Managing Multiple Tasks

I sat in my home office reflecting on the week ahead.  As I was reviewing my calendar and the responsibilities I had for that week I quickly realized that I had a multitude of tasks for which I was responsible.  People were counting on me to be well prepared.  I had a weekly staff meeting, two sermons to prepare, two leadership classes to teach, a mastermind group to lead, a  meeting with a new young pastor I am mentoring to lead a new church we are planting, plus a number of other responsibilities.

I immediately thought of Ecclesiastes 3:1 which says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”  How do I balance the meetings on the calendar with phone calls that need to be made, the sermons that have to be written, and so many other tasks that call for my attention?  I knew, especially for that week, I needed to be a good steward of my time.

Four Tips For Keeping Your Life In Balance

Set Your Priorities
A  simple to-do list does not work when you have so many responsibilities.  You need to have a prioritized to-do list.  You must constantly be asking and answering the question, "What matters most?"  You need to identify what is really most important.

Get it Together
In other words, “Get organized.”  You need to find a system that works for you.  I use Google Calendar and Google “Go Tasks” to help me keep it together.  It does not matter what system you use.  What matters is that you have a system that works for you.   Some people can use notes on index cards very effectively.

Learn to Delegate and Empower
There are some things that only you can do.  There are many things that you do not have to do.  When you have weeks like mine described above, you can't do everything that needs to be done.  Therefore you must delegate some tasks, including important ones, and empower others to accomplish them so that you are able to focus your time and attention on what is most important.

The Ten Commandments of Personal Growth

Continuing on the topic of personal growth and development from last week, I want to share with you something I read several years ago but was reunited with this week.  It’s called “The Ten Commandments of Personal Growth.”  It is by Dave Early from his book 8 Habits of Effective Small Group Leaders.

The Ten Commandments of Personal Growth
1.   Make the choice to be an ever-growing person.
2.   Focus your activities and set some goals.
3.   Gather any needed tools.
4.   Develop a plan that fits you.
5.   Schedule the needed time.
6.   Sow before you hope to reap.
7.   Make yourself accountable.
8.   Share what you learn with others.
9.   Associate with growing people.
10. Put what you learn into practice.

Sample Growth Goals

Grow mentally by:
• Reading a _____________ a _____________.
• Listening to _______ CD’s, podcasts, etc. a ______________.

Develop spiritual fitness by:
• Reading the Bible ____ minutes daily or _____ chapters daily.
• Praying ______ minutes daily.
• Journaling _____ minutes daily.
• Leading family devotions _______ minutes a day, _____ days a week.
• Fasting ____ days a month.

Increasing physical fitness by:
• Exercising _____ minutes ______ days a week.
• Sleeping ____ hours a night.
• Eating less ____________ and more ____________.

Investing In relationships with:
• Spouse ___________ minutes a day/hours a week.
• Children __________ minutes a day/hours a week.
• Apprentice ________ minutes a day/hours a week.
• Other ____________ minutes a day/hours a week.

Creating A Personal Growth Plan

I don’t know of anyone who would admit that they do not want to grow. Yet, most people I know do not grow.  For some it’s because their desire to grow is nothing more than vocal.  For others, it truly is heartfelt but they don’t know how.  I have found that if I am going to grow, I have to intentionally create a personal growth plan; a plan that I can follow each day to help me get where I want to be.

Personal growth and development are like going on a journey.  You need to know where you want to go and you need a map or plan to get you there. .

Here is how I developed my growth plan for 2013.

Step 1: I determined areas that I wanted to focus on this year.  For me it was my walk with Christ, the growth of my church through multiplication, my preaching, and the equipping of others in leadership.

Step 2: I determined what resources I would need.  I knew I would need books, CD’s, podcasts, or websites, conferences, journals, and people.  Books and trade magazines I need to read.  Speakers, I need to listen to on CD, podcasts, or the web.  And finally people I want to invest in.

