandora!

8 – Set aside an hour a day to work on your most pressing goals. This comes from Rachel Hollis and her Rise Conference. If it’s important to you, you must make time to make it happen. Period.

9 – Hire a sitter, go to a coffee shop, sit in your car – I often take 10 minutes or so before heading into the grocery store to catch up on things and think.

10 – Teach others to honor your quiet spaces and times. You are allowed to be “off limits” sometimes. Really! Timers work well for little children, as do closed doors when someone else is there to supervise.

Start taking a regular "piece of quiet"time and see what happens. I find I have more time and energy for others when I do.

Coaching By Stephanie