There is no doubt in my mind that the commitment level model involves a lot more work for youth leaders - both full-time and lay-leaders. Once ministries are set up at each commitment level there will be more events to attend and co-ordinate; more spiritual development to track and encourage; and more challenges to identify and solve. In order to do this effectively leaders must learn how to manage their time - in fact, themselves.
I would strongly recommend the following two books by Stephen Covey: (1) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and (2) First Things First. They are published by Simnon & Shuster and are readily available at local bookshops.
Imagine for a moment that you were given R86 400 with the condition that you spent it all today, in order to get another R86 400 tomorrow. Well, each day people are given 86 400 seconds - they are stewards of time. Youth leaders have to manage time because:
* Life is made of time - "Do you love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of" (Ben Franklin).
* They are accountable for their time - "Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16, KJV: "redeeming the time").
* They often waste their time - "The management of time should be the number one priority for us. Without some organisation of your day, it will waste away without purpose and drain away without accomplishment" (Neil Strait).
* Others often waste their time - "The average parishioners don't hesitate to drop in on the youth minister, because they feel that the youth minister doesn't do anything anyway" (Duffy Robbins).
* They accomplish goals if they do so - "A slothful man will not catch his prey" (Proverbs 12:27).
Stephen Covey, in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, speaks of four generations of thought on time management. This chapter will consider each aspect of time management. Each builds on the previous, but leaders cannot stop before stage 4.
1. Handle Demands
The first generation of time management involves recognising and including the many demands that are placed on a leaders time and energy, using 'reminders'. The tools to handle these demands include the use of notes and checklists. Few leaders are able to store in memory the many tasks they have to accomplish in a given space of time and those who rely on their memories often end up forgetting to do vital tasks. This can be overcome with some system that helps them to keep a track of what they have to do, when it must be done and whether it has been done. Tasks not accomplished on put on the list for the next day.
2. Schedule Events
The second generation of time management involves looking ahead and scheduling events in the future, using 'planning and preparation'. The tools to assist the leader with this aspect of ministry are calendars and appointment books. Leaders who are striving for excellence do not miss appointments or fail to turn up to speak at youth meetings. They have means through which they record their commitments and various activities. They can use a notebook, a diary, a computer calendar, etc. This involves making appointments, writing down commitments, identifying deadlines and noting where meetings will be held.
3. Control Time
The third generation involves the control of time through 'planning, prioritising and controlling.' The tools to assist leaders here include goal setting and daily planners. Activities are prioritised on a daily basis and recorded on a wide variety of planners and organisers - electronic or paper-based.
Time is neither friend nor foe. Like every resource, it can be well used or wasted. Effective use of time is a skill that can be learned. Effective time management involves a number of skills:
A. Record Time Usage
A leader must record time before they will realise where it goes. The first step toward effectively managing time involves recording actual time usage. A 'log' of how time is used during a two-week period will reveals the various categories under which time is used, ie. meetings, travelling, planning, phone calls, etc. A similar strategy is used for people wanting to learn how to control their finance - they spend a month or two finding out where their money is going. Once leaders know where they are 'spending' their time they can begin to control it.
B. Balance Time Demands
Four areas must be kept in tension if leaders want to balance their lives with competing time demands:
(1) Urgent Things vs Important Things
Leaders often wish for a thirty-hour day because they are leaving behind a trail of unfinished tasks. But more time would not be the solution - they'd soon be as frustrated as they are now with a 24 hour allotment. Closer inspecting reveals that the problem is not so much a shortage of time, but a problem of priorities. Leaders have a hard time dealing with the tyranny of the urgent - their greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important! Jesus showed an example of how leaders can ward off the urgent and accomplish the important (Mark 1:35; John 11:1-6). His prayerful waiting for God's instruction freed him from the tyranny of the urgent; gave Him a sense of direction; set a steady pace; and enabled Him to do every task that God assigned to Him.
