Been trying to connect with a lot of youth ministers lately and I get the same response, “Let’s connect when things slow down.” Some of them give me seasons where they believe it will happen and others aren’t that clear. It’s a bummer because I do like getting coffee, and catching up on ministry, but to be honest, I hit those seasons as well and they are draining. The only thing that makes them bearable is knowing that there is an end. But we don’t always know when that is.
In addition, we don’t know when they’ll start. They seem to pop up without warning and carry us off until we come to a crashing halt (i.e. getting sick, missing commitments or burning out). While we love to be productive, no one really likes being overwhelmed with busyness. The problem is that we lead our ministries in a reactionary fashion. Instead, we need to be proactive and develop routines and rituals that give us balance like:
First thing I do is I find my chair in the living room, read a devotional or partake in meditative prayer. After that, I write down all the stuff that’s going on in my mind. If you read my entries you’d see that most of it won’t make sense and that’s because it’s an information dump. Words, phrases, thoughts and so forth are in my head needs . to get out or they create a roadblock for my creativity. (For more on the power of journaling read this article HERE)
This is tough because I live on my phone in so many ways. I need boundaries and places where phones don’t belong in my life like:
Phones are powerful and effective tools, but they can be a distraction. Use them wisely and you’ll find that you have a little more balance in your life.
If I don’t create then I’m going to have a hard time leading. Creativity helps you think outside the box and sort through all sorts of challenges. My creativity usually comes in the form of writing (That’s how this blog started) and I find that I’m the most creative from 8 am – 10 am.
To protect that creative time I’ll shut the door to my office, I’ll put my phone on ‘do not disturb’ and put on noise-canceling headphones. Even if it’s a grind having creative crunch time has made me more productive, but before you engage in it you need to PICK YOUR TIME and PICK YOUR ENVIRONMENT. For more on (Deep Work check this out HERE)
One of the reasons my wife married me and stays married to me is because I’ll cook dinner almost every night. I don’t mind it, in fact, I enjoy it immensely because it’s a creative habit that is so different from everything else that I do. For some people making a home cooked meal that your kids will dig and with enough time to get them to evening activities can be stressful. But, I’ve found that the limitations that increase the challenge also push me to think in a new way.
While being a professional chef isn’t on my to-do list it’s great having a habit that forces me to use different skills. Every leader needs an outlet where they can create and do something a little outside of their comfort zone. Utilize that habit to either unwind or keep those other muscles (That don’t typically get used) fresh.
Most of my days in 2018 were filled with disorganization. The balance between Marathon Youth Ministry and local parish work was getting off kilter. A friend recommended that I look at planners, which at first seemed redundant to the journaling I was already doing. I then came across the Monk Manual, which has given me a framework to process my day, plan for tomorrow and put everything into perspective.
In addition to reflecting at the end of the day, I make sure I stop looking at screens (Including television) 30 minutes before I go to bed. During that time I’ll drink some tea (No caffeine), and read a book. I find my best sleep is when my mind is prepped for it and we all know that sleep is important to our productivity.
I like to run, although you don’t find me signing up for too many races. Originally I got into running because I felt it gave me permission to eat as much as I wanted (Age changed that). Over time, running has been another outlet for processing the day. It’s been a physical outlet that helps me stay fresh and alert.
While you don’t have to run having a physical activity that keeps your body healthy is key to being productive. A healthy body takes less emotional energy to keep moving and we need to keep our wits about us especially when we’re being spiritually attacked.
Are these the habits that you need to maintain balance in your life? Maybe. No matter what you do make sure you develop those habits to help you measure when life gets extremely busy. Any time I see these routines slip I know I need to reach out to someone, engage more in prayer and reassess my current situation.