redeeming time 04: margin

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,  yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” –proverbs 6:6-8

margin is awesome. margin is when all of your tasks are done and you have some free time! everyone loves margin- they crave it. we need it. good things only happen in times of margin. goals and dreams are born in the margin. relationships grow in margin only.

the great thing about accomplishing your goals is that now you have some margin. what do you do with it? let me give you some ideas:

// work ahead.
I try to work one season ahead. its winter- so I’m getting everything for the spring done. I have time- because I’ve got margin. and when the spring comes, I won’t be stressed, because I’ll be all caught up. not only that, I’ve got lots of time to think about what I want to do, and with lots of time to get it done, it will probably turn out pretty good. there is time to use creativity. creativity only happens in the margins. I see too many people freaking out over details because they waited to the last minute to get stuff done. they bark at people because they are stressed and busy. but that won’t be you or me- we’ll have margin. for me as a youth worker, I need margin. when a student or a parent or a leader walks in and needs my attention, I can’t be worrying about a microphone that needs to be set up or papers that need to be printed or chairs that need to be set up. I need to focus on them. all of those other details need to be taken care of early, so that when a person shows up, I can show up and give them my best attention. you have people in your life that need your full attention too- when your work is done early, you can give them your best with your eyes and ears and face.

// say yes.
when you have margin, you can say yes. everyone loves someone who can say yes. sometimes I’m working in my office, crossing off my list, and someone will come in and ask, “do you have a minute?” and I say yes. and it’s the truth. sometimes people ask, “can you help me?” “can you do me a favor?” and I love to say, “yes. I can definitely do that.” you can’t do that if you’re stressed out with details. that’s one of my favorite things about Jesus- He was always saying yes- always willing to be interrupted. He had time for individuals. we’ve all met people who were too busy for us- no one likes those people. and we have all met those people who stop everything to listen. when you have margin- or when you put in the work to CREATE margin, you become one of those people.

// next level.
I love taking things to the next level. but that takes dreaming, and planning and budgeting and meeting and networking and brainstorming. and all of those things only happen in the margins. how can you take your game to the next level? take some time and dream that up!

// rest.
there is freedom in knowing that your details have been accomplished. procrastinating may be relaxing for a bit, but it creates double the stress later. so many people feel guilty about resting, but you don’t need to feel guilty about resting after accomplishing goals because you earned that rest. you can turn all of your stress done, because your work has been taken care of. and you have a good understanding of what needs to get done on Monday, and you have a system to make sure that it will get done. I like what jesus says, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” you don’t need to worry about tomorrow. tomorrow has its own list- and you can cross it all off TOMORROW.

// focus.
people always ask me, “how do you balance work and family?” and I don’t really like the word balance. balance makes it sound like I give equal time and attention to my family and my work- and I don’t. I prefer the word focus. when I have my list made from my funnel and my daily pages, I can focus on work and work ahead. and when that’s taken care of, I turn the lights off in my office, and I can focus on deanna and jane. my mind doesn’t have to be in 2 places at once. every now and then I get a thought about the work that needs to get done- then I capture that thought on my pad and continue to focus. I know too many unfocused dads and husbands and youth workers. I don’t want to be one.

all of this sounds like a lot of work- but when you’ve got it working into a system, it makes you more focused, more efficient in the time you have, and more mindful of the people and moments in your life.

so give it a try! try working ahead- even a bit. what is a project that’s coming up for you? how can you start thinking about that right now? what can you get done for that right now? every detail that you get done early, will give you margin for the future. and everything that’s good happens in the margins.

God is love.
-rev-rob

redeeming time 03: the calendar

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” –ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

so far, I’ve been talking about daily lists, made from a funnel. here is a REALLY important part of the funnel: the calendar.

I use one of those moleskine calendars that have DAILY pages. calendars with daily pages are hard to find, but I highly recommend them. here is how I use my daily pages-

there are things that need to get done every day. things like a quiet time, maybe a check in with your accountability partner; or maybe updating your budget or check book. personally, I want to have a quiet time, I want to work through my personal prayer list for that day of the week, and I want to review the bible verses that I’m working on; every day. I write each of those details on my daily pages for a given month. so for February, I will take a pencil and write those three details on EVERY DAY.

then there are things that need to get done on your Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc. for me, on Mondays, I write letters. Monday only. I prep for my Tuesday meetings, and a bunch of other things too. Tuesday has its own list of to-dos, so do the other days of the week. so for February, on each Monday I write my Monday to dos on the daily pages of my calendar. I do the same for the other days of the week too. at some point, each day of my calendar will have a few details on it. I write these in on the last day of the month to get ready for the month to come. I remind myself to do this by writing that detail on the last day of the month in my calendar.

