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Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and a Biblical Perspective to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. Our tools constantly change; our task doesn’t; we can help.

Handy Hints From Office Pros by Gayle Hilligoss

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Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: It seems at times that people assume if their life is chaotic and stressed that it shows they are doing something important. Reality is far from that—it usually means the person who is chaotic and stressed is simply undisciplined and disorganized. When I am honest with myself I know that is often my situation. Or maybe they haven't had anyone to teach them a better way. As always, Gayle's wise advice provides some wise steps to a more organized office and life—read and relax.

Through the years office professionals have shared multitudes of handy ideas. Often a tip is prefaced with, “I wish someone had told me a long time ago that ...” Here are a few concepts other office pros say work for them. Some, maybe all, will work for you too.

• Keep your desktop tidy.

“I used to keep so much stuff on my desk. Then I tried uncluttering and discovered a neat workspace actually helps me work in an organized way. Today, take everything off your desk. Put back only what you use every day. Stash everything else where it will be handy when needed: in drawers, file cabinets, closets. Organizing my desk made a big difference for me.”

• Take one day at a time.

“There is always so much to do in the office. You will never be able to say, ‘All done. There is nothing else to do.’ An assistant I admired advised me never to let myself feel overwhelmed. I took her advice. I do the best I can each day and don’t get hung up or discouraged by thinking about what lies ahead.”

• Have a life beyond the office.

“I work in a church office. At one time virtually everything I did was with church people. Then a guest speaker pointed out that we can’t spread the gospel unless we get out among those not connected to the church. And that we are more interesting, better informed people when we interact with others. I have found that to be quite true.”

• Establish a food-free office.

“Our office had become a smorgasbord. Steady streams of baked goods tempted and distracted the staff while groups of ‘visitors’ congregated and interrupted work in progress. Beyond the waste of time, our waists were taking a hit too. No wonder we felt sluggish and lazy! The suggestion to become a food-free office was not popular, but after only a short time we knew this was a great decision.”

• Neaten files as you use them.

“Every time I use a file folder, I quickly scan the papers inside to see how many I can get rid of now. I do the same thing with computer files by dumping files into a Trash In 30 Days folder. It is amazing how this simple practice keeps our files slim and orderly.”

• Be ready for sales calls.

“Though I always knew better, I still found myself spending too much time with phone sales people. Now I have a typed card with a quick and standard response. I use a pleasant but professional voice, close with asking our number be removed from their list, and wish them a good day. I’ve also learned to trash random emails and stick to our approved suppliers. ”

• Set up a reminder file.

“I had heard about tickler files half a dozen times before I finally set one up. Now I wonder how I ever got along without it. My work is more organized, it’s easier to handle, and I never miss target dates.”

• Weed out your closet.

“I used to look at my crammed closet and still feel I had ‘nothing to wear.’ I decided to get ruthless; my goal was to have my closet only half full. I was selective about what I kept; the rest went to a thrift shop. I love being able to find things easily; it seems to get my day off to a good start. I feel good about turning things loose and sharing them with others.”

• Hang your catalogs.

“I found an easy way to keep often-used catalogs and small directories handy. Open the bound material to the center and hang it over the edge of a hanging file folder. My supervisor likes his magazines ‘filed’ this way too. You can think of many applications. Handy!”

• Be willing to try something new.

“Your job can still feel new after 17 years. Mine does. I explore, experiment, and never allow myself or my work to get in a rut.”

How to get better technical support

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Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: As always, lots of great tips here and one of my favorite is at the very end—how easy it is with technology to forget that real people are at the end of our tech traumas. Gayle helps us remember and respond with grace.

Sooner or later, it will happen!

Your computer is humming along when suddenly a strange message appears. You copy it down and note exactly what you were doing when the crash occurred. You thumb through the manual, find and try some options, noting each as you work.

Nothing helps. It’s time to call in the big guys. Being a professional, you calmly turn to your updated list of support line numbers, websites, and email addresses and select the most likely source of help.

Before you pick up the phone, type the email, or visit the website, give yourself the best chance of getting fast, accurate answers by getting all your ducks in a row.

• Have at hand the notes of the exact wording of any error message on the screen, the actions you were taking when the problem occurred and the actions you tried. Have the software in question running.

• Be prepared to describe specifically what happened. Be direct and to the point in stating your difficulty. Use proper terminology, never whadayacallit, etc.

• Have pertinent information at hand: the make and model of your computer and of any relevant peripherals, the program name and version, serial numbers.

