I know a pastor whose congregation expected him to treat his email like the phone, constantly monitoring it and responding immediately whenever something new showed up in his inbox.
That is a recipe for burnout. Having to constantly switch gears and be pulled from one thing to another can be exhausting. It becomes almost impossible to work any project to completion and gain a sense of momentum.
We all know we need to be accessible, and it's easy to get behind in our work. It can be refreshing to know that the essence of real productivity is not remaining perfectly on top of things or having things fully under control at all times. But the essence of productivity is to know the most important things and how to get things back on track when they are out of control.
This is a matter of productivity resiliency. Productivity challenges and seasons of overload can happen to the best of us. The pastor is best served by having a system in place that minimizes the chances of this happening and allows you to quickly get back on top of things when it does.
Here are five principles for building resilience into your weekly workflow.
1. Give an hour each morning to processing email and other new input
We have to deal with more information than ever before. It comes in the form of email, voice mails, text messages, and even ideas we jot down. Create a basic routine for processing this new input on a regular basis. Otherwise, it just builds up and overwhelms us.
The average knowledge worker today typically spends an hour each day processing new input. It would be nice if this wasn't so, and there are things you can do to minimize what is coming your way, but at the heart of keeping up with things is to realize that we need to give structured time to processing new input.
Email is still the biggest source of information overload. Whether early in the morning or later, spend focused time each day processing your new email in one focused batch.
If an email can be handled in two minutes or less, do it right away. If it involves a more complex task, define exactly what it is and put it on your calendar or task list for later.
By taking care of the two minute actions and capturing longer actions on your list, you will experience less mental drag and be able to make better choices as you plan the rest of your day.
2. Remain flexible throughout the day
Balancing availability to others with the need to focus is a complex challenge. I have found that giving an hour of focused time to processing new input (the above point) leaves me free to respond to needs as they come up throughout the day.
Rather than checking email continually, like the unfortunate pastor at the beginning of this article, check it as part of a regular, pre-established routine, such as once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
In between these times, work on your longer tasks or prepare for and attend whatever meetings you have, being available for people as they have other needs.
You need to keep time for focused, solo work, but if you make that the measure of your productivity, you will be setting yourself up for disappointment most days. You will also fail to allow for the interdependent nature of our work.
Try to get focused, individual work done early if you can, and then be more flexible throughout the day for collaborative tasks and relational ministry.
3. Devote a full uninterrupted day each week to sermon prep
If you are a pastor, one of your primary tasks is to preach—and preach well. This requires study, reflection, and sufficient time to prepare your sermon each week.
This is something that is best done without interruption. If you keep yourself open to minor interruptions during your sermon preparation, it will be very hard to get into the focused thinking necessary for preparing a sermon. Hard thinking can't happen in ten-minute bursts.
If at all possible designate an entire day (or two) to focused sermon prep during which you are unavailable, except for unusual emergency situations. The key to doing this is setting expectations. Let people know you are doing this, so they aren't waiting on things from you but instead can build this expectation into their own work plans.
If people have concerns with a pastor taking a full day or two for sermon prep, there may be a deeper issue going on—a failure to prioritize what is truly important. One of the pastor's primary tasks is to prepare solid, biblical, engaging sermons. This can't be pushed to the margins but must be given the time it deserves.
4. Do a weekly review
Another key to keeping your workflow pace sustainable is to have a time for weekly planning and review every week. During this time you can catch anything that may have fallen through the cracks and, more importantly, create a basic plan for the next week.
To avoid being overwhelmed, keep your planning time focused on identifying the four or five most important tasks for the week. Schedule those into your calendar and then work everything else around them as needed. This will keep you oriented through the week and provide a framework for making the best decisions in the moment as new tasks and opportunities come up.
5. Take the time to catch up when things do zoom out of control
The above practices will help you create a sustainable pattern. But sometimes things get out of control no matter how hard you try.
Hard thinking can't happen in ten-minute bursts.
When this happens, gather the tasks you aren't able to do into a single spot (like a folder in your email or an inbox on your desk). As soon as you can carve out enough time, begin processing those things and getting caught up.
It helps to have an organized methodology for this. I recommend developing a consistent process for collecting your loose ends, defining what to do with each of them, organizing them into a trusted tool so you can review them at the right time, and then taking action on the tasks that remain a priority.
To keep things from building up more often than they really should, remember the importance of delegating. If something needs to be done, but doesn't have to be done by you, delegate it. By email, this can be done by forwarding the email with some background. Or, if you have an assistant, you might drop it into your folder of discussion items for the next time you meet.
This means you'll need to find someone who can help with periods of overload. A leader shares the work. Without finding help, you will often find yourself stuck.
Matt Perman is the author of What's Best Next.