Step 3: I set goals.  The goals I set for this year include:

∙ Reading my Bible through in one year.
∙ Reading one book per month.
∙ Reading 2 journals per month.
∙ Reading every day.
∙ Listening to one leadership lesson per week via CD, podcast, or webcast.
∙ Listening to one sermon per week via CD, podcast, or webcast.
∙ Attend one Leadership Conference.
∙ Attend one Bible or Church Growth Conference.

Step 4: I started gathering the resources.  I picked a daily Bible reading plan that would take me through the Bible in a year.  I determined I wanted to read two books on leadership, two books on church growth through multiplication, two books in the area of spiritual growth, and one book on mentoring others.  There are always books that come along that might not fit into my plan but really catch my interest because of where I am in my life.  So I don’t pick a book for every month.

I started looking at websites such as www.amazon.com and Christianbooks.com to see what books are available in the areas of my interest.  Once I found a book that interested me I  read the reviews to see what others were saying about that book.  I also looked to see what books other leaders are reading and recommend.  I don’t buy the books immediately.  I either put them on my wishlist on the site or I write the name and author down on my notepad app on my Ipad.  I buy them when I’m ready to read them.  I already subscribe to a number of journals, so picking those out was not an issue.

I know which preachers I like to listen to and already have their websites bookmarked on my web-browser, so that part was easy as well.  I watch or listen to the leadership lessons and the sermons while I’m on my elliptical every morning.  I will meet this goal with no problem.

I constantly receive email, postal mail flyers, and brochures for conferences. From these I choose which conferences I will attend.  I believe everyone should have at least one conference on their personal growth plan.

There it is.  My personal growth plan.  It’s simple.  The plan for the whole year took less than two hours to develop.  I now know where I’m going in my personal development and how I’m going to get there.

Do you have a growth plan?  If so, share it with me.  If you do not, it’s not too late for 2013.  Take some time in the next week to develop your plan.

Quick Decisions

This is an article that I received that is just very practical when having to make a quick decision.  

ARE YOU MAKING PERMANENT DECISIONS ON TEMPORARY FEELINGS?
By Elias Kanaris

Ever had that super glue feeling?  They say that you should be careful when you use super glue because it can permanently set in a matter of a few seconds.  Yet, how many of us when using super glue to fix a broken item have made a rash decision when opening the tube with our teeth or squeezing it too hard and you end up with too much super glue and nowhere to put it…

In life, we can tend to make the equivalent of this super glue mistake by making rash decisions that we might regret.

There is a particularly unusual story that I came across recently.  It turns out that a man came in to the local ER department with his eyes closed. Evidently, his wife had accused him of looking at other women and they got into a quarrel. Being the macho man that he was, he decided that he could prove that he wasn’t looking at other women by super-gluing his eyes closed.

Unfortunately, after the glue dried, he began to think it wasn’t such a great idea and got some people to drive him to the emergency room. I suspect that the doctors and nurses laughed at him for a while and then gave him Vaseline to rub in his eyes.

I pray you never get so caught up in the moment that you end up being carried away in the spirit of the thought and you follow in this man’s footsteps, doing something that you’ll instantly regret!

So, before you do anything rash, here are five simple steps you should consider before you make your decision that leaves you like concrete - all mixed up and set in your ways:

1. Step away.
Whatever you do, if you feel that you’re about to make a rash decision, take a step back and give yourself the five minute rule.  Allow yourself five minutes to think through the consequences of your action to ensure that you don’t “stuff it up”.

2. Sleep on it.
If you have to make a decision and you feel that you’re running out of time and it’s getting late, ask yourself, “Does it really have to go out tonight, or can it wait till the morning?” Put the item on hold and get yourself to bed, where you can get a good night’s sleep so that you can look at it again with clear and fresh eyes in the morning.



3. Spend time in prayer.
If in doubt – pray about it – and then wait to hear that still, small voice in your head!  They say that prayer is us talking to the Grand Overall Designer.  And that the still, small voice is Him talking back to you!




4. Seek counsel.
Get together with your inner circle, a group of trusted advisers, and ask them to validate your decision.  There is a wise ancient proverb that says, “As iron sharpens iron, so does the countenance of a good friend.”  That’s exactly what your inner circle will give you with their counsel.

