Women Who Inspire: Jenn Trinidad, being productive counts

If you find yourself with time on your hands and you are wanting to get some help with being productive, check out Christian Women Living Magazine and let our next Women Who Inspire guest show you some great tips. Meet Jenn Trinidad, a woman who loves to relax on the beaches of Hawaii, but still gets things done.

Christian Living Women Magazine: Please introduce yourself to our readers and give us a little background information?
Jennifer Trinidad: My name is Jennifer Trinidad. I live in Honolulu, Hawaii with my husband, Alden and my son, Brandon. I am a nurse recruiter for a healthcare organization by day, and a productivity and frugal living blogger by night. I have a website at www.redefiningproductivity.com where I share tips on budgeting, productivity, and frugal living tips. When I’m not working, you can find me at the beach or on a hiking trail enjoying the natural beauty of God’s creations.

CWL: Can you give us a summary on your journey with Christ — from the time you accepted Christ, to how you started in ministry.
JT: I was raised knowing about God through a different faith but did not come to have a relationship with Jesus until I was in college. Growing up in a house where we would have weekly bible studies, I understood God as the Law Giver rather than someone who wanted to have a deep and meaningful relationship with me. Through divine intervention, God brought different people into my life who led me to a church that I called home for many years. I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was 21 years old. A few years ago, our family moved to a smaller church where I started serving in the children’s ministry. I’ve always enjoyed being around kids because of their positive outlook on life and ability to laugh at the littlest things. Since then, I’ve never been happier about where I am with my faith.

CWL: Tell us about (business/ministry) and how it came to be?
JT: Several years ago, my husband and I went through Dave Ramsey’s program, Financial Peace University, and paid off over $80,000 in four years. We took extra jobs, cut our expenses, and became obsessed with paying off the debt. Although we had a busy schedule, we still made time to hang out with our friends and enjoy life as we were on our debt-free journey. Our friends noticed that although we were working extremely hard, we did not look weary or stressed. In fact, we were doing our normal activities like going out to eat, shopping, and going on trips. Our friends and family started asking us how we were able to do both on an average income while still aggressively paying off debt. As I shared my tips with them, it became clear that my God-given talent and passion for personal finance and frugal living was something that I wanted to teach people on a regular basis. I started researching online how to create a website so I could share my tips and experiences with others, which is what my website is all about.

CWL: Do you encourage coupons for shoppers?
JT: I used to be an “extreme couponer” years ago when freebie deals were plentiful. The couponing rules have changed since then and even though the deals aren’t as lucrative as before, I still find value in couponing. Any way to save money on things that you already buy is a good philosophy!

CWL: What is the most efficient way to save time cleaning house?
JT: It can get easy to fall into a seemingly innocuous rabbit hole of spending hours on end cleaning, making sure everything is spotless. I value my time, so as such, I put hard time constraints on the duration of my cleaning sprees. I use my phone’s timer app in order to motivate me to get X amount of cleaning in Y time. Set a reasonable amount of time for yourself to spend cleaning, then stick to it. Sometimes I can time block 2 hours to deep clean but most of the time, I only have 15 minutes here and there. I’ll set a timer for 15 minutes and focus on the high priority cleaning tasks. It is amazing how much can get done in bite-sized chunks of time.

CWL: What is the best way to organize goals?
JT: I love the S.M.A.R.T. method. ‘S’ is for Specific. If a goal is too broad, it will be difficult to achieve because it is not clear and concise. When a goal is specific, it helps to narrow down the steps to achieve the goal. ‘M’ is for Measurable. Goals that have bite-sized milestones evaluate your progress and determine if you are on the right track. ‘A’ is for Achievable. Goals must be realistic in order to keep yourself motivated towards the goal. ‘R’ is for Relevant. The goal must be meaningful to you and not anyone else. Think about why you want to reach your goal and what it will mean once you attain it. ‘T’ is for Time. Goals need a specific timeframe to provide a sense of urgency to complete it. For example, if the goal is to pay off debt in order to achieve financial freedom, the goal could be to pay off $1000 of credit card debt in two months. That would amount to $500 per month or $125 per week.

CWL: Do you digital plan or use paper planner?
JT: I use a digital planner and a paper planner for different reasons. I use Google calendar for appointments and daily standing reminders that never change. For example, the first hour of my day from 6:00 am – 7:00 am is listed as “God time”. I will listen to a sermon and write down my daily devotions. I use a paper planner for daily activities that I can write down and cross off as I complete them. Writing it down helps to minimize the distractions and keeps me focused on the tasks I need to complete in a given timeframe.

CWL: What is your favorite productivity tip?
JT: I love using the time blocking method I use to schedule certain timeframes in my day to do specific tasks. It can get overwhelming if I’m jumping from task to task all day. My favorite productivity tip is to schedule whitespace on my calendar. This means that I will intentionally schedule blocks of time to do something that does not require rigorous mental activity. I might work outside in the garden, give myself a spa treatment, or simply scroll through Pinterest in front of the television. Creating whitespace helps our brains from being cluttered and allows time for creativity. You’ll find that you can be more focused if you take time out of your day to de-stress and enjoy that whitespace.

CWL: What is the one tip that you find yourself giving on a daily basis?
JT: Focus on the journey and not the destination. If we are trying to achieve a big goal (ex: paying off debt, saving for a house, getting a promotion), sometimes we can get lost in the weeds and we procrastinate on achieving the goal. Focusing on the bite-sized wins that lead us one step forward towards our goal keeps us grateful and motivated. Even if we move two steps forward and one step back, that is still moving one step forward.

CWL: What inspires you?
JT: Every day I am inspired by people who are trying to change the world by creating beautiful things. Especially now, people need each other and are finding creative ways to connect with through new businesses and ministries. This inspires me to share my God-given talents with the world so that I can be a blessing to others and do all the things God is telling me to do while I’m here on earth.

CWL: Best piece of advice you’ve ever received.
JT: I once heard Zig Ziglar say, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.” I genuinely believe that if leaders lead with a servant’s heart with the right motivation, they will find their tribe that will help them become successful in their ministry or business. Galatians 5:13 reminds me that we were called to serve one another in love.

CWL: Is there anything else you would like to say? Take this opportunity to promote your own ministry, project, business or share what God has put on your heart recently.
JT: As a natural introvert, I never thought I would be speaking or writing to the masses on a regular basis. But God has put on my heart that if I have something to share that can benefit others, I should not keep it to myself. My testimony of changing my family by paying off debt and stopping the money fights might be a blessing to a family that currently is where I was many years ago. God has been nudging me to act for a long time. After many prayers and sleepless nights, God directed me to take actionable steps to achieve this purpose.

CWL: How can our readers get in touch with you for tips?
JT: Readers can find me on my website at www.redefiningproductivity.com. I blog about productivity, personal finance, and frugal living tips. I also hold monthly live webinar trainings where participants can ask me questions in real time. I can also be reached at jennifer@redefiningproductivity.com.

Thank you for allowing Christian Women Living Magazine to share your story with our readers!