(2) Personal Time vs Ministry Time
When home relationships suffer because of neglect, the leaders' entire ministry suffers. The two spheres are inseparable - an effective ministry is the by-product of a secure marriage. The youth leader has to guard against viewing home as "a fast-food restaurant and a place to sleep." Practical suggestions include: take time to talk to family about ministry; schedule annual leave well in advance; take a weekend off every 6 to 8 weeks to spend with family; set aside at least a night a week as 'sacred' family time; and involve family in decision making, especially where it affects them.
(3) Thought Time vs Activity Time
Finding time to engage in activities with youth must be balanced with spending time thinking about actions and activities; working out models and methods; and giving thought to wider issues of ministry.
(4) Time with Adults vs Time with Youth
A balance must be sought between spending time with youth (who leaders help to grow) and spending time with adults (who help the leader to grow).
C. Destroying Time Busters
Duffy Robbins speaks of the things that rob youth leaders of their time as 'time busters'. He makes suggestions for leaders to overcome the effect they have as time stealers:
(1) Telephone
* Keep a pen and a pad of paper by the phone to record and remember message.
* Keep a personal phone book of frequently called numbers to save time.
* Let your phone do the driving - do as much as possible with the phone and not a car.
* Jot down what you want to talk about before you make the call.
* Make use of an answering machine or, if possible, get a secretary to screen calls.
(2) Mail
Leaders tend to open and read mail as soon as it arrives, even if they are in the middle of other projects. As a result they end up reading it twice - once out of curiosity and once to answer it. Leaders must try to handle mail items only once! A good rule for leaders is to open mail when they are able to answer it, and to answer it as soon as they open it.
(3) Meetings
Leaders tend to meet more than they need to because they are afraid of making their own decisions. Meetings would be limited if leaders used smaller units to discuss issues in advance. Leaders must try to limit the number of planning teams they serve on, as meetings are great time consumers!
(4) Publicity
Leaders either do no publicity or they spend great amounts of time doing promotion which has little effect. The key to effective publicity is knowing who the group is trying to reach and identifying a few good ways to reach them.
(5) Paperwork
Forms that need to be filled in, or records that need to be kept, should be done through the month and not left until the end of the month when they will take a day or more to complete.
(6) Mealtime Appointments
Leaders often use an hour at lunch discussing matters that could have been dealt with in twenty minutes. Eating is primarily a social occasion and not a productive business occasion!
(7) Lack of Planning
Good long range planning actually saves time in the long run. Henry Ford said, "People who have no time do not think; the more you think, the more time you have."
(8) Travelling
Leaders spend a lot of time driving around. They should take a young person along with them to minister into their live, and use good teaching tapes to make time on the road more productive.
(9) Over-Commitment
People become overcommitted because they think that it is the way that spiritual people operate or they have an inability to say no. Jesus was determined and single minded, but He never seemed to be in a hurry! Leaders will develop if they understand why they become over involved and learn how to say No!
(a) Detecting Over-Involvement - What is it that makes leaders say 'yes' to activities and engagements that lead to stress and over-commitment down the line? Here are some reasons why they say 'yes' when they should say 'no': overestimating (leaders believe they can do more than they really can - bad judgment resulting from short-sightedness); pleasing (leaders say yes to please other people - this need for acceptance tyrannizes leaders and leads them into wrong choices); rescuing (when the need seems so desperate and the resources so few leaders feel compelled to step in, but they must remember that they are not the only ones who can help out); guilt (leaders must discern between what is and what isn't their duty and not feeling guilty about taking care of personal needs); smorgasbording (when life spreads a buffet leaders are tempted to taste everything, but soon get indigestion and after-feast blues).
(b) Learning How to Say No - Leaders can deal with the urge to say 'yes', when they should be saying 'no' by: honouring their limits (they must accept the reality of limitation and learn to know where to draw the line as time and energy are limited and need to be guarded carefully); honouring their place (they have particular gifts and a particular place to fill - it is more important to listen to God's leading than the persuasion of peers); take time to give time (they must resist the temptation to immediately accept an engagement - no matter how clear the calendar may look at the moment, they should ask for a day or two to pray for guidance before committing themselves); count the cost of decisions (they must accurately calculate what their yes will cost them in terms of time, energy and money - they must not forget to include all the preparation, execution and recovery time).
