One thing that I have always prided myself on is my ability to manage my schedule in a healthy manner. I’m no where near perfect but I have been acutely aware of the need to schedule and manage my time while in full-time ministry. I do not want to burn out early and I do not want it said of me that I ran a poor and short race (ha).
It is easier to manage my schedule in the fall and spring. The students are in school. Athletic events and church events are usually scheduled months in advance and so I can work around these things. I try and find moments to disengage from my ministry hat and proudly wear and display my husband hat and my Micheal hat.
I covet Thursday nights with my wife and place fortified barriers of reminders to all that I am devoting this night and this time to my family. Years down the road it is things like this that will help me prioritize my family over my ministry.
For myself I do a lot of reading, personal development, movies, conferences, and concerts. I am a sucker for all of these things and they each help me relax, focus, and lead more effectively.
But now it is summer! Mission trips, camps, and late nights have pushed my schedule to the max. I have been forgetting that I must manage my time or it will manage me.
Example:
Last week I left on Wednesday for the Unplugged conference. The plan was to return home mid-evening Friday and then drive my teens to camp in Arkansas. What really happened was the my flight was delayed. I returned to Dallas late-night, drove to Arkansas the next day, and taught 12 classes in four days. We drove home Thursday evening. Whew! I was tired all week. These were all good things but I could have planned better for rest.
Instead I agreed to play golf early Friday morning! Great time with friends, my poor playing, but good putting all made for an enjoyable morning but still I was beat.
Then I had scheduled a fund raiser car wash for our mission trip. All saturday morning. In the heat. Under the sun. We met our fund raising goal (praise God!) but the thoughts of weariness plagued me all afternoon.
This was just two weeks of my summer. Could you imagine what would happen if this continued for another couple of months? What if I kept up this pace and this schedule for the rest of the year? This type of life is unsustainable. The human body is not meant to go this hard and this fast for extended periods of time. When I am this tired and worn down I am unable to be fully present with the people and events in my life. I’m on auto-pilot and I fear that I am missing out on important connections.
How are you managing your time? Are you giving where you need to give? Are you taking time to receive from God? Your family?
Youth ministers aren’t the only ones who suffer from over scheduling. Like Dave Ghrol of Foo Fighters asks, “Is someone getting the best of you?” If the answer to this question is “No” then take a long hard look at your schedule and see what need adjusting, what needs more focus, or what needs removing.
