God calls us to be masters of our time, one of the greatest treasures He gives us.  With all you have to do maybe you wish you had a TARDIS to time travel in:

If so, today I’ve got time management tips #3, #4 & #5 for you and the first one is cutting down on the procrastination…

Tip #3: Eat That Frog!

I got this tip from a book by the same title, but the principle is so true! If eating a frog is on your list of things you have to do in a given day, here’s the tip – eat the frog first! If not, the frog will be looming over you all day and you won’t accomplish much because you’ll be distracted.

If your frog is a conversation you need to have, then have it first thing in the morning so you can get it out of the way and you can get on with your day. If it’s a project that has to get done, then do it and get on with your life. You’ll be glad you did.

The best part is this – eating a frog (whatever that is for you) is probably the worst thing you’ll have to deal with that day, so your day can only get better from there 🙂

Tip #4: Plan your day the night before

Before I go to bed, I sneak into my home office and write down the 15-20 things I need to accomplish the next day. They vary in size, shape, and scope but once I write them down I know they’re going to get accomplished.

If you wait until 10AM to plan your day, it’s over. Your morning is half over and several small fires have already hit your desk. But if you will take 15 minutes the night before to plan your day, you will get twice as much done, and more importantly, you’ll get the most important things done.

By the way, it doesn’t matter what kind of to-do list you have, as long as you have one. If you walk into your office without a to-do list and time blocked out in your calendar to accomplish them, they won’t happen.

When you take time to write out what you need to accomplish, you’re saying, “My time is valuable and the tasks I need to accomplish are valuable as well.” This will carry over into the kind of work you produce and how you value your time and the time of others.

Tip #5: Triage What Needs to Get Done

I have a limited amount of time to accomplish a huge amount of tasks. This requires me to decide what gets done, delegated, delayed, or deleted.

1. What gets Done – this is the stuff that is most important on my list. It is the stuff that only I can do.

2. What gets Delegated – anything that someone else can do. The general rule is that if a person can do a task 75% as well as you, it should be delegated.

3. What gets Delayed – there are things that I need to do, but they aren’t a priority. So they get delayed until I can give them the proper time. This is especially true of things that you need to do but aren’t time sensitive.

4. What gets Deleted – This is the nonsense that comes across my desk. This is the stuff that has no benefit engaging in (i.e. answering an irate email from a person who’s mind you aren’t going to change).

I look at everything I have to do through this lens. The truth is, you’re probably doing too much. This has helped me sort through everything that comes my way.

If these tips have been helpful to you definitely check out my FREE Ebook, “The Productive Pastor” for additional blessings…