I’ve read two books lately on the issue of busyness for ministry leaders – and probably all Christians.
The first book was What Matters Most by Doug Fields. (Here’s the post I wrote on that subject.)
The second was Rethink Communication by Phil Bowdle. In the appendix, Bowdle includes five questions to measure your “busyness” and do a reality check:
- What are your time suckers?
- What do you wish you had time for?
- What are you investing in?
- When is your sabbath day?
- Is your current pace sustainable?
These questions are especially important for ministry leaders.
We’ve heard the truth about time and busyness:
- When you say “yes” to something, you’re saying “no” to something.
- The most important things are not necessarily the urgent things.
- If you’re going to have a lasting impact, you need to focus the number of things you participate in and shrink your circle of activity.
- If you don’t have time to sharpen the saw, you’ll never get the tree cut down.
- You need to do your best at doing what you can do: being the leader you were called to be, being the parent you need to be (the only one who can do it), and growing in your relationship with Christ.
If your busy life and schedule are preventing you from accomplishing the most important things, ask these five questions to help you get on track.
The question that motivates me today is number 2: “What do you wish you had time for?” Thinking through the answer helps bring clarity to my calendar/schedule and creates discipline. It moves me to take action.
Every ministry leader needs to do an occasional busyness status check to avoid getting caught in the whirlwind of ineffectiveness.
I’m posting this during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Time has been a much-discussed commodity. The pandemic has been an opportunity for a reset. Use this time to shut down well. Determine what you will work back into life after it ends. Determine to do the most important things first.
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