Time management is a challenge for most Christian workers. The demands on their time from their workload, as well as from those that they're responsible for, can be overwhelming. Many will also have family commitments or church commitments and will be very aware that they need to maintain their own spiritual discipline, which can so easily be forced out of a busy schedule.
There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to time management as each person and each situation are different. What works for one person won't work for another; the key to good time management is in giving tried and tested methods a chance and using the ones that are right for you.
Here are some practical ideas that you might want to try:
Plan
Planning not only helps time to be used efficiently, but it can also give a feeling of being in control of your workload which can be very beneficial emotionally. It can help you to identify where the times of pressure will be and allow for alternative action to be taken. If planning is an area of weakness then you could try the following:
- Do an audit of your time. How are you spending your time, how are you wasting time? It might be helpful to write down everything you do each day for a week - even the smallest tasks - and then look back and see where the time has gone. Although initially this will eat further into your time the outcome is likely to be that you'll be shocked at how much time you're wasting and hopefully you'll be able to address some of the issues.
- Use your diary to schedule specific tasks into specific timeslots. Rather than trying to multi-task or address too many tasks in one day sit down and plan what you want to achieve and put the time into your diary. If what you are planning is unachievable then it will hopefully be obvious.
- Get things ready ahead of time. If you have a meeting first thing in the morning then plan in time to prepare the evening before. Pull together all of the documents or information that you'll need and have them ready to take with you. Find out where you're going and how you're going to get there. If you have a report to write then schedule in time to do any research or find information well before the deadline is due. Forward planning can help to reduce your stress level and make you more productive.
- Get organised. File things, keep papers and folders in an organised manner and write important dates in your diary. Put contact details into your address book and keep your notes in one place. Whether you use electronic or paper organisation remember the old saying 'everything has a place and everything in its place'. A lot of time and stress can be saved by following this principle!
- Don't use too many systems. As mentioned earlier there are plenty of time management techniques and you need to identify which ones work for you. Choose no more than one or two different systems for each area of your work or you could find that you're spending all of your time managing your systems rather than achieving anything.
Where possible, avoid multi-tasking
Although some people are great at multi-tasking, the reality is it's rarely as efficient as focussing on one task at a time. To illustrate this, write down the numbers 1 to 24. Then write down the letters of the alphabet A to Z. Finally combine the two writing A1, B2, C3 etc. If you time yourself then you'll see it takes significantly longer to combine the numbers and the letters compared to writing each list separately.
Where possible focus on one job at a time, planning in advance and breaking the day into different tasks.
Maintain boundaries
This can be one of the trickiest areas for Christian workers who find pastoral care is a key part of their role. It's not appropriate to send away someone who needs support just because it doesn't fit in with the day that you've planned. At the same time, if you don't have boundaries then you can become overwhelmed by the needs and demands of those you care for.
Appropriate boundaries when combined with communication can help massively both in terms of time-management and in managing stress levels. For example make it known that:
- You are available for calls or visits between x-time and y-time but will not be answering your phone at other times
- You will answer emails once a day only
- When there is a real emergency you can be contacted via...
In many instances boundaries may be ignored at first and it may be necessary to reinforce the message several times. Although this can be difficult for some people to deal with and upsetting for some people to hear, the longer term benefits for you and those you serve will be immense.
Delegate
For some people there is nobody to delegate to but for others opportunities for delegation are missed, either through poor planning or because of nervousness that the task won't be done properly. If you are in the fortunate position of being part of a team then try these steps to successful delegation:
- Communicate with each other. Make others aware of what you are doing so they can offer their support.
- Brief thoroughly. Be clear about what needs to be done and how it should be completed. If you are unsure yourself then get some clarity before you start.
- Once the task is handed over then leave it there - don't interfere! It can be difficult but if you keep involving yourself then you won't feel the benefits of the time you've freed up.
- Accept that it might get done differently. 'Done differently' is not necessarily 'done badly' it just means that someone has taken a different approach. One of the keys to good delegation is being prepared to let go and accept that there are many routes to achieving the same goal.
