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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.

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

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

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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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
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.

Kill complacency and continue to grow personally and professionally

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: The last article by Gayle was a wonderful encouragement on how to handle pressure, and this article is a fine balance to that information because we can be destroyed just as easily by complacency. Read on for advice on how to kill complacency and continue to grow.

Complacency can be an occupational hazard for any professional. Once a person becomes proficient in her job, the temptation to coast often comes into play.

What sets the true pro apart is her ability to continue to grow personally and professionally—to stay on the cutting edge—regardless of how long she has been on the job, how many responsibilities she handles, how many seminars she’s attended. The wise assistant realizes there are always fresh ideas to discover, new possibilities to explore, and more mature insights to gain.

• Build on your strengths

One of the most important elements of success in any endeavor is the ability to recognize what you do best and what gives you the greatest satisfaction. It may be writing, graphics, supervising, organizing files, or another of your responsibilities.

• To grow in your job, find as many ways as possible to use your unique gifts regularly during your day.

Exercising these skills boosts your self-esteem, keeps your work interesting, and strengthens your expertise. This is good both for you and for the church.

• Find ways to use your gifts outside the office as well.

Get involved in an office professionals organization, a ministry project, whatever allows you to use and develop your gifts as you give back to your organization and your community. You can establish yourself as the person to contact in matters concerning your field of choice.

• Appreciate the value of time

Those who excel in ministry are those who know the value of resources and use them well—and no resource is more valuable than time. Unlike other resources, time is finite. Everyone has just 24 hours a day; there is no way anyone can get any more. So the trick, then, is to invest each of your minutes in something that matters and not to waste any minutes on what doesn’t.

Few accomplishments are more professionally rewarding than skillful time management. Of course, this skill is not a once-for-all endeavor. But with practice you get to the point where you can realistically control at least 60 percent of your work time.

Some important steps in time management:

  • Before heading out the door at the end of each day, take a few minutes to list your top priorities for the next day. Consistently do this until it becomes second nature.
  • In the morning, review and adjust the list as needed. Then stick with it.
  • When an emergency pulls you from your plan, address the need and then immediately get back on track. Eliminate habits that nibble away at time and keep you from priorities.

Killing complacency, building on your strengths, and valuing time will keep you right where you want to be professionally—on the cutting edge.

How and why to leave the office on time, part two, Plus tips on how to avoid church office burnout

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. Note: The first part of this article is available if you click here. It started out describing the situation many in the church office know well—caring so much about your work you are working to the point of burnout. This second part of the article tells what to do about it.

An early clue to burnout is the tendency to take yourself too seriously.

Losing the ability to laugh, especially at yourself, is a good sign all is not well. Actually, others may see signs of your burnout even before you do. But if they suggest you ease up, you will find it easy to justify your long hours. You may see others as not as dedicated as you and manufacture a whole list of “Yes, but’s:

“Yes, but if I don’t stay I will think about this work all night.”

“Yes, but if I don’t do this, no one else will.”

“Yes, but unless I stay I will be more behind tomorrow.”

Commitment is a good thing, but even good things need to be kept in proper perspective. The Christian professional’s commitment should be to God, not just to her work. God would not have you neglect your home, family, friends and self. In the long run over commitment will not enhance your service but hinder it, perhaps end it.

Often we think turning problems around calls for drastic adjustments. Sometimes remedies look so difficult we do nothing when, as a matter of fact, we could make small changes and achieve big results.

Putting these three practical steps to work will allow you to get out of the office on time—and feel good about it.

First, set realistic goals.

To succeed as a Christian professional you must acknowledge you cannot do everything. Focus on doing the most important things. Some of those “most important things” are outside the office!

A key question to ask yourself is, “What do I want to achieve through my work?”

Dream on paper. What does your perfect work week look like? How do you spend your time during and after work? How do you relate with others? How does your office look? How do you look? Think of someone who has achieved the working style you would like and use her as your role model.

Identifying the kind of assistant you want to be helps keep your life in balance. Pat never would have chosen as a role model someone as enslaved to her work as she was herself. She had no clear picture of what she wanted to achieve and therefore no clear sense of priorities.

Once you know where you want to go, use your favorite planning tool to help you get there. As you schedule each day’s activities keep clearly in mind: the total number of hours available each day, and the amount of time each task will take. Use your priority system to keep you on track. All things are not of equal importance. Remind yourself often: your goal is not to do everything but to do the most important things.

Keep a to-do list as a guide. When asked to take on a task, check your list. Agreeing to a task not only pledges your energy but your time. You must realistically avoid the trap of making more promises than you have time to keep.

Put activities on your list that move you toward your ideal work style. Promise yourself to come to work on time, take a lunch hour and breaks, and leave on time. Always give an honest day’s work so you need never feel guilty, regardless of what remains at the end of the day. Be too sharp to believe you can keep ahead of the workload by putting in extra hours several nights a week.

If you have established a pattern of over commitment, people already take it for granted you will get the work done regardless of the extra hours required, the lack of adequate equipment, the continuing need for more help.

You can break the cycle by initiating your own changes, but it may also help to talk with your supervisor. If that seems a good move, explain your need to create a better balance in your life. Give your pledge of excellence and share your plans for constructive changes in your work style.

The second step to get you out of the office on time is to begin winding down about half an hour before time to leave.

Make this your regular “wrap up and plan for tomorrow time.” Even for the most effective time manager there will always be “just one more thing.”