• To give yourself uninterrupted time, arrange to have someone else take care of office business while you are with the support technician.

• On your preliminary notes, make a place for the name of the support person you contact. Ask for a phone number and extension or the best procedure for contacting that person if you need more help on this problem later.

One last suggestion from a technical support person: “Please have patience. Support lines are always busy. One of the most helpful things callers can do once they connect is to get right to the problem—even though they are upset, have backed up work to do, are having a bad day, whatever. We know people are not calling us under happy conditions, but the sooner we can solve a problem, the sooner we can help someone else—maybe you.”

 

Don’t just be efficient, be effective, part three of The Number One Time Management Technique

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Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed note: I have been greatly challenged from this series of articles and on my list for today is "Publish Part Three of Time Management Article." I almost hate to end this series of tips, but I must finish my checklist!  Links to the first two parts of this series are at the end of the article:

To recap some of the invaluable Time Management Techniques in the two earlier parts of this series, Gayle Hilligoss has advised us to:

• In the afternoon, make your list for the next day.

• Include both long and short-term goals.

• Include thinking and planning time.

• Break large jobs into small ones.

• Allow for lunch and break times.

• Keep your list visible.

• Give each item on the list a priority.


Now for Part 3:

• Group similar tasks.

Studies show that doing like tasks together may cut the time required by as much as 30 percent. As you schedule your day try to arrange some blocks of time. Your goal is to move from scattered to scheduled, from random to routine.

When tasks or appointments can be scheduled at your discretion, choose timing most convenient to you. If your office generally has a least busy time of day, schedule work that demands high concentration then.

As you plan when to do things, consider what they will demand of you. Use your high energy times to do your most difficult work. Be flexible in your habits. Perhaps you’ve always done a certain routine job in the morning, your high energy time. Would it be more effective to reschedule that “not so challenging” job at a low energy time?

• Understand the Pareto Principle.

Vilfredo Pareto was a nineteenth century Italian economist. Studying the distribution of his country’s resources, he determined that 80 percent of the wealth was held by 20 percent of the people.

Researchers have discovered Pareto’s 80/20 rule applies in countless circumstances. For instance, 80 percent of your church’s offerings are likely given by 20 percent of the membership, 80 percent of the leadership provided by 20 percent of the people. And, probably 80 percent of your problems are generated by 20 percent of the congregation.

On your to-do list, 80 percent of your productivity is in the 20 percent of your list designated as As. If you do only the As, the most important 20 percent of your list, you will have accomplished 80 percent of your productivity. But, if you work from the bottom of the list and do eight things, all the Bs and Cs, you do 80 percent of your list but accomplish only 20 percent of your productivity. The 80/20 rule graphically illustrates why it is so important to stick to your priorities.

Efficiency is doing the job right. Effectiveness is doing the right job right. Your goal is to be effective, not just efficient. Keep those As crossing your desk until all are completed. The temptation to do Bs and Cs first is understandable. Usually these tasks are easier or take less time, and everybody likes to check things off. If you need help sticking to priorities, write your As on one list and your Bs and Cs on a second sheet underneath. Raising the sheet is a reminder that you’re straying from your priorities.

Work on one project at a time, seeing it through before moving on to the next. Obviously, this is not always possible. But often we interrupt ourselves. Make sure your only interruptions are the ones over which you have no control.

• Finally, keep your lists as a reference.

File your weekly to-do lists with the most current week to the front. This creates an accurate record of work done, calls made, materials ordered—any information you want may need to refer to later.

Using these steps allows you to tap into the number one time management technique effectively. The guarantee is not that you get every task on you list done, but that the most important tasks are accomplished.

Rather than fret about the unchecked tasks, as you leave the office thank God for all you did get done. Congratulate yourself for your accomplishments and keep your undone tasks on tomorrow’s to-do list where you’ve parked them. Leaving the office feeling good about the day prepares your spirit to face tomorrow with enthusiasm.

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Link to Part One of this Article

Link to Part Two of this Article

The number one time management technique and how to use it, part two

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Ed. note: In Part One we learned the valuable skill of making lists, in this part you'll learn how to use your list effectively.

• Break large jobs into small ones.

No matter how overwhelming the job, it will be done more effectively when it is reduced to a series of small tasks. Whether the job is producing a directory or writing a policies and procedures manual, spend time with pencil and paper identifying each step of the process. Then, working backward from the time the project must be completed, put the tasks on your list giving each a deadline. Seeing that the whole job doesn’t need to be done in a day, or even a week, keeps things in their proper perspective.