Then, on a given morning, when I’m making my daily list, I start pulling details in from my funnel. I go to today’s date in my calendar and see all of the things that need to get done today and transfer them to my daily list.

here is another way I use the daily pages in my calendar: if there are details that didn’t get done on my daily list, I just open my calendar to tomorrow’s date and transfer those details to tomorrow. then in the morning when I’m making a new daily list, those details will be waiting for me. they won’t be forgotten, they will get accomplished. I picked up that trick from my mentor Marvin.

then there details that need to get done next week or next month. for those, I just flip ahead in my calendar’s daily pages and make a note to accomplish that task. then, when that day arrives, I am reminded of that task and able to transfer it to my daily list so it can get done.

this is good for big projects too. sometimes a big project is so overwhelming that you don’t know where to start. but when you break it up into pieces its manageable. do the first step today. write the steps to come in your calendar’s daily pages.

I like daily pages because there is space to write things. you can use your phone for this, but in my experience, writing out details and seeing them on paper is the best. some people like using online calendars that can be accessed anywhere- and if that works for you, go for it. you don’t need to do what I do, you just need to do whatever is going to help yourself to be efficient and effective and productive.

so give it a try! get a calendar with daily pages. figure out what you want to get done EVERY day- and write those in the pages for this month. make a list of what needs to get done every Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. then write those into your daily pages. all of those details can be transferred to your daily list; and if they don’t get done today, put them on tomorrow’s page so that you’ll remember to get them done tomorrow. while you’re at it, put everyone’s birthday in your calendar- and your anniversary and all of the other important details. put them in a few days early so you’ll have time to get a card and a gift. your stress will drop and you won’t forget all of the important things and people in your life.

God is love.
-rev-rob

redeeming time 02: the funnel

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” –Psalm 90:12

in my last post, I talked about the daily list. this one is about what I call the funnel. we all have details spread out all over the place- we need to funnel them down into one spot- the daily list.

details and to-dos come from all over the place- once you find them, transfer them to your list. you get an e-mail that has a to-do in it- transfer that to the list- or to the calendar- more on that later.

you get a text message from a family member asking for a favor- transfer that to the list.

what about all of those details floating around in your brain? transfer them to the list. I believe that God actually reminds us of important details. its like a little gift. we get these thoughts that say, “don’t forget…” and we have this flash of stress thinking, “I HAVE to remember this! I CAN’T forget this!” and so we just hold that thought in our brains until the task is done.” if you don’t find a way to get that detail to your list, you’re in danger of forgetting it.

the problem is that those ideas come when we’re in the car, in the shower, and places where our daily list is far away. so how do we get it to the daily list?

you need a system to capture that thought.
its got to be portable and accessible to you all the time.

I use all kinds of ways. many people have seen me whip a small pad of paper out of my pocket and write a note to myself. I also send myself e-mails. if I can’t do that, I send myself a voicemail. I am reminded of so many things to do when I’m in the shower, that I got one of those shower crayons, and sometimes I make a list right there on the shower wall. when I’m dried off, I transfer that list to my pocket pad or send myself an e-mail. I’ve seen people make notes on their hands- whatever works for you. I have gotten out of bed on many nights to walk over to my list to capture a thought. the great thing is that after its written down, I can give my mind the freedom to stop thinking about it and get rest.

people wonder what I’m doing when I’m capturing a thought. they see my pad and think, “what are you writing?! is this about me?!” or they see my typing on my phone and wonder if I’m texting during our meeting. now I just announce what I’m doing and say, “that’s a great idea- I want to make sure I remind myself to take care of that later.”

here is the bottom line: if you don’t write it down, you will stress yourself out trying to remember it; or you will forget it. but when you write that task down somewhere, then you can free your brain up to think other thoughts, and the stress level drops.

so every day, I make one master daily list. that list is created from the funnel. each day, I look at my calendar, my pocket pad, my e-mail, my text messages and notes; and transfer all of those details onto my one master daily list. my daily list often grows throughout the day as e-mails come in and as I’m reminded of things to do.

give it a try! think about what system will work for you. what can you use to capture those thoughts? its got to be something that you will see and not overlook. its got to be something that you can access all the time. phones can really be helpful with this. if you use a pocket pad, get something you’ll enjoy using and that you won’t misplace. don’t forget to have a pen on you if you’re going to use a pad. it sounds a little OCD, but there is nothing weird about remembering things that are important to you. people that remember details are thought of as thoughtful- and that’s always good.

