How to Control Your Schedule to Make Time for Your Number One Task
From Brandon: The following is a guest post from Thomas Manzke, pastor at Central Christian Church in Valparaiso, IN. You can read more from Thomas at ThomasManzke.com
It is 5:00pm Saturday night; you still have a sermon to write. You have done your study for the sermon but there is nothing that remotely looks like a sermon outline. You sit down at the computer and the phone rings, a dear elderly lady who has been part of the congregation you serve for 40 years just passed away, and your presence is requested.
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One challenge that faces every pastor is how to get everything that has to be done, completed in a timely and efficient manner.
When I first started in ministry I struggled with this, often completing the Sunday morning sermon late Saturday night. During the week things would interrupt the task of sermon preparation. There were people to counsel, people to visit, bulletins to prepare, hospital calls, committee meetings and a whole course of other unusual things that come up when you are the minister of a small congregation. Consequently, what I considered my most important task got pushed back in my schedule.
I have found that one of the keys to controlling my schedule and completing what I consider my most important task of preparing to preach is to follow a routine. Each week I try to do the same things on the same days.
My day in the office begins with prayer over the day’s schedule, I check email and messages. This happens every week day. I find that I concentrate better and I am at my best in the morning between 9 o clock to noon, so I schedule study time for the week’s sermon during that time.
The afternoon Monday through Wednesday, are for appointments and calls, Thursday all day is dedicated to writing the Sundays sermon. Friday morning I edit and put the finishing touches on the week’s sermon and in the late morning and afternoon I schedule member and nursing home calls.
I plan to be home every night for supper with the family. As a husband and father, I try very hard not to schedule myself to be away from home in the evening more than four nights a week including our Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services.
Four Benefits to an established routine.
- Priorities are established and maintained.
- Your family knows what to expect.
- The congregation that you serve knows what to expect
- More productivity less stress.
Four steps to establishing a ministry routine:
1. Determine your priorities.
What is expected of you by God, Your family and the congregation where you serve? Write them down then prioritize them in order.
2. Determine what time of day you are at your best and schedule your most important tasks during that time.
When is your mind most focused and sharp? When are you at your best? Schedule that time for your top priorities.
3. Write your routine down and try it for three weeks then make adjustments.
It took me three tries to come up with a routine that fit me, my family and the congregation I serve.
4. Know when to break the routine.
There are going to be times in ministry where the routine will have to go out the window, for a day or two. Emergencies happen, ministry is messy. Go back to the routine as soon as possible.
Establishing a routine will be hard and may feel uncomfortable at first but stay disciplined, the longer you do your routine the more it will become like second nature to you, and the benefit of a less stressful life will be immense.
I would be interested to hear about your ministry routine. What worked, what didn’t and what benefits have you experienced?
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