(10) General Undiscipline
The greatest single cause of mismanagement of time is rooted in inadequate self-discipline: double-mindedness (leaders waste time thinking about the next project while they are working on the current project); being sidetracked (leaders waste time browsing through book stores or hardware stores); compulsive behaviours (leaders waste time adding unnecessary touches to tasks); fellowshipping (leaders need to be careful of the amount of time spent in aimless socialising); poor organisation (leaders waste time looking for things like documents in a filing cabinet); procrastination (leaders do this the best when we don't want to do a task anyway); indecision (leaders must remember that faith is acting on what they know and trusting God to guide as they move).
(11) Waiting
Leaders should turn waiting into productive time with reading a book or writing a letter. All this requires is some forethought and preparation for the possibility of being kept waiting.
D. Consolidating Time Available
The following principles for using available time most effectively have been gathered from books such as Ordering your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald:
(1) Know Your Rhythm of Effectiveness
Leaders must study their work habits to determine times and conditions under which they accomplish task best. If they work best during the mornings they should set that time aside for their most intense activities.
(2) Develop Criteria for Using Time
Leaders are often faced with choosing the best from the good. Having a clear vision for their life will help them make wise choices.
(3) Budget Time Far in Advance
Non-negotiables must be planned ahead of time, so that secondary demands do not crowd them out.
(4) Practise Spiritual Planning
A quiet time at the start of the day refocuses relationship with God. At the start of the day "at the office" leaders should take time to make a list of the tasks to be done and prioritise them. They must set aside time each week for spiritual inventory and evaluate the past and plan for the future. Someone has said, "One minute spent in planning save three or four minutes in execution".
(5) Balance Accessibility and Productivity
Because youth ministry is people-orientated, leaders often end up accomplishing few of the tasks that are important. These principles will help youth pastors in finding a balance:
(a) God is always accessible and leaders must always be accessible to Him - God is the leader's first priority. not people. Other aspects of ministry fall into place when leaders get this area under control.
(b) People are the purpose of ministry so rather err in accessibility than inaccessibility - Especially in the beginning of a ministry, leaders must work longer hours than they would like to in order to get to know people and to establish credibility. But the danger is that they set patterns that don't change later.
(c) Accessibility to people is not always possible so determine levels of accessibility - Youth pastors can set ministry priorities by drawing a target with rings that represent varying levels of accessibility. With the youth pastor at the centre, the next ring would be those who are being equipped to serve others, then those who have been equipped and only need periodic encouragement, and then those requiring even less time.
(d) Take practical steps to find the right balance - Let people know your office hours and schedule; let them know where you can be reached in case of emergency; return calls when messages are left; set aside definite times for study and preparation when you are not disturbed except for emergencies; have someone else available when you are not; refuse to run errands and pastor everyone's family and friends; and above all, let everyone know that you love them and are there for them as much as possible.
(6) Group Time into Chunks
When youth pastors begin to record and analyse their time and then attempt to manage it, they soon determine how much time they have for important tasks. They usually find that they have time available, but it is spread throughout the day. As most leaders do not work well with small bits of time found at different times in the day, they should consolidate the time into useful chunks during which important tasks can be accomplished. A weekly or daily work schedule should be designed that will ensure that time is blocked off for message preparation, visitation, administration, etc. To accomplish this leaders may need to: let people know when they are not available except for emergencies, work somewhere other than at their office; and have their phone calls held or screened.
(7) Divide the Day into Blocks
Leaders should divide the day into three blocks: morning, afternoon and evening, and then attempt to work for two of them and devote the other to their family or personal activities. When they know that they are going to work during an evening they can take some time off during the morning or the afternoon. This will ensure that they stay balanced and devote adequate time to family or recreation.
