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Overcoming Overwhelm
In ministry, professional and volunteer, there are so many good things that could and should be done that leaders often feel overwhelmed. Good ideas and projects abound, but how do we manage them all?
Getting Things Done
By David Allen (Penguin)
Help from the business aisle is a start. Allen has written a fine new book with a provocative subtitle, The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. That is a dream many leaders long to experience.
Allen has been an adviser to companies like New York Life, the Ford Foundation, L.L. Bean, and the U.S. Navy. In some ways he is a contrarian. His advice runs somewhat counter to the ideas of Steven Covey and others who stress the importance of determining and scheduling your priorities.
While Allen does not totally discount that approach, he maintains that people most often fail not because they don’t know what is important, but because they don’t know what to do with the "stuff" in their lives—the details, e-mails, phone calls, letters, etc.
The author provides a model to help organize decision making. It involves a series of quick questions that will lead to more productivity.
Some of his advice is deceptively simple. For instance, one question to ask when facing tasks is, "What is the next action?" The question that follows that one is, "Will it take less than two minutes?" If the answer to the second question is "yes," Allen advises that we stop thinking and do it. He also advises creating a "next action" list as opposed to a general to-do list and recommends getting information on paper and in notebooks so that you don’t overload your brain’s RAM.
If Allen’s approach helps you, you might want to consider his follow-up book, Ready for Anything (Penguin). This book is a compilation of articles Allen wrote for his Web site and e-mail magazine. They have been reorganized into 52 principles connected to the approach delineated in his previous book.
Ministry Notebook 2
QuickVerse
Maybe you have the right philosophy and just need some tools. Check out this software program designed primarily for ministers.
There is nothing earth-shattering about the program. In fact, there are other programs that will do what this does if you have the computer savvy to customize them. This program is, however, very user friendly and intuitive. The tasks are all designed to meet the needs of the Christian worker. There are sections not only for your calendar, but for sermon notes, prayer requests, mileage, expenses, library lists, and other important tasks and databases. The price is $29.95. You can find it at www.quickverse.com or at your local Christian bookstore.
Ministry is stressful enough without us adding to it by inefficiency. Maybe these resources will help. If not, don’t stress yourself out over it.
Mike Shannon is dean at Cincinnati (Ohio) Bible Seminary.
PREVIOUS COLUMNS:
January 18, 2006 - Dealing With the Dark Side
January 4, 2006 - Libraries Without Walls
December 21, 2005 - Communication Concepts from Secular Circles
December 7, 2005 - Words of Wisdom for Women's Ministry
November 23, 2005 - Magnificent Help from the Magazine Rack
November 9, 2005 - Invigorating Volunteers; Developing Disciples
October 12, 2005 - Big Ideas for Smaller Churches
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September 14, 2005 - A Potpourri of Books
August 31, 2005 - A Potpourri of Web Sites
August 17, 2005 - Hart-to-Heart Talks
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May 15, 2005 - It's Your Turn
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