- Check the outcome. Whilst bearing in mind the point above you still need to take some responsibility for the outcome. Check that the outcome is acceptable and if it isn't then discuss it with the person who completed the task so that they can address any issues in the future.
Schedule phone calls, emails and internet
Whilst some missionaries may feel that technology has little place in their lives, for others the impact of technology has been immense. Whilst there are many positive benefits the downside is that many people feel extra pressure as they're now accessible 24-hours a day, seven days a week. The key to using technology successfully is in ensuring you remain in control of it rather than the other way around!
- Be disciplined. If you check your emails every few minutes you will end up being drawn into tasks or conversations that draw you away from what you should be focussing on.
- Schedule a time each day for checking emails and making / returning phone calls. This doesn't have to be the same time each day - this is where planning comes in - but just make sure that you're clear with people about how quickly they can expect a response.
- Use auto-responders. Where your email provider allows it you can set up a message which automatically gets sent to the person sending you a message. This could tell them that you aim to respond within 24 hours or give alternative instructions to be used in an emergency. This can help avoid receiving multiple emails with the same request.
- Be wise with social media. Make sure you are very clear about what you're wanting to achieve and plan your time appropriately. If you're looking to keep in touch with friends and family then schedule in time once a day to check your accounts. If you need to monitor information as part of your work then you will need to be very disciplined to ensure you don't get caught up in looking at other information.
Break tasks into manageable sections
Sometimes a task is too big to manage in one go. This can lead to procrastination as it's too overwhelming or you feel you'll never find a big enough chunk of time to complete the job so it's not worth starting. If you've got major task on your to do list then don't treat it as one task, treat it as a project...
- List all of the smaller things that need to happen to complete the task
- Put them into the order that they need to be completed
- Diarise them so that you have a workable timeframe for completing them
- If something comes up and you begin to fall behind them complete the process again. By re-diarising what needs to be done you can put yourself back in the driving seat and feel like things are achievable again.
Keep a to do list and write tasks down as they come to mind
A to-do-list is a key planning tool and can help you stay on top of your workload and make sure that you don't miss anything. The simple act of committing items to paper can also help to clear your head leaving more space to fill with other important information! A to-do-list should:
- List all tasks that you need to complete
- Prioritise the tasks or show dates by which they should be completed
- Be constantly updated - there's no point in having a list if you don't add to it or cross things off as they're completed (crossing things off can also be a real boost as you feel like you're getting somewhere!).
Be strategic when choosing which items from your to-do-list you'll complete first. It can be tempting to complete the easy tasks first and leave the more time consuming ones until later.
The problem is if you're constantly adding to your to-do-list then you'll only ever complete easy tasks! This is why it's important to prioritise the tasks and include deadlines on the list.
Take time out
There are times when you're just not in the right frame of mind or you're just not being productive in the task that you're doing. When you hit these times...
- Try doing an alternative task. Sometimes you'll get stuck on one thing but actually be able to make progress on something else.
- Take time out completely. If the problem is just that you need a break but don't feel you can take one then force yourself. Get out at lunchtime, take a walk in early evening or go and make a coffee during the day. You'll often find you come back to with renewed energy
- Schedule in time off. We are not designed to work constantly! Make sure you're taking a decent amount of time out each week and ensure that these times are diarised and protected. Whilst keeping going may seem like the answer to getting everything done, in the end it will catch up with you and you will be far less productive.
Remember why you're doing what you do
Don't let busyness take your eye off your own relationship with God. It's too easy to allow your own time with Him to be squeezed out. Ensure that you schedule in good quality time for your own prayer, Bible study and retreat. This should be a priority rather than an optional extra and will be key to you being effective in the role He's put before you.
Further reading:
http://missionarycare.com/time-management-in-a-time-oriented-culture.html
http://missionarycare.com/time-management-in-an-event-oriented-culture.html
www.lifeofasteward.com/time-management-for-overworked
