Why Your To-Do List Isn’t Working (and God’s Better Way to Get Things Done)
Introduction – When Your To-Do List Fails You
If you’re like most high-capacity women, you’ve got a to-do list sitting close by — maybe it’s on your phone, tucked into your planner, or scribbled on sticky notes. But here’s the hard truth: your to-do list isn’t working. Instead of helping you feel productive, it often leaves you overwhelmed, scattered, and guilty about all the things you didn’t get done.
I know because I’ve been there too. The list gets longer, but your peace feels shorter. And deep down, you know this isn’t the way God intended you to live.
Why Doesn’t a To-Do List Work?
“A to-do list doesn’t work because it keeps you busy without keeping you fruitful. It focuses on tasks instead of purpose, which leads to overwhelm instead of alignment with God’s plan.”
A to-do list focuses on tasks, not purpose.
It tells you what needs to be done, but not what truly matters.
It creates pressure to check boxes rather than helping you walk in intentional stewardship.
It can leave you feeling defeated instead of fulfilled.
What Does the Bible Say About Productivity?
The world glorifies hustle, but the Bible calls us to stewardship. True productivity isn’t about doing more — it’s about aligning your time with God’s purpose.
“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”
When your plans are surrendered to Him, your work flows from peace, not pressure.
Shifting from Productivity to Stewardship
This is the mindset shift: from striving to stewarding.
Productivity says, “Get more done.”
Stewardship says, “Honor God with what matters most.”
When you shift into stewardship, everything changes:
You stop measuring your worth by checked boxes.
You start building rhythms that sustain your peace.
You move from hustle and burnout to grace and alignment
What to Do Instead: The S.T.E.W.A.R.D. Productivity System
The S.T.E.W.A.R.D. Productivity System is a biblical framework for time management that helps you replace striving with intentional stewardship.
S – Store your ideas & tasks (capture everything so your mind can rest).
T – Think & plan (prayerfully discern what matters most right now).
E – Execute with intention (do the next right thing with focus).
W – Workflows & sessions (create flow, not chaos).
A – Align & manage tasks (check your priorities against your purpose).
R – Reflect & review (look back to grow forward).
D – Dedicate it to God (keep Him at the center of it all).
This system isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing the right things, in the right way, with God at the center.
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A: The Bible doesn’t mention to-do lists directly, but it teaches us to commit our plans to God. “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established” (Proverbs 16:3, NKJV).Description text goes here
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A: A to-do list keeps you busy but not necessarily fruitful. It focuses on tasks instead of purpose, leaving you overwhelmed rather than aligned with God’s plan.
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A: Stewardship-based productivity means managing your time, energy, and resources in a way that honors God. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16, NKJV).Description text goes here
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A: Start by capturing tasks, then prayerfully plan and prioritize. Use the steps—Store, Think, Execute, Workflows, Align, Reflect, Dedicate—to create rhythms rooted in God’s presence.
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A: By inviting Him into your work. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23, NKJV).
From Chaos to Clarity
If your to-do list isn’t working, it’s time for a new way — God’s way. He didn’t design you to strive endlessly. He called you to steward faithfully.
“Today, I choose stewardship over striving, and I dedicate my plans to the Lord.”
