by Tim Swanson
The desert heat is unforgiving. When you open the door, it slaps you in the face. If you’ve experienced it, you know it’s an unnatural feeling. Fortunately for me, I got to escape the heat last weekend at the Kierland Westin Resort in Scottsdale. There is a new attraction there that I’ve only recently heard of. They call it a Flowrider, and I was reminded of an essential element of time management from it.
The Flowrider is basically a quarter pipe with powerful water thrusters at the bottom that shoot water simulating a wave (the above photo is me on the Flowrider). To ride on the Flowrider, my brother and I signed up for a one hour block of time along with 8 or so other people. That guaranteed that we didn't stand in an endless line. When it was my turn, I got one or two shots to do some tricks and show people what I was made of. Then after 45 seconds or so I’d have to get to the back of the line and let another rider go. After a few rounds I noticed that it was taking about 10 minutes for everyone in line to go once, which meant that, in one hour, I’d only get six chances to ride. Before long I found myself planning out my next turn. I wanted to get the most out of my time.
As I rattled off the list of tricks I planned to attempt on my next turn, I realized a key component of time management in leadership. Just like the short turns I got on the Flowrider, I don’t have as much time to invest in my team as I’d like. Maybe you’re fortunate enough to be paid to do what you love full time. But if you’re like me, and you only do your dream job part of the time, then you have to make every second of your working hours count. In the same way that I planned my turns on the Flowrider, I have to plan out my work hours in order to accomplish my goals. If I don’t then I tend to be like the other people on the Flowrider, who learned no tricks and spent their turns riding on their bellies and then wiping out. During the workweek, if I sit down to prepare music for my church without a plan, I tend to get overwhelmed, and then I become ineffective. So here are Five keys to time management for you to use as you plan out your precious time.
 |
| Here's a really great shot of me totally wiping out! |
1. Pray - Ask God to manage your productivity. Specifically ask Him to help you accomplish the things He wants you to accomplish. You can be the best time manager in the world, but if you pursue your will over God’s, you’ll end up face down in the dirt (like I have done a million times).
2. Determine Your Priorities - Do you have a list of your work tasks that’s ordered by priority? Well, you should. Eventually, your workload will grow bigger than your time allowance (if it already hasn't). When that happens, you should already know which things you’ll put on the back burners, and which things you’ll sacrifice to complete. A great way to do this is to list all of your work tasks on one page. On a another page, write numbers down the left margin. Then move your tasks over to the numbered page, putting them in order of importance. You’ll want to use a pencil for this one, as you’ll almost certainly have to do some editing along the way.
3. Commit Time To Planning - This one may seem a little obvious, but when you have little time, it can be easy to skip this step or cut corners in planning to maximize your time. Make no mistake, in order to spend your time well, you have to plan well. 30 - 45 minutes of planning is generally a good goal for a 4 - 6 hour work day. When I write my list out, I use the free Google Tasks app on my smartphone. That way I have my list with me wherever I go.
4. Stick To The Plan - I bet your workplace can be distracting. In the offices at Moon Valley Bible Church, I find myself frequently distracted by things going on around the campus. Having a written list will help you to refocus on the task at hand when there are a million distractions around you.
5. When You Fall Down, Get Back Up - On the Flowrider, it was really easy to wipe out. With my job as a church music director, it can be even easier to biff it and waste lots of time. When that happens, I begin to get down on myself pretty quick. But when I throw a pity party, my only accomplishment is wasting more time. During my finer moments, I repeat the first step: pray. Then I move on with my day.
I’d be willing to bet that you have some natural talent as a leader, and I’d double down on a bet that you have more potential to discover. My prayer is that God will use this blog entry to help you become the leader that he wants you to be. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if there is a topic you’d like me to cover. You can connect with me by leaving a comment below.
0 comments:
Post a Comment