4. Manage Self
Leaders who apply the insights of first, second and third generation time management will find that there are strengths and weaknesses to each generation and yet still find that they are not satisfied. Efficient scheduling and controlling of time can be counter productive as they clash with an ability to develop rich relationships; to meet human needs; and enjoy daily spontaneous moments. Clearly a further dimension is lacking. While most leaders are at third generation time management, or moving in that direction, some are finding their way to the fourth generation. Here the focus is not on managing time, but on managing self - on preserving and enhancing relationships and on accomplishing results.
A. Understanding the Matrix of Self-Management
The way leaders spend time is shown on the following time management matrix. Two factors define an activity: urgency and importance. Urgent activities require immediate attention (they act on the leader); while important activities require initiative or proactivity (the leader must act on them).
This matrix presents the following four categories of time demands and activities:
Quadrant I is both Urgent and Important. This is the Quadrant of Crisis as it deals with significant results that require immediate attention. Some people spend most of their time in this Quadrant and experience stress and burnout doing crisis management. While leaders need to spend time in this Quadrant because it is the place where they manage, produce and respond to needs, they must realise that many important activities become urgent through procrastination, or because of a lack of prevention and planning.
Quadrant II is Important but not Urgent. This is the Quadrant of Quality where leaders do long-range planning, anticipate and prevent problems, empower others, and increase skills through personal development. Ignoring this Quadrant enlarges Quadrant I, creating stress, burnout and deeper crises. Quadrant II does not act on leaders, they must act on it.
Quadrant III is Urgent but Not Important. This is the Quadrant of Deception because here leaders react to things that are urgent assuming they are also important. Often the urgency of these matters is based on the priorities and expectations of other people. Operating here produces a short-term focus, broken relationships and a loss of control. Leaders spend a lot of time in Quadrant III meeting other people's priorities and expectation, thinking they are actually in Quadrant I.
Quadrant IV is Not Urgent and Not Important. This is the Quadrant of Waste reserved for those activities that are done as an escape from Quadrant I and III activities. Examples of such activities include reading light novels or watching mindless television shows. Quadrant IV is not survival, it is deterioration. True recreation takes place in Quadrant II.
B. Understanding Quadrant II Self-Management
Youth leader who spend time almost exclusively in Quadrants III and IV basically lead irresponsible lives. Effective people stay out of Quadrants III and IV, because these activities are not important. They also shrink Quadrant I down to size by spending more time in Quadrant II. The heart of effective personal management is Quadrant II. If leaders could act out of the importance paradigm, rather than the urgency paradigm, they would live in Quadrants I and II. Leaders can get more time for Quadrant II from Quadrants III and IV. The important and urgent activities in Quadrant I cannot be ignored, although they will shrink in size as leaders spend more time with prevention and preparation in Quadrant II. Proactivity is needed to work on Quadrant II because saying 'Yes' to important Quadrant activities involves saying 'No' to Quadrant III and Quadrant IV activities, sometimes activities that appear urgent. This will decrease the amount of Quadrant I activities.
Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Page 146, asks leaders to spend some time answering the following questions: "What one thing could you do (that you are not doing now) that if you did it on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your personal life?" and "What one thing in your business or professional life (youth ministry) would bring similar results?" An evaluation of the answers to these questions will reveal that they probably fit into Quadrant II. They are obviously important, but not urgent - because leaders are not doing them. Quadrant II activities (ie. build relationships; write a personal mission statements; do long-range planning; exercise; engage in preventative maintenance; preparation, etc), if done on a regular basis, will have a tremendous positive difference in the leaders life.
When leaders apply the four generations of time management thought to this matrix they will discover that the first generation notepads and 'to do' lists provide a place to capture those things that penetrate awareness so they are not forgotten. The second generation appointment books and calendars merely provide a place to record future commitments so that leaders can be where they have agreed to be at the appropriate time. The third generation with its daily planners, focuses primarily on helping people prioritise and plan Quadrant I and III activities. The objective of Quadrant II, or the fourth generation time management, is to help leaders manage themselves and do things that are really most important.
