From the fog of past memories, I recall a televangelist show named the “Hour of Power.” I do not recall what happened on the show, probably because I often changed the channel to something more like the “Hour of Cartoons” (which I was obsessed with as a child). Recently my obsession has turned to the subject of productivity.
In my ministry context, I try very hard to limit meetings but they happen. Many run long. Some begin with great hopes for future production but end with faint glimmers (and those are often the meetings I’ve led). So I took a hint from Scott Belsky of the Behance Network and put into practice the Hour of Power.
Belsky presents these guidelines:
Stop thinking big picture and zoom in on the particular factors that impact outcome on a daily basis.
Place an hour on your calendar every day to focus on issues that have an immediate impact and a measurable outcome.
You can read his entire article here
Here’s what I’ve done in my recent power hours:
1. Listed the activity station ideas I’ve received from students in the past month, evaluated the list and purchased some of the items.
2. Assigned individuals who have served one-time to a captain for follow-up. In fact, I’m always looking for the best responsibilities I can offload to gifted leaders who serve on the team. This has been one of the best uses of my hour.
3. Calendar evaluation – I look at how I’ve spent blocks of time in the past week and how those measure up with how I should be spending my time. Often I’ll get caught up in a project that keeps me at my desk and away from people. I try hard to remedy those trends!
4. Stack-sort – I’m always stacking things around my office. I work through a stack, putting things in one of three places: Inbox, File, Trash.
Start integrating a power hour. I do not think I have the capacity to incorporate it into my daily routine, but once a week has given me a real boost in productivity.
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