• Allow for lunch and break times.

When you are really busy it is easy to believe working through lunch and not taking breaks will catch you up. Actually, it may get you further behind. Researchers have determined that workers taking a 15 minute break in the morning and a 15 minute break in the afternoon are consistently more productive than those working that extra 30 minutes. Other studies confirm the benefits of a relaxing lunch hour. Fatigued, hungry people just don’t produce very good work. Mistakes are made that must be corrected later, often taking more time than doing it right in the first place.

A good practice is, “When you work, work; when you break, break.” If you compromise by working while having lunch or a snack at your desk, you produce mediocre work and lose all the recuperative benefits of a real break as well.

If you are consistently expected to do more than can reasonably be done, take the initiative in seeking a solution. The tendency is to expect the minister or a committee to recognize the problem and take action. Realistically, the person who suffers from a problem is usually the one who must solve it. As important as your job is, you are more important. Be responsible for taking care of yourself.

If you find yourself spinning your wheels, shuffling papers, or being unable to concentrate, give yourself a change of scenery. Leave the office for a short walk if you can, even it it’s just down the hall. Or slip into the sanctuary for a few quiet minutes. A short break makes a world of difference. When you plan your day, allow for your important “time outs.”

• Keep your list visible.

Your list is a map for your day. Sometimes side trips will be added to the agenda, but your list will get you back on the main road. Having your list in plain sight lets you and others see at a glance if your schedule can accommodate additional tasks. Seeing your agenda makes your supervisors more aware of demands on your time and enables them to evaluate your contributions realistically.

A short stand-up meeting each morning allows you and your minister to compare and verify priorities. Work ahead when things are going your way so those inevitable emergencies won’t find you playing catch-up. Be sure to add to your list things you do that were not on your original schedule. As long as your list is out where others will see it, omit any personal or sensitive information, unless it’s in your own private shorthand.

• Give each item on the list a priority.

Find out when each task is needed before listing it. Never assume a task is an A just because it comes from your executive. Ask. As soon as the list is made, ask yourself, “What can I delegate?” Mark those things D and note names. Delegating is an effective way to check things off your list without doing them yourself. Understand, delegating is not shirking your work. This important management skill frees time for work needing your personal attention and at the same time allows others to develop their skills.

Next, identify on your list the most important two things you must do yourself. These are your A1s. A good rule of thumb is not to have more than ten items on your list and only two A1s. Obviously, there will be days... But do try for those ratios.

Designate as As any other items that you must attend to, ideally no more than two. Use a highlighter to emphasize these high priority tasks. Next, mark as Bs the shoulds on your list. These are important tasks, but not musts. The remaining tasks are Cs, things you would like to do if all goes well, but low priorities. Just on Mondays I make a list of CZs, low priority jobs that I can do with any loose change time during the week.

Give each job a deadline, such as: do before 10 A.M. or a time frame, such as spend 40 minutes on this. This important step keeps you from scheduling too many hours of your day and from spending more time on a task than its priority dictates. Parkinson’s Law, “Work expands to fill the time available,” has never been repealed. If a time limit is not set externally, set a self-imposed deadline to keep yourself moving along. Multiply your estimated time need for the job by 1.25, giving yourself an extra 15 minutes for every hour you think you will need. I don’t know whose law it is, but things always take longer than you think they will.

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Link to Part One of this article.

Link to Part Three of this article

 

 

The number one time management technique—and how to use it, part one

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Article by Gayle Hilligoss

ed. note: We all look for ways to be more effective, to make the most of the minutes given to us. Charles Schwab paid a lot of money for the invaluable advice Gayle gives us here. Follow it for to make the most of your day serving God.

Charles Schwab was a man who got things done. Starting out as a fellow who drove stakes into the ground for the Carnegie Company, Schwab became president of Bethlehem Steel in 1903. There, this high achiever, still dissatisfied with his ability to get as much done as he’d like, called upon his friend, consultant Ivy Lee.

Schwab told Lee, “Show me a way to get more things done with my time and I’ll pay you any fee within reason.” Lee immediately handed Schwab a piece of paper and told him, “Write down the most important tasks you have to do tomorrow and number them in order of importance. When you arrive in the morning, begin on number one and stay on it until it is completed. Recheck your priorities, then start on number two. If any task takes all day, never mind, so long as it’s still number one. If you don’t finish all your tasks, don’t worry. You wouldn’t with any other method either. And with this system, the tasks you do complete are the most important ones. Make this a habit every working day. When it works for you give it to your people. Try it as long as you like. Then send me a check for what you think it’s worth.”

