As a church leader there is always more vision than there is time to get it done. This is a perfect time of year to rethink the way you work and adopt some new processes.  Here are a few areas that would be worth considering to increase your output for the rest of your year!

• Adopt a Planning Rhythm // Don’t just start “doing” … but take time out to plan how you are going to attack the day. Taking an hour at the beginning of the week and 10 minutes at the beginning of the day to plan out what you are going to focus on will maximize your time. An old fashion pen and paper works great … but there are many apps like Remember The Milk that can help you organize your to do list! In that planning process ask God to give you wisdom to know where to focus your limited time resources.
• Cut Out Meetings // Do you really need to get together with that group of people to plan the upcoming event? Meetings are often more about the social interaction than actually getting the work done. What if instead of calling that meeting to collaborate on that event you just opened up a Google Doc and did the work there … then you can get together to just hang out with the people that you want to connect with! Meetings ≠ Work.
• Automate the Repetitive // Is there anything that you do repetitively? Could you turn that over to a system that would just take care of that for you? Do you email your small group leaders every week and ask them for their attendance numbers? Why not just write out four different emails and have Boomerang rotate through them? (A different one each week of the month to keep it from not being repetitive!) Do you email first time guests who attended your church this last week weekend? Set up an email sequence that will automatically contact them every week for the next 6 weeks.
• Utilize Strategic Outsiders // You are facing issues at your church that other church leaders have already faced and figured out. There are shortcuts to the problems you are encountering. Email half a dozen other church’s and ask them for their advice on what you’re facing. Search online and see if there is a consultant who specializes in the problem you’re looking to solve … ask them for 30 minutes on the phone to answer some questions about the problem and their services.
• Ignore Stuff // Some things just aren’t that important to get done. Selective ignorance can be your best friend for productivity . Just don’t pay attention to some stuff and it will go away. The pain that you and the church felt will turn out to be not that big of a deal. Pay close attention though … if the pain increases in this area … you may need to pick that task back up!