Living Healthy
Have you ever felt that you’re running out of time? You may feel that you don’t have the time to do the laundry, to attend parent/teacher meetings, mentor your volunteers, to visit the kids in your ministry or to take a vacation. Time is flying by and our to-do list remains the same, but think about this; each year, God gives us a gift of 365 days. Each day is filled with 24 hours, 1440 minutes to be more precise. In his great wisdom, God thought that this would be enough for us to do everything that He asks us to do including time for delighting in Him and in our loved ones. The question is not whether or not we have enough time, it is: Am I being wise and intentional in the way I steward my time and energy? Am I spreading myself too thin in things that have the least impact and reward? The truth is that God gave you the gift of enough time for all the things that He asks you to do.
Are you doing what he’s asking you to do?
Pareto principle. The principle can be expressed in many ways and is applicable, some would say, almost universally in whatever field of human endeavor you work. This suggests that 20% of your effort complete 80% of the results. In other words, there is a huge imbalance between effort and results and it comes back to priorities. Every moment you spend working on some task that in reality has a low importance, while higher importance tasks are waiting or remain unfulfilled. Whereas every time you drop a task of low importance to make way for something more important then you are smashing the 80/20 rule and making your way to higher productivity. Look for the 80/20 rule in everything you do. Look at what gets you the most results, and do it more. IT helps you focus on the 20% that really matters.
1-Applying the Pareto principle in your relationships
Applying the Pareto principle in your relationships may sound like the idea of “5 love languages” presented by Gary Chapman. Ask your spouse what is the single most important thing you can do show love and support for your spouse? You may think you know the answer but most conflict in marriages are based on false assumptions. Simply ask. You may spend 80% of your effort to lavish your spouse with words of affirmation but if she/he needs more help around the house, she will not receive that love, in the midst of the best intentions. Remember, 20% of your effort brings 80% of the result. I was surprised to hear my son tell me: “you don’t care about me”. I asked him why he would feel that way. After all, I was in the midst of making a special dessert for him He said: “you don’t listen when I talk”. I was actually listening but I was also multi-tasking. I realized that my son did not cared much about the cake but needed my undivided attention. So I left everything, went on my knee and looked in his eyes. It was that simple. 20% of my effort brought me 80% of result, filled his need for attention. Ask your lead pastor about the most significant thing you can do to support them. Ask your volunteers what encourages them the most and make them “ready” for the task ahead.
2- Applying the Pareto principle on your daily activities
Look at all the programs and daily activities you are engaged in. Write them all down. What bring the most results? In other words, what is your 20%? Prayerfully consider spending more energy and time in those areas. For some, it may be mentoring leaders, preparing for messages, networking with other leaders while for others it maybe to connect with kids and families that are struggling or have not attended church for a time.
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz author of The Power of Full Engagement suggest that life is not a marathon but a series of sprints. They suggest that you can greatly increase your productivity level by creating a rhythm in your day including sprints and rituals. You may plan several 90 uninterrupted (no emails, no phone, no twitter, no distractions, complete focus) minutes sprints divided by 20 minute rituals. Rituals are things that allow you to refresh and boots of your energy such as short walk and breathe fresh air, meditate on a passage of scripture or time with connect with those you love. Some choose to monitor potential interruptions by only looking and responding to their emails twice a day. When a healthy rhythm is created, you become full engage on the task ahead while behind renewed during the day. When those sprint are focused on your 20%, you become more purposeful. Purpose fuels more performance.
3- Applying the Pareto principle in your calendar planning
- Family and recreation
It must be your first priority. Look at the five years, what was the most significant thing you and your family did to stay connected and to be refreshing? Remember, 20% of you effort and time spend intentionally will bring 80% of the results. The first thing that should go in your yearly calendar is family and refreshment time. In our family, we make a big deal of anniversaries, birthdays, vacation, kids’ recitals, time with extended family, etc. This is why I marked it down first in my calendar. As you look at your calendar, mark dates that are important to your family. Unless you set these times apart for the ones you love, you will end up neglecting the one who matter the most to you. My husband and I don’t go out on Valentine’s Day, it’s just too hard to find a babysitter, but we do plan a date 2-3 days after and it works great for us. Work on what works best for your family and you.
With the same color, block off dates in your calendar for personal refreshment and recreation. The goal here is that you find rest in God and let him re-create you as his image. It will look different for everyone. Here are few ideas: retreat, conference, seminars and classes, time to seek the Lord, fasting, reading, learning a new instrument, regular time to enjoy God’s creation, etc. These times will allow you to refocus yourself on being who God is calling you to be and do what He is calling you to do.
- Put important work or church related dates
Take another color highlighter and mark the date that relates to work, to the church, to your ministry and to the community. Is there a time where your work is filled with deadlines and is more demanding on you and your family? Put it in your calendar. Any church event such as a church picnic, Easter production or concert you need to attend? Put it in your calendar. What about your normal events in the children’s ministry department like VBS, September kick-off and Christmas productions? Put it in your calendar. One thing that is very helpful is to mark down important dates for your community such as March break, long weekend, city festival and neighbourhood BBQ. As a pastor in Victoria, BC, one of the highlights of my year was the Victoria Day parade, one of the biggest parades in Canada. We had such a great opportunity to get our kids on our dynamic and well decorated float to promote our upcoming VBS. Choose a colour and highlight dates and events that you need to be involved in. Choose another colour to mark dates and events that will play a role in your event planning.
2015: living healthy and fruitful lives
Look at your calendar as a whole. Consider family/personal life, work, church as a whole and your personal ministry. Then, think about the goals and projects that God is putting on your heart. Reflect on the amount of time you will need to prepare, promote, gather material, recruit volunteers, etc. Then pray about when this event/project/program, would be the timeliest in your life as a whole. Remember, my goal through this reflection is to assure your longevity and fruitfulness in ministry. Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is to wait for the right time. Are you investing most of your time and energy in things that bring most result?