Time Management
“One of the greatest reasons people
cannot mobilize themselves is that they try to accomplish great things. Most
worthwhile achievements are the result of many little things done in a single
direction.”
– Nido Quebin.
Many people wear
busyness like a badge of honor; each trying to one-up the next person on how
full their schedules are. I know that
feeling cause I’ve worn that badge. I’ve
flashed it like a western sheriff pulling back his lapel. After experiencing burnout a handful of times
in my life, you would think I learned my lesson. Not so much.
I complain, rub my head, vent a little frustration, and jump right back
in. I must be a glutton for punishment.
Three years ago I
left our last church after a decade of nonstop events, ministries, counseling,
outreaches, sermon preparations, men’s groups, couple’s groups, father/son activities,
and leadership seminars. It was nearing
Easter when I met with the pastor and told him I was leaving. Interestingly, he mentioned that another
pastor had told him, “You are burning Steve out. If you’re not careful, you’re
going to lose him.” Thing is, I’m an
adult. It isn’t his responsibility to
ensure my work/ministry/family balance is in order. It’s mine.
I took responsibility and then took some much-needed time off.
Less than one
month later, we visited another church.
Wouldn’t you know, within sixty-days, I was right back in full ministry
swing running retreats, promoting men’s groups, meeting with people, working
with marriages, and planning leadership development opportunities. My wife said, “Are you unable to just sit back and relax? Why are you always in
the middle of everything that goes on?”
Great question. I don’t have a
good answer short of, “I love the excitement and the challenge.”
I’m a gifted
multi-tasker that approaches everything with passion and excitement. Over the past two-to-three years, I’ve
learned to better manage my time and more importantly, the value of saying
“no.” Entering the graduate MSLD
program, I knew I would have to cut some activities and events from my schedule
to leave time for reading, studying, and writing. Fortunately, that has happened and although
my schedule is still quite full, I’ve learned the value of quiet time and
recreational time with family and friends.
The Time
Management Assessment places me in the top quartile (110). Of the twenty rules for efficient time
management, there were a few that confirmed and strengthened my position as an
“internal” and helps me take advantage of the time I have every day. First, I make a list each morning of the
things I would like to accomplish that day.
Things that I miss are moved onto the next day’s to-do list and
circled. I keep a Note Post-it with a
list of to-dos with me all week. Each
day I review it for status. Secondly, I
am extremely well organized. My desk is
neat and short of diagnosed OCD behaviors, everything has a place and rarely
am I left frantically looking for paperwork.
And thirdly, I prioritize my tasks well.
I understand what is urgent and what is important. I do not allow the urgent issues of life to
edge-out the important.
To minimize stress
in my life through effective and efficient time management skills, I’ve
identified three new ways to keep me focused and on task. First, schedule personal time. While I would like to spend a minimum of
thirty minutes in the morning, my best time is when I arrive home from
work. My wife gives me time as soon as I get
home to relax and do what I enjoy the most: read. As soon as I get home, I spend time reading
various leadership, self-improvement, or Christian books. This allows me to wind down from the day and
it helps me gain focus on what I’ve accomplished during the week and how I plan
on spending the following day.
Secondly, thanks
to cell phones, I do something productive while waiting. Whether in line at the bank, sitting at a red
light, or waiting in the car for my wife, I am reading and studying. I was not always intentional with my personal
growth and I believe I squandered a couple decades early on. Therefore, I live with a passion to make use
of every second that I have. It
motivates me to read, love, and live fully in every moment.
And lastly, I have
opened myself up to accountability.
There are a handful of close people in my life who know exactly what my
schedule looks like. And, unlike three years ago, these men will ask me what my
schedule looks like, what can I cut, and how much time have I been spending
with my family? Even though I am
consciously aware of my schedule and my time, there are men in my life that
keep me accountable to my commitments.
There are times when I feel myself accepting another task, an event, or
a ministry and they will step in and shut it down before I agree to tackle it. All good things are not great
things.
Going forward I
know there are still areas that I need to improve upon. For starters, here are a few: Go to bed
earlier. My wife and I are night
owls. We stay up too late and struggle
in the morning. Jerry Seinfeld said,
“Night guy always screws morning guy.”
We laugh because it is true! If I ever hope to increase efficiency in my
work/ministry production, I must ensure that I am getting at least seven hours
of sleep each night. The current six
hours has exposed me to a decreased immune system and early morning dullness.
Secondly, by
identifying my core values and mission statement, I will be better aware of the
“good” things that I must turn down to save room and energy for the “great”
things. In the past, because I was
involved in so many different activities, I was doing them all functionally but
not professionally. By cutting some of
the superfluous activities, I will be able to invest more energy into a few
things and make them even better.
Moreover, it will allow others to step up and lead. I’ve recently done this with the bimonthly
men’s group. While I may oversee the
25-35 men that come on Saturday, I’ve created a small leadership team to lead
the messages and work set-up. This has freed me to concentrate more on
leadership development.
And lastly, I am
making a list of my current activities and commitments. By writing them down (and giving copies to my
accountability partners), I can clearly see where my energies should be
focused. There are a multitude of needs
and expectations that surround us. They
swirl around us at work, at church, and at home. By clearly identifying and prioritizing my
commitments, I will avoid overextending myself and letting others down.
I spoke at a
funeral last week. I stood before the
congregation and looked in the faces of those wondering, “How much time do I
have?” I told them I could not answer that question. However, what I do know is every person has right now. I said, “You have
today. This moment. You will never have another like it.”
I left them with this: “Death has the
potential to awaken life. It reminds us
to not waste what we’ve been given. Live every moment to the fullest and you
will not end up at the end of your life with any regrets.” That's the best time management advice there is.
Steve
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