Let me say at the outset that this article is not intended to berate anyone for struggling with productivity but to encourage you and facilitate your success. I still recall my surprise during my first pastorate when, as I prepared to preach one week, I figured up the number of hours we have in one week – 168! The context was retired people saying they didn’t have time to serve in church ministries, but that knowledge has served me well through the years. Those of us in vocational ministry often face serious challenges when it comes to time. This can be doubly true for those in bi-vocational ministry or those working on advanced degrees. Although I write this article from the pastor-in-school perspective, its content is adaptable for the bi-vocational minister or any busy professional. Here are some suggestions you should find helpful. For the bi-vocational minister, replace the terms “work” and “school” with your designations for non-church work and church work. The principles remain the same.
Construct a Time Budget – The premise of a time budget is that, just as with finances, we have “fixed expenses” – things we have to do – and “approximate expenses” – things that may be flexible, but we can estimate and plan for. Then, we need margin time for personal business, time off, and time to take care of family and health. Here is mine. Note that yours may be different, but this will give you the idea.
Sleep 7.5 hr / night x 7 nights = 52.5 hr / week
Daily prayer 1.0 hr / morning x 7 days = 7 hr / week
Daily get ready 1.0 hr / day x 7 days = 7 hr / week
Lunch / Dinner 1.5 hr / day x 7 days = 10.5 hr / week
Workouts 2.0 hr / day x 3 days = 6.0 hr / week
Totals (fixed) 11.0 hr / day x 7 days + workouts = 83 hr / week
Time remaining 13.0 hr / day x 7 days - workouts = 85 hr / week
Alternate (1 day off) 13.0 hr / day x 6 days - workouts = 72 hr / week
During my doctoral work, I tried to limit my church work to 40 hr / week, and my school work ranged from 18-34 or so hr / week depending on classes, dissertation, etc. I tried to make sure to care for the church as needed, so there were many weeks of more than 40 hours, thus there were many times I did not take a day off and many times when housework, time to visit family, and personal business got neglected. Now, let’s look at what a time budget might look like for the “approximate expenses” – work, school, family, household and personal business, and rest. Here us a sample.
Time remaining after “fixed expenses” 85 hr / week (alt) 72 hr / week
Work week 40 hr / week
School 25-30 hr / week
Time remaining for other things 10-15 hr / week (alt) 2-7 hr / week
When we break this down per day, it looks like 12-13 hours per day available after “fixed expenses.” The 10-15 hr / week amount is if you count a 7 day week, while the 2-7 hr / week is figured with taking a day off each week. This “time remaining” is all you have left to do everything else – spouse and children (if you have a family), doctor appointments, haircuts, house cleaning, yard work, vehicle repairs or other unexpected business – absolutely all other rest and responsibilities. In all fairness, when I went through my doctorate, I was not married. You may need to put spouse and family time in your “fixed expenses” category, or you may need to put some spouse and family time in the “fixed expenses” category and some in the “approximate expenses” category. Do not sacrifice your family on the altar of school or work, but also know your family will make some sacrifices during this season, and think through creative ways to combine work or school time with spouse and family time.
Keep a Productivity Log and Evaluate – Although your productivity log must not take an inordinate amount of time, it can be helpful to track your time use each week, keeping up with this on a daily basis. You may use an electronic calendar or a paper planner, but I suggest color coding it and doing a weekly tally for the major responsibility categories – for me those were work, school, and personal responsibilities. Your goal is not to use a certain amount of time on any given area but to get done what is needed. However, tracking and evaluating your use of time can help you tighten your efficiency as you identify patterns, time-waters, and ways to accomplish more in your allotted time each week. At the end of each week, when planning for the next, ask three questions. 1) “What went well?” 2) “What could have gone better?” and 3) What do I want to do differently next week?”
Overlap Activities – One way I found to get everything done and maintain my mental and emotional stamina was to overlap activities. Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking.
Combine work or school tasks with spouse or family time when those tasks require low levels of focus. In other words, if you have to go pick up a book or get something printed, take your spouse or child with you.
Take reading or proofing work to lunch or work outside if you need a change of scenery or need to get some fresh air and sunshine but do not have time for a complete break.
Use personal errands, workout time, or meal times as breaks so you don’t have to take additional breaks.
Alternate low-concentration and high-concentration work so you don’t need as many breaks.
Let me encourage you in two more ways. First, rely on the Lord and give your work to Him as worship. He will enable you to do what He calls you to do. Second, you can do more, at least for a season, than you ever thought you could.