Why am I chronically running out of time and energy? I had asked myself this question many times, but the problem became acute when we relocated and built a new building. There seemed no end to what I was expected to do.

Then someone suggested I read an article from the November/December 1974 Harvard Business Review. As I read it, I realized the answer: Much of the time, I was working for my staff, not the other way around.

William Oncken, Jr., and Donald L. Wass, the authors, pointed out three kinds of tasks that consume time for managers:

Position-Imposed: Tasks your position demands; the pastoral duties expected by the congregation you serve.

Organization-Imposed: Requests for involvement in the community and in the local and district organizations of your denomination.

Self-Imposed: Activities that fulfill responsibilities as a spouse and parent, and other things you have decided to take on, such as continuing education.

If any of the three areas gets shorted, it's usually the last one, ...