Set a specific time to tie up loose ends and determine what will be on the agenda for tomorrow. Commit any unfinished tasks to your planner and park them there overnight. Just before you leave the office each afternoon, praise God for what was accomplished. Congratulate yourself on a job well done. As you turn off the office lights visualize turning off all thoughts of the office until tomorrow; turn your thoughts toward home.

And finally, get out of the office on time by having a pleasant experience waiting for you after work.

Shift your thinking so you see the end of the work day not as leaving something but as going to something. Within the framework of what is possible for you, give yourself some freedom in choosing after-work activities.

Sandy likes coming home to a bubble bath and good music. Ann spends her evenings sewing for her grandchildren. Roxanne has teenagers, so she plans many of her evenings around their activities. Nancy belongs to a health spa and goes there directly from work several evenings a week to swim and exercise. Shirley enjoys coming home to her yard and garden.

It is easy to get so wrapped up in making a living that you neglect to make a life, so busy doing good things that you pass by the better things. Building a rewarding life beyond the office is one of the best things you can do for yourself and for those you serve.

No one should presume to tell you how many hours to work or how to demonstrate your commitment. You decide those things. My point is that “hours worked” are not the best measure of one’s dedication. To a far greater extent than most of use care to admit, we make the choices determining our quality of life. You know the consequences of over extending yourself. You can make choices to bring your life more into balance.

The rewards of leaving the office on time are impressive—for you and your work:

You will feel and be more in control. Once you have a realistic sense of what you want to achieve, you can give up trying to be a cross between Wonder Woman and Dear Abby. Instead of being pulled in a hundred directions you can set firm goals and work toward them. You can accept your own limitations and relax. Make up your mind once, instead of deciding every afternoon, you will leave the office on time. Having that question settled is absolutely liberating!

You will accomplish more in less time. Of all our resources, we tend to misuse time more than any other. Once you determine you will only be in the office a set number of hours, you become much more aware of how valuable your time is. You spend your minutes more wisely.

Your weekly plans keep priorities in view and help you say no to tasks that would keep you from your goals. “Discipline,” wrote Bill Vaughn, “is like broccoli. We may not care for it ourselves, but feel sure it would be good for everybody else.” Ordering your day will take some discipline, but you can do it.

The real reason for not doing so many things is not too little time, but too many excuses. Once we give up the excuses, there is room in our lives for all the things that really matter: family, friends, church, community, and self. Balanced living not only can add more years to your life, but more life to your years.

Each day do these four things:

• Spend time in prayer and in the Word.
• Move yourself closer to one of your goals.
• Perform a random act of kindness.
• Do something nice for yourself.

An added advantage to leaving the office on time—it gives you greater longevity in your work. Food for thought: How would you treat your car if you knew it was the only one you would ever have? How do you treat yourself knowing you are the only “you” you will ever have? Pace yourself, take time to refuel your body and spirit, do proper maintenance.

You can avoid a major overhaul and be around long enough to become a beautiful classic!

Staying afloat in a sea of requests

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Gayle Hilligoss PictureEditor's note: Sometimes I think that even though she lives half a country away, Gayle Hilligoss is looking over my shoulder—her wonderfully helpful articles always seem to speak directly to something I am either struggling with or working on—I imagine quite a few of you will share that feeling when you are finished reading this.....

Many words could be used to describe the workday of ministry assistants. Simple is not one of them.

The dilemma is you truly like to help others, to share your gifts and skills, to be involved in getting things done. And the church office, as well as your out-of-the-office life, provides many—maybe too many—opportunities. You can easily find yourself drowning in a sea of requests.

Usually it is not the valid responsibilities of the job that create waves, not your supervisor’s  assignments or requests, but optional projects—nonessentials that compete with your mandatory tasks. The lifesaver for staying afloat can be found in one tiny word. That little, but powerful, word is no.

If you are one who still finds no hard to say, it is simply time to accept the truth that no one can do everything; choices must be made. For each elective demand on your time ask, “Is this the best use of my time right now?” Honest answers allow you to throw nonessentials overboard without hesitation or guilt. More than saying no to the request, you are saying yes to a higher priority.

Not all opportunities represent necessary, appropriate, or even worthwhile endeavors. Some create conflicts with previous plans or reflect others’ priorities, not yours. Some just don’t feel right for you; it is good to acknowledge when your plate is full enough.

All these, and more, are sound reasons to say no. Exercise your right to decide, “I have all I can handle now,” or “This isn’t something I choose to do.”

Calendar cramming can get to be a habit. Being asked to do lots of things often leads us to believe we are indispensable; we are not. Sometimes ego prevents our stepping back. Other times, being immersed in small busywork provides a good excuse for not giving attention to more meaningful things.

The freedom to say no doesn’t belong only to the super busy, of course. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

When you do decide to turn down a request, do it gracefully. Briefly explain your reasons; express thanks for being asked. Don’t be ambivalent; say no, not maybe. Stringing people along is not fair to them and is a drain on your own time and energy.

In some cases, you may be able to suggest an alternative. People may ask you to perform tasks someone else could, and possibly should, do. Knowing you are not obligated to comply with every request gives you confidence to pursue the course clear to you.

The guideline that helped me most in overcoming my personal tendency to overcommit is, “Have a bigger yes burning inside.” That principle not only puts things in perspective, it is realistic.

If we are to achieve the best we can’t allow ourselves to be diverted—even by good things.