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Do you struggle to find time in your week? Are you feeling behind in running your ministry because you are bogged down with administration duties? Well, help is here!
This week, I'm sharing some juicy tips on how to get your time back.
Do you plan out your week in advance?
A good best practice is to look at your calendar beforehand and get a good grip on everything happening within the week. If things need to change, it's great to know before Monday so you can make the appropriate changes.
Have you ever had to jump on a Zoom call (ON CAMERA) and you weren't ready?
Here's a tip for those of you working from home:
Get dressed every day, even if you don't have a busy day planned. Get up out of your bed, get off your couch, and march yourself right on over to your office/workspace.
Studies show that your productivity increases when you properly prepare for your day.
Guess what else? You'll be ready for any SURPRISE meetings that come your way!
ONE BIG TIMESAVER down!!
Well... Now you're saying, "Jennifer, I'm up now, sitting at my desk, but instead of getting anything done I'm spending hours in my email box!"
Oh man! Have you ever gotten sucked into the email BLACK HOLE?
I will be the FIRST one to raise my hand!!
Listen, I get a TON of emails! I mean these days, who doesn't??
If you are like the old me, you can easily be sucked into the black hole of reading and responding to emails until you look up and HOURS have gone by! What was going to be a quick 15-minute session has turned into an entirely new project and you cannot break away! Does this sound familiar? I've been where you are... Here's what you can do about it.
You need to schedule in e-mail time on your calendar!! Add it as appointments on your daily schedule.
Spend some time at the beginning and end of your day responding to emails (15 minutes normally does the trick). If you get a lot during the workday like I do, you may want to budget in some time right before or right after lunch for email replies as well.
Then, after those 15 minutes are up, your timer or reminder goes off and you're off to the next thing. Let the rest wait until the next time. That's right, I said it...
"LET THEM WAIT!"
You'll find that you get a lot more work done, and magically, you'll still get through your emails in a timely manner!
I know you're asking it...
"Jennifer, what if find that I need MORE time to manage my email inbox?” Well here's a little more on that subject just for you...
If you find that emails require a longer period of time to get through, FLAG the ones that require more and see when in your day you can take time to work on it.
This is an awesome time to mention DELEGATION!! Maybe this isn't something YOU should be working on anyway! So, as a good delegator AKA a TIMESAVER... you will see an opportunity in your email box and involve someone else in the process. Say... HELP!!! Simply respond to that email and let the individual know WHO will be contacting them, and then spend a minute or two getting your delegate up to speed on the matter if they aren't already. See? Easy peasy.
But let's go back... perhaps you're a team of ONE. Hey, I know that situation very well, because I've LIVED it. For now, I'll say this...
It's okay to be a team of one, and you can still accomplish SO MANY THINGS on your own. Remember, if you're a believer, then you are never really TRULY alone.
At some point, though, if you want to experience more flexibility and freedom to focus on the BIG PICTURE, you'll have to employ help. There are specific steps that you can take to grow your team (whether it's a team of volunteers, or whether it's paid staff). I know you need some resources and guidance in this area, and you don't want to spend hours on YouTube or Google to find them.
That's why I'm developing a special NEW course called Church Operations Made Simple. With this program, you can stop going day-to-day without a plan and dramatically improve your productivity and success in ministry!
In addition to improving your time management skills, you'll gain insight on:
How to grow from a team of ONE
How to build a strong volunteer framework
How to develop & train staff - specifically key leaders
How to create and manage your annual budget
How to be a great communicator
.....and MORE!!
We are releasing this course THIS SUMMER, and you can be the FIRST to know when enrollment opens! Join the waitlist for EARLY access and pre-launch exclusives!
In the meantime, enjoy resources, best-practices, and go-to tips coming soon via Church Operations Made Simple emails.
Need help NOW? I love working with people JUST LIKE YOU & help you STRATEGIZE & EXECUTE! Schedule a consult today, and we can connect right away!
So... which tip was the most helpful to you this week? Shoot me a quick email or DM me on Instagram to share! I cannot wait to hear all of your WINS!!
Until next time...
Jennifer Taylor ✨
The Taylored Coach