Pastors: are calendars and clocks your friends or your foes?

Shalom!

Once again, the Alban Institute people offer very helpful material!


“Taking Control of Your Time: It's All About Priorities” by Bradford Agry

http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8654

which concludes with:

Your calendar is a finite universe. Learn to prune activities that are less important to your job and your organization's mission. This may involve delegating or re-assigning tasks to others, sharing parts of the work, or perhaps making them a lower priority. If you and your colleagues are in agreement as to what the shifting set of priorities are, then all can plan accordingly. By explicitly making room and intentionally planning for the crucial items, you will begin to shift from being a purely reactive scheduler to a more proactive time manager.



“Ministers Managing Time” by Ronald D. Sisk

http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8655

which includes

I contend that time management is best addressed sequentially, through a series of touch points that punctuate a minister's relationship with a congregation—times when mutual expectations and intentions can be shaped and spelled out. Those touch points include the negotiation of an initial contract; the establishment of a ministerial schedule; the observation of contractual vacations, holidays, and sabbaticals; the minister's daily self-management; and times of congregational change. For the most part, it is the skill with which we ministers address the issue at these critical points that determines our competence as time managers.

IMO there's much to be said for being proactive at times like appointment and annual evaluation regarding the best use of time!

Shalom!
dave