Five Productivity Pitfalls
Have you ever heard the phrase "Death by 10,000 Cuts"?
Let me share with you 5 pitfalls that might seem to be so small, they don't matter, but have the ability to really erode your ministry productivity.
First - are you wanting to jump in on the Memorial Day limited course? It’s available for purchase through Monday, May the 27th.
We hope we are aware of the big things affecting our ministry and productivity.
But what about the small things? Those tiny things that can add up and have us bleed massively?
This episode focuses in on five of the things I put intentional effort into (and I share some tips I’ve found to combat them).
Not putting things in your schedule when you schedule them.
We all do it. We agree to be at a meeting or it comes through our email. We might think we will remember it, but we find out we miss it or get a last minute text wondering where we are.
I try to immediately put things in my calendar when they get confirmed. I use a calendar management tool to schedule meetings. Finally, I try to NOT passively say “Yeah, let’s get together” and instead find the time right then.
Putting off nagging tasks like software updates and passwords.
Yeah, I know I got a notification, but I can put this off. I can’t tell you how many times this has gotten me.
Or I think I will remember a specific password and I can’t, which creates a larger task about remembering or resetting. I use a password manager now AND have an Evernote file for those small things it might not catch.
Not writing things down
One of the most effective strategies anyone can start doing is simply carrying a notebook and writing things down. I am also LOVING a new AI tool called Voicenotes for when I want to think through something out loud and come back to it later.
Write stuff down. Trust me, it will save you.
Building in the time to be responsive.
Ministry shouldn’t be reactive, but it needs to be responsive (Episode 47 is all about this).
Being responsive means both agreeing to it as an idea AND committing to it as a practice. A lack of responsiveness can create a lack of trust in our ministry credibility and cause relational problems. Make the time and realize it has to be there.
Not scheduling to 80%.
Keeping an 80% schedule means building in time for things we can’t anticipate. If we are always going 110%, we will wear out and not be able to pastor in the way we want to.