Easter came and went like a whirlwind.
Now we’re celebrating what God has done, following up with guests and new believers, starting a new series, getting ready for Mother’s Day…and the list goes on.
Obviously, I don’t personally do all those things. We do it as a team.
But as the leader, people ask me all the time, How do you get your “to do’s” done?
So here’s what I personally do…
#1 – Group tasks together – I don’t know why, but it takes me only slightly more time to respond to 5 email as it does to 30 emails. So I plan to respond to email all at the same time.
#2 – Understand Myself – My best creative energies are in the morning, so I never schedule appointments in the morning. I use that time for message prep, developing systems, and problem solving. My afternoons then become times for me to meet with people, do admin, write letters, etc… It allows me to be much more effective.
#3 – To Do Lists – If I don’t have a list on my desk of what needs to be done, I am completely lost. Every morning before I get to the office, I spend 10 minutes writing down everything that I need to accomplish (this ranges from calls I need to make, research I need to do, messages to write, things I need to listen to, etc…). Backpack has really helped me in this regard. Now I do all of this online.
#4 – Be organized – You can’t make good use of your time if you’re spending 1/2 your time looking for stuff. This store will help you get organized and store things in an orderly way. Trust me, you’ll save time just by knowing where stuff is.
#5 – Use technology – My Trello helps me by having so much information stored in one place. The beauty of technology is that it can help us accomplish more by having what we need at our disposal. I just added a text messaging feature (I know I’m late to the party) to my phone because sometimes a 2 line text is all someone needs. If I call, it’s a 20 minute conversation about everything under the sun. Sometimes a call is necessary, but I like having the option to text, email, or call.
#6 – Utilize “Dead” Time – My executive pastor has helped me in this regard. He makes many of his calls while he’s in the car siting in traffic. This way the time isn’t wasted. I’ve been doing this as well. I always have a list of people to call, so when I’m hopping into my car I’ve usually got my phone in hand ready to call someone.
If you want some more help generating time I put together a short ebook called “The Productive Pastor” for you.
Get it free here:
