As I headed into summers, I always had big dreams of what I would accomplish. In addition to planning out the upcoming year and compiling all the content, I would recruit enough volunteers and do all of this while running a few camps. Then it would be a few weeks before welcoming teens back from their summer vacation and I would be scrambling.
I always felt like a procrastinator. But despite the best intentions, there were things I either had not considered or that were completely out of my control. Summer isn't the season to get ahead. It took me a while to accept that. Building margin came from stacking habits that over time gave me room to breathe.
I have a planner that I look at every day along with my phone's calendar. I look at what I have going on and what needs to be done. I've started using Claude AI to help me review emails in case I'm missing something. But I know I am at my best when I take a few minutes each morning — typically over breakfast — to look at what I have going on that day and the next few days ahead.
If you want to take it further, try taking one day a week to review the next seven days, and one day a month to look even further ahead. You don't have to do this perfectly every day. The more you review your priorities, the more prepared you are for whatever life brings.
Way back in college I got a distressing email from a classmate. When I shared this with my mom she told me, "You never want to read your email first thing in the morning or last thing at night because it'll set the tone and impact your mood."
Email is one of many things that can throw off our days. If you work at home, there are so many reasons to get up from your desk and do something else. If you are in an office, there are so many people and reasons you can't get that important task done.
What has helped me over the years is limiting when and how I access email. It's embracing open office hours instead of an open door policy. People come with intention instead of impulse, and I get the space to focus on deep work and get more done in less time.
Start by naming a time when you will and won't check email during the day, and build from there.
Ministry can be mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding. If you want to do this for the long haul, you need to work out your mind, body, and soul — whether that means learning from experts or sitting down with someone who can guide you.
Conferences, workshops, and higher education will give you a great deal. But for small habits to stack, small steps go a long way. Listen to a work-relevant podcast on the way to the office. Take a walk around the parish campus after a meeting to process the conversation. Set a timer throughout the day to remind yourself to pray.
And if you need accountability, meet with a therapist, spiritual director, physical trainer, or whatever formation you need in this season.
When you give yourself time to grow — alongside creating boundaries and prioritizing your day — you start to build real margin. There are automation tools and apps that can help (Check out Ministry Coach). There are people who can professionally guide you (Check out our Coaching). But don't keep trying to get everything done in one season, one month, or even one week. Pace yourself. The people you serve need you for the long haul, not just the sprint.