10 “P’s” of Time Management

Last Friday, Dale Jenkins and I went “guest-less” on iPreach. We decided to have a program on time management. While the program was focused more heavily on ministers, nearly anyone could gain something from the program. If you would like to hear it click here, then listen to program #110.

It was suggested in our chatroom that we post some notes from the program, so here is a quick summary of the things we discussed.

Before we give the 10 “P’s,” let me share with you some statistics that Dale found to introduce our topic. These stats come from three individuals: James Nored, Eugene Cho, and Darrin Patrick. While these are from the larger “Christian” community, they clearly show some good points.

• 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with spouse and that ministry has a negative effect on their family.
• Pastors who work fewer than 50 hrs/week are 35% more likely to be terminated.
• Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
• Fifty percent of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
• Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
• Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.
• Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.

Preachers are busy, but we can still do better about managing our time to be productive while still having time with our family and for ourself. With that in mind, here are 10 tips that Dale and I presented on the show.

1. Prioritize a day – ponder it – if you do not it WILL be sabotaged.  To put it another way: plan your day or it will be planned for you!  Do not wait until the day begins, though. Plan it in advance. The night before is a great time to lay out your “to-do” list for the following day. Remember the nature of preaching: We do not work in a factory so you never know what a day will bring; thus, you must be flexible. Even so, do your best to be prepared with a plan for your day.  If you so prioritize you can pray over your day.  Ask: Do I want to exchange these 24 hours for these activities?

2. Protect time for your family. We both agree that you must put time for your family on your calendar or it may not happen. When you do and you get a call from someone to meet or talk or go see (or “etc to the farthest degree”), you can honestly say you already have an appointment for that time.  Don’t think that preachers’ families are the only ones who have to sacrifice, that is true of a number of professions. Note: When they do have to get the short end of the stick do something special and fun for and with them.  Also, don’t use your family as an excuse to doing the work you need to be doing.

3.  Be proficient at saying no. Don’t over schedule – but so much is beyond our ability to control. There is only so much you can put in your backpack before it becomes too heavy to carry. If you can work in some “no’s” into your contract, it helps. For example, your contract can state that you will only be away one Wednesday night each month to speak. That automatically helps you to say “no” when you get several calls to speak on Summer series and other events.

4. Plan your preaching as far out as possible and as early in the week as you can. If not, you will have a week that falls apart. Then, you will basically  have two options. (1) You will stay up all night Saturday night getting a sermon together and have no energy to present it. (2) You will be “half-prepared” and really have nothing to say of any significance. By getting a “jump” on your preaching, you can be more flexible later in the week, and can add to and take away from your major notes as you let your sermon run through your thoughts.

5. Purchase the time (based upon Ephesians 5:16, “Redeeming the time”). WORK!  (Postpone Procrastination). We all have 24 hours.  Don’t wile away minutes on Facebook or blogging or surfing that you wonder where the morning went.  It is OK to play but when it’s time to work…WORK. There are many preachers who claim they don’t have time to get everything done, but they are really good at online games or other things that crowd out their time. Even small snippets of time can be used for good. How long does it take to send a note or email? Make a phone call? Read a couple of pages in a good study book? Fill your day and you can be proud of what you accomplish in one “work day.”

6. Pass off distractions. There are people who will become “drains” on your time.  “Preacher, I didn’t have anything to do today, so I decided to come do it with you…”  Or little frustrations you can’t control that you can spend a lot of time worrying about. Rick Warren says, “Worrying is stewing without doing.” Figure out a way to talk to these folks without letting them take your entire morning away from your studies. Be kind, but remember that, if you get them out, you are helping THEM, too, because they can go out and serve their fellow man!

7. Send a pinch hitter up. Learn to delegate. We are pretty poor at REALLY turing a matter over to others. They may not do as good a job as you but they will learn to serve and be rewarded and you will have more freedom do be more productive. Even if it is just part of a project, let it go! You might be surprised at what someone else can do creatively with “your” project!

8. Productivity comes through consistency. 10-15 minutes a day is better than 1 hour a month.  If we “plod” along on a project (if we eat the elephant one bite at a time), it will be far easier than trying to do it all in one moment.  Dowell Flatt used to say: “One night wonders are rarely that wonderful.” For example, don’t try to plan VBS in one day. Plan one small part each day (or every other day) for the better part of a month, and then see how full and complete your plan is. Combine this with #7 and you will be blown away at how everything falls together over time.

9. Practice creative loafing:  Learn to get away. To vacate. To recreate. To RE-Create! This is not being lazy. That’s why we called it “creative” loafing. If you need to get away for an hour or two, do so. But make phone calls on the way, or take a book you are reading and read it at the zoo or in a coffee shop. This should not be the only way you work, but your brain needs to have some rest at times.

10. Prepare yourself through life:  Keep training…learning…. This is true of your knowledge of Scripture and preaching, but it is also true of your knowledge of how to manage your time. Keep mental note (or physical notes) of how you best get your work done. As you grow and mature, keep working IN your strengths, and keep working ON your weaknesses.

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Agree? Disagree? Additions?

What are some tips you have that will help us all get more things done without sacrificing our families or our “sanity”?