PP88 : Procrastination and the Law of Triviality
We like to think about procrastination on the podcast, but I came across a quote and an idea in the last couple of weeks that really helped me think through my own struggles with it, and helped provide a clear way out.
Tim Urban, on a recent episode of How I Write said this;
Procrastinators are great at producing were they aren’t supposed to be.
This is so true. And I could say more and more on this, but what got me connecting ideas is something else I read recently about the idea of bike-shedding. You can read the whole article here.
He suggested that the committee would look past the first proposal because it is too difficult for people to voice their opinions on such a complicated issue. The committee would quickly move on to the proposal for the bike shed and spend far more time discussing it than they did the nuclear plant. Finally, they would spend the most amount of time discussing the coffee budget, as the simplest of the three proposals.
When I put these two ideas together it builds out a great understanding not just of procrastination, but how we can avoid it through meaningful identification of work.
Here are 5 ways we can avoid bike-shedding in our ministry work.
Get Squared Away.
Make sure you are prepared to work, have everything you need, and realize where distractions about prepping to get things done can keep you bogged down in the trivial.
2. Declare Your Focus.
Think through what any larger goals or focuses might be, and how you break them down into smaller bits. If this sounds scary, check out the Becoming Productive course, or the first season of Productive Pastor.
3. Share Your Focuses.
Something psychological happens when we are willing to share our intentions with others. Even if it’s just keeping yourself personally accountable with a weekly review process, sharing those focuses is powerful.
4. Have a Place to Bike-Shed!
We always have to be a bit playful. Find a way to let your mind wander and have fun in totally non-ministry ways AS WELL as creating the space to bike-shed in ministry a bit in order to recalibrate your mind and energy.
5. Run Your Program (but be realistic).
Some people still like to ask questions about whether should ministry be productive. Yes. All the way. Because strategic productivity creates health…and I will always argue for ministry health. So don’t be embarrassed to have an idea or plan and work it.
Don’t order do it though. This isn’t about the hustle, but about health.