Is your desk papered with Post It Notes?
Do you have multiple legal pads with lists written on them?
When you are working on something or participating in a meeting, are you thinking about all the work you are not doing?
Me too.
Every fall, the pace of ministry quickens and it’s hard for every children’s ministry leader to stay focused in the midst of chaos. My secret to Kidmin productivity skills is found in a best-selling book by David Allen, Getting Things Done (or as it is referred to by hardcore fans, GTD).
I read GTD early on in my Kidmin career and it was a gamechanger. Here’s three standout learnings from the book that turned me from an unfocused, frenetic leader into a productivity ninja:
- Have a system. The reason why we think of all the work we are not doing is because we do not have a trustworthy system to capture the tasks. Friends, you need a system you can trust. The system needs to be reliable. The system needs to be mobile. The system needs to be easy enough for you to input everything in your inbox.
- Your email inbox cannot be your productivity system. Email should not be your to-do list. The reason is simple: emails are not action steps. Often, email is a distraction from action. When an email is actionable, capture the action and delete it. I know my system is failing when I start relying on email to track tasks and projects.
- The two minute rule. If it takes less than two minutes, do it. Just get it done. Don’t wait on it or hold it for later. Under two minutes = do it now. You will mark so many things off your list when you follow this rule.
Leaders, your time is an incredibly valuable asset you must steward well. As you head into a busy season of ministry, dig into a system you can trust. To learn more about the Getting Things Done workflow, grab this handy PDF.
2 minutes rule?! Challenge accepted! 🙂