C. Benefits of Quadrant II Self-Management
The Quadrant II tool provides the following: (a) coherence (between mission, roles and goals; priorities and plans; desires and discipline - a planner needs a place for the leader's personal mission, their roles and their goals for constant reference); (b) balance (all areas of life need to require adequate focus so they are not neglected); (c) prevention (weekly planning helps leaders move away from prioritising crises); (d) relationships (leaders must be efficient in dealing with time, but also effective in dealing with people - delegation is a key); (e) flexibility (the planning tool is the servant of the leader, not the master); and (f) portability (the leader must be able to carry the tool around all the time).
D. Becoming a Quadrant II Self-Manager
While many leaders work with a daily planner, this is so 'close up' that they tend to focus on what is right in front of them and urgency and efficiency take the place of importance and effectiveness. A weekly planner is suggested because it provides the leader with a broader context to do what they want and need to do. Successful self-management involves six activities:
(1) Review your Mission
The first step in programming for the coming week is to connect with what is most important in life as a whole. The key to this connection is referring to the mission statement that reminds the leader of what is most important in their life; that which gives life meaning and what they want to be and do in life. This process also helps leaders to schedule into their week a significant number of Quadrant II activities.
(2) Identify your Roles
The leader now makes a list of all the roles that they fulfil in life. The total number of roles must not exceed seven as it is difficult to mentally manage too many. If they have more roles, they could combine some of them (ie. family - for husband, father and brother). In addition to these roles, leaders must add a further role: that of "sharpening the saw". The term sharpening the saw comes from the following illustration: Suppose you were to come upon somebody in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree. "What are you doing?" you ask. "Can't you see?" comes the impatient reply. "I'm sawing down this tree." "You look exhausted!" you exclaim. "How long have you been at it?" "Over five hours," he returns, "and I'm beat! This is hard work." "Well, why don't you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw?" you inquire. "I'm sure it would go a lot faster." "I don't have time to sharpen the saw," the man says emphatically, "I'm too busy sawing!" (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Page 288). Habit seven of highly effective people is taking time to sharpen the saw. This is the area of personal renewal, a metaphor that describes the energy leaders must invest in increasing their personal capacity in the four main areas of life - physical, social, mental and spiritual.
(3) Create your Goals
The leader should think of one to three important results that they feel they need to accomplish in each role during the next seven days. The leader must also create two to three goals in each of the four areas of personal renewal. They can create goals by asking themselves: "What is the most important thing I could do this week to have the greatest positive impact." While many goals may come to mind, leaders must limit themselves to one or two most important Quadrant II goals for each role.
(4) Schedule your Goals
Accomplishing Quadrant II goals requires the creation of a framework for effective decision making through the week. Most leaders are always trying to find time for important activities in their busy lives (filled with Quadrant I and III activities). They move, delegate, cancel or postpone things - trying to find time to do important things, but the key in not to prioritize the schedule but to schedule the priorities.
Stephen Covey gives this illustration: I attended a seminar once where the instructor was lecturing on time. At one point, he said, "It's time for a quiz." He reached under the table and pulled out a wide mouth gallon jar. He set it on the table next to a platter with some fist-sized rocks on it. "How many of these rocks do you think we can get in the jar" he asked. After we made our guess, he said, "Okay, let's find out." He set one rock in the jar...then another...then another. I don't remember how many he got in, but he got the jar full. Then he asked, "Is that jar full?" Everybody looked at the rocks and said, "Yes." Then he said, "Ahhh." He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar and the gravel went in all the little spaces left by the big rocks. Then he grinned and said once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time we were on to him. "Probably not," we said. "Good!" he replied, And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went in all the little spaces left by the rocks and the gravel. Once more he looked at us and said, "Is the jar full?" "No!" we all roared. He said, "Good?" and he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in. He got something like a quart of water in that jar. Then he said, "Well, what's the point?" Somebody said, "Well, there are gaps, and if you really work at it you can always fit more into your life." "No," he said, "that's not the point. The point is this: if you hadn't put these big rocks in first, would you ever have gotten any of then in?" (First Things First, Page 88).