5. Strike a compromise.
When you are aiming for perfection, you might need to head for a middle-of-the-road compromise.  Perfection may not always be attainable, but it’s worth using the old builders adage of “Measure twice, cut once!” This will save you heaps of wastage in the long term.

When rushing to make a decision, take a step back and use these five simple steps to keep you from making the wrong decision that leaves you stuck like concrete.

Grow by Sharing

One key to your own personal growth and development is to share.  According to Jim Rohn it is the key to making your life unique and worthwhile.  He says, “If you share an idea with ten different people, they get to hear it once, and you get to hear it ten times. So here’s part of self-interest for yourself, getting you even better prepared for the future.  Share ideas.  Share with your family, share with the people around you, share with other employees, share with your colleagues.”

By sharing, two things happen.
1. You add value to yourself.
2. You add value to others.

I have found in my own life that by sharing with others what I am learning, I am actually cementing the truth into my own life.  We learn by repetition.

I have learned that the more I teach it, the more I hear it.  The more I hear it, the more I retain it.  The more I retain it, the more I can apply it.  The more I apply it, the more effective I am.

Jim Rohn also says that sharing makes room for more.  “If the glass is full of water, can it hold any more?  And the answer is yes, if you pour some out.  If you want more, you’ve got to pour out what you’ve got, and then you have the opportunity to receive more.  Now, unlike the glass that remains the same size when you pour some out, it’s not so in the consciousness of human beings.  Your capacity will increase the more you share. You’ll get bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Getting bigger and bigger and bigger is called growth.  And the best part of this is that by sharing what you are learning not only you grow but you are giving others an opportunity to grow as well.

Attitude Makes The Difference

Zig Ziglar constantly teaches that “Attitude makes the difference.”  It really does.  Attitudes are such a difference maker in our lives that Jesus began His most famous sermon by talking about the attitudes we should have.  We know them as the “Beatitudes.”

Most people believe attitudes just happen. They don't. Attitudes are formed by the thoughts we hold in our minds over a period of time.  Negative thoughts, such as doubt, fear, or bitterness, produce a negative attitude thereby producing negative actions which produce negative results.  Positive thoughts produce a positive attitude which produces positive actions thereby producing positive results.

It's not easy to change our negative attitudes.  This is why Paul said in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Paul says we can choose how we think, therefore we can choose our attitude.  Attitude is a choice.  The ability to choose our thoughts and thereby control our attitude is one of our greatest blessings.

How can we change negative thoughts into positive ones, thereby producing a positive attitude?  

First and foremost surround yourself with positive people.  Also read positive, inspirational books, and listen to positive messages.

I love “The Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership” written by Kent M. Keith because they speak of us having a positive attitude in a negative world.  Follow these and you will most certainly stand out.

People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest man with the biggest ideas can be shot down

by the smallest men with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building can be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them.

Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world your best anyway.

Leaders Strive For Excellence

In history, the word "excellence" has been used as a title of honor.  It derives from the word “excel” which means to go beyond average.   

John Gardner said: “The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”

If you think excellence is not that significant, consider this...  If 99.9% is good enough then:

∙ 2 million documents will be lost by the IRS this year.

∙ 22,000 checks will be deducted from wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes.

∙ 1,314 telephone calls will be misplaced by telecommunications services every minute.

∙ 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.

∙ 2,488 books will be shipped with the wrong cover on them.

∙ Over 5 ½ million cases of soft drinks will be produced that will be flat.

∙ 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions will be written in the next 12 months.

How do you become a person of excellence?  First of all you must value excellence. Zig Ziglar said; “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.”

Valuing excellence means never settling for average.   When we really begin to rise above average and have a desire to be a little bit better, we distinguish ourselves very quickly.

John Maxwell says, excellence can be attained if you...

Care more than others think wise.

Risk more than others think safe.

Dream more than others think practical.

Expect more than others think possible.

Work more than others think necessary.