Schwab did as Lee directed, and some weeks later sent Lee a check for $25,000 along with a note saying that the lesson was the most profitable he had ever learned. When colleagues questioned Schwab about paying so large a fee for such a simple idea, Schwab responded by noting that most great ideas are simple ones.

Reflecting that Lee’s fee may have been the best investment Bethlehem ever made, he declared that in five years Lee’s plan was largely responsible for turning Bethlehem Steel into the largest independent steel producer in the world. What Schwab realized was that by conscientiously using Lee’s plan, not only he, but his entire team, was getting first things done first.

Over a century has passed—and still the number one time management technique is the to-do list. Unlike Schwab, you have heard about it before. You probably use such a list now. But, precisely because the technique has been around so long, it is easy to undervalue its worth and not use it to full advantage. This report is a refresher course in basics— along with the latest strategies for using your list more effectively.

The most important principle to grasp is that your list is not to ensure you get everything done, but to ensure you get the most important things done. Time is a finite resource. You already have all there is—24 hours every day. You can’t get more time; you can manage the time you already have more effectively. Here are ten techniques that work.

• In the afternoon, make your list for the next day.

Always write your list, no matter how good your memory is. Putting tasks on paper allows you to evaluate and organize them. Even though you know you will be diverted from your plan, make one anyway. It keeps you headed in the right direction.

Take ten minutes during the last hour of your day to make tomorrow’s list. By this time you are in the flow of things and have a good grasp of what will and won’t be finished. You know what needs to be tackled next. Get those tasks written on your list for tomorrow.

The first hour of the day is the most nonproductive hour in most offices. Without a clear sense of direction, people take more time deciding what to do first and getting started. When you have already made that decision you can quickly review your priorities and immediately start your most important work.

When facing a particularly challenging day, start with an important but small task. This builds confidence to tackle your more difficult work. Whenever you turn that first hour into a productive one, you start your day being in control and are more likely to remain in control.

Making your list in the afternoon has another important benefit: it allows you to put tasks on paper and leave them there. Once they are on the agenda for tomorrow, dismiss them from your mind. Don’t mentally take your work home with you. Leave your list in your top desk drawer. If an emergency keeps you from the office, the person filling in will know what is in progress.

• Include both long and short term goals.

Planning always starts long term and moves short term. From the year’s plans you develop monthly, weekly, and then daily plans.

A failing of many lists is that they ignore long term goals. One solution is for your staff to use weekly plan sheets during your annual planning meeting. As ministry objectives are formulated, each person can make notes on the same sheets he will use for daily planning throughout the year. If your staff doesn’t hold an annual planning meeting, schedule one for yourself. Your personal planning need not depend on others. A calendar, a tablet, and an hour of previewing upcoming months will save you hours of valuable time later.

See your to-do list as a guide for achievement—never as a rigid taskmaster. Allow the list to reflect your personality and style. I prefer not to list routine tasks—sorting the mail, making address changes and the like—on the list. You may choose to. Either way, expect the unexpected. Allow flexibility by scheduling only one-half to two-thirds of your working hours. Use unscheduled time carefully. Before you take on any task not on your list, ask yourself, “Would this be the best use of my time now?”

Some demands are so routine you respond to them automatically. Step back and look at those tasks objectively. Rethink their value. No habit should be allowed to outlive its usefulness to you. Add to your list any jobs especially on your mind at the end of your work day—just park them there overnight. In the morning, scan the list and cross off, or reassign priorities to, those things that don’t seem quite so important anymore.

• Include thinking and planning time.

When you feel you don’t have time to plan is when you need most to plan. The mental weariness that comes from having too much to do is often cured by making specific plans. Seeing what your jobs are allows you to choose wisely so you don’t waste time and energy doing the unimportant while what really matters gets neglected.

Planning can involve getting things from others: reports, newsletter articles, and the like. Agree on deadlines and set up a reminder system. When planning for a difficult responsibility or something you have never done before, consider your resources instead of jumping right in. Can you talk with someone who has done this kind of project? Do you have the files from last year’s campaign? Is there an online resource that could offer shortcuts? Be sure you gather the information you need, not just a collection of opinions. Once you have what you need, act.

Click on the following for the best punch in and out app that can help you simplify your business attendance system.

The rest of the tips are coming in Part Two.