Quadrant II goals are like the 'big rocks' - if leaders fill their week with Quadrant I, III and IV activities ('gravel, sand and water' activities) they will not fit their priorities into their week. The Quadrant II activities must be scheduled first, and then the other activities will 'fit in'. During this stage of the process, leaders must also create time zones - these are big blocks of time that are set aside for important activities, such as visitation, sermon preparation, etc.
(5) Adapt your Schedule
Once the Quadrant II goals have been entered onto the weekly planner, the daily task is to keep a focus on priorities while navigating through the unexpected opportunities and challenges that arise. This involves responding wisely to unanticipated events, relationships and experiences. Leaders should do the following: (a) Preview the day - revisit the schedule, get bearings, look at the day in the context of the week, and renew perspectives to help with response to 'interruptions'. (b) Prioritise activities - they should mark activities as QI, or QII, or QIII, etc. Also activities within these categories can be marked in order of priority using a 1,2,3 or A,B,C system. It is also helpful to highlight or circle the most important activity for the day. (c) Reschedule activities - if time sensitive-activities (appointments) and non-time sensitive-activities are listed separately the leader can know what activities they can juggle when the unexpected occurs, or the interruption happens.
One of the most difficult areas is knowing how to deal with people 'intrusions'. Leaders must be aware that they are responsible - this means that they have the ability to choose their response. When a stimulus comes, before they respond, they should pause. At this point they have the freedom to choose the most appropriate response. In the pause leaders should do the following: (a) Ask with intent - "What is the best use of my time right now? What's most important right now? What is life asking of me? What's the right thing to do now?" They should consider options: reschedule a meeting or activity and deal with the person or arrange to meet with the person later. (b) Listen without excuse - when leaders hear the first whisper of their conscience they can do one of two things: act in harmony with it (this produces peace) or rationalise and make a different choice (this produces tension). (c) Act with courage - the choices leaders make are not always popular or understood by others, so they need the courage of their convictions to do what needs to be done or say what needs to be said.
(6) Evaluate your Progress
(a) Weekly evaluation - at the end of the week, before the leader reviews their mission statement to begin organising the next week, they should pause and ask questions, such as: What goals did I achieve? What goals did I not achieve? What kept me from accomplishing my goals? What challenges did I encounter? What decisions did I make? In making decision, did I keep focus on my priorities? Did I take time to sharpen the saw on a daily basis? How much time did I spend in each Quadrant? What can I learn from this week as a whole. (b) Monthly evaluation - at the end of each month or quarter, leaders should ask themselves questions, such as: What patterns of success or failure do I see in setting and achieving my goals? Am I setting realistic but challenging goals? What keeps me from accomplishing my goals? Am I creating unrealistic expectations? If so, can I modify my expectations?
Summary:
(1) Reviewing Mission helps leaders to say 'Yes' to priorities that they set for their lives and 'No' to the less important activities - usually set by others for their lives.
(2) Identifying Roles helps leaders to reconnect with the areas through which they will accomplish their priorities in a balanced way.
(3) Creating Goals helps leaders to focus on the most important things to do in each role during the week and thereby to accomplish their mission.
(4) Scheduling Goals helps leaders to put the 'big rocks' (Quadrant II goals) in first and then schedule the other things around them.
(5) Adapting Schedule helps leaders to pause in the space between stimulus and response and make a response of integrity to interruptions.
(6) Evaluating Progress helps leaders to turn the week into an upward spiral of learning and living through a process of reflection and review.
See the image below for a tool that incorporates all of these activities. Follow this link to the full size Weekly Planner page which you should print and implement.
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