God is love.
rev-rob

redeeming time 01: the list

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” –ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV

I get asked often about my time-management strategies, and I usually find myself having a hard time explaining it. I thought it would be best to have it spelled out somewhere- so over the next few posts, I'm going to download everything I know about time management and accomplishing goals. hopefully you find this helpful!

everyone has things that they need to get done. some are small things, some are big things, but they are all important. I personally hate it when I forget an important detail and let someone (or myself) down. I’ve got so many details to remember that sometimes its overwhelming- I’m sure you have felt the same way. over my next few posts, I’m going to spell out how I manage it all. I’ve stolen tips and tricks from all kinds of people- and its all added up to a system that has worked well for me.

it all begins with a list.

at the beginning of every day, make a list.
I make mine on a steno pad, writing with a pencil.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given that advice- it seems obvious, but I’m surprised how few people do this simple exercise.

some people think that they just aren’t the list kind of person; but I’m not talking about lists everywhere, just one list at the beginning of the day.

sometimes when we think about everything that needs to get done, its overwhelming. its like a cloud of stress that hangs over our heads. but when you actually list it out, and can look at what needs to get done on a piece of paper, all of the sudden that stress gets lighter, and the task seems more manageable.

so each day I begin with a list. on paper.

I’ve met a lot of people who make lists on their cell phone, and I would say that you should do that if it works for you- but in my experience, nothing beats a good old steno pad.

the activity of writing down my list of things to do, first thing in the morning, holds me accountable to get those things done. also- having that list in my workspace is a constant reminder of what needs to get done, of how I should be spending my time, and when I have free time and when I don’t.

what do you put on your list? everything that needs to get done TODAY. I start my list with a day of the week- in big letters I write MONDAY or TUESDAY at the top. sometimes there are little things that need to get done- I put them on the list. sometimes there are big things to get done- things that won’t get done in one day. I break those projects up into steps, and put the next step on my list. I put personal stuff on list list, like getting my car washed or writing a thank you card. I put everything that needs to get done on a given day- including having a quiet time; anything that you want to see happen, write it down. even if the list is 50 items long, its ok. write it down so you can see what needs to get done. once you can see it, its manageable.

now that its written down, you have made a contract with yourself to get it done. when I accomplish a task, I cross it off of my list.

 

I cross the heck out of it.

they say that your brain actually releases endorphins when you do this. it makes you physically happy to get stuff done. my friend Marc gave me that idea to cross things off on my list with a big red marker; and I’ve been doing it happily for years since.

some things on your list need to get done TODAY. note that somehow. I put a little red dot next to that item for those. some things you need to go and shop for. note those too- maybe you can get them all done on the same trip. some things are really, really important. make sure you note that on your list and give those things the time they deserve.

what if you don’t get everything on your list done? that stuff goes on tomorrow’s list. I’ll write about that in my next post. sometimes it wasn’t that important and it can just get crossed off. my goal at the end of the day is to have a page of steno pad filled with red marker. some days it happens, most days it doesn’t. that’s ok. keep those details in front of you- and as long as they are in front of you, you won’t forget them, you’ll get them done.

my list helps me in a bunch of ways. first of all, I get a bunch of stuff done. second, I don’t stress over details, because I know what details need to get done, and I’m confident that I’ll get them done. it makes me efficient with my time too. sometimes I think to myself, “I have 15 minutes until I need to go to a meeting or leave to somewhere…” instead of checking the internet for 15 minutes, I just look at my list and ask, “is there anything on here that I can get done in 15 minutes?” and the odds are that there is. finally, when I get home, I can rest. I can put my focus on my family. I don’t need to freak out and wonder how I’m going to get it all done. I know how I’m going to get it done; and I can rest knowing that I got a bunch done in the work hours that I had.

give it a try! get a steno pad and write the day on top of it. then list out the things you need to get done today. I’ll bet you have a very productive day!

God is love.

-rev-rob