Ever got to the end of a busy day and felt you did nothing? Here are some good tips for how to avoid this which can be easily transferred to pastoral ministry.
If you can, early in the day, do one or two things that have lasting value, you’ll be taking steps in the right direction–even if the entire rest of the day is shot.
Here are some things that may be important tasks to do early in the day:
- Read a chapter of a book – If you are trying to get better at what you do, reading is probably going to be a pretty important activity. Spending some time reading before the day gets started makes sure you are making incremental progress.
- Networking — Keeping in contact with your business acquaintances is a very valuable activity, but one that is often pushed to “tomorrow”. Spending 30 minutes sending emails, making phone calls or sending out birthday cards can go a long ways toward keeping you in touch.
- Practicing — We tend to think of practice as something that is reserved for athletes and musicians, but if your job requires a skill, there is probably a way to practice it. The trick is to practice something that helps you get better at what you do.
- Writing — Writing can be a very good way to develop your thoughts and perspective on something. Spending a few minutes on a regular basis writing about a topic where you want to become better will deepen your understanding.