When my friend Stephanie explained her predicament, it made absolute sense to me because I struggle with something similar.
We were talking about finding balance in life and ideas for sharing the various responsibility loads we all have.
“The bigger problem for me is not not being willing to share, delegate or even cut out something,” Stephanie said. “The problem I have is that as soon as I make a little space in my schedule or remove something from my responsibility list, I quickly add something new to take up the space. It is as if I’m insecure without my schedule, my responsibilities and my life in general being constantly overwhelmed.”
I’ve heard others talk about an addiction to busyness.
Still others are get-it-done kinds of people and receive a lot of requests to take on projects or tasks. You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”
It’s true, people who are able to tackle projects head on and work hard to accomplish everything on their to-do list each day will most likely play a major part in accomplishing what you need. But constantly adding to the busy person’s to-do list could be detrimental to his or her health if he or she has a hard time declining requests or sticking to a disciplined workday.
At the same time an element of busyness or pressure is sometimes what we all need to actually stop and accomplish that overwhelming project we have been putting off. And if deadlines aren’t set for even the smallest of responsibilities in our lives, then it is natural to take much longer than is really needed to accomplish them.
Deadlines definitely dictate my life. Not only because The Alabama Baptist is a media ministry that exists on daily, weekly and monthly deadlines, but also because the sheer volume of what I’m juggling in all parts of life would swallow me whole if I didn’t force daily and sometimes hourly deadlines on myself.
I don’t say this to fish for sympathy or as a plea for help. I say it to explain the struggle of one who both desires and despises an overly busy life.
I’m a dreamer and sometimes overflow with ideas and passion for what could be.
I’m a doer. I like to work hard and get things done. I love efficiency and productivity and streamlining the streamlined process that was streamlined twice last month.
I’m a deadline enthusiast. Yes I was that college student who could start her 15-page research paper 12 hours before it was due and not only turn it in on time but walk away with an A.
I can’t always explain the thrill that comes with the clarity and focus of deadline pressure but it is quite addicting.
Still as much as I love the pressure and juggling lots of projects, am I being fair to all involved by living like this?
Along with frustrating others unnecessarily, I’m likely not doing my best work because there is no time to polish and perfect. On top of that, I’m not being kind to my mental nor physical health.
A recurring suggestion from mentors in my life is to narrow my focus to a few specific commitments and be “all in” rather than spreading myself thin and giving a little of myself to a lot of things.
As I evaluate what can be trimmed, I struggle with what to sacrifice and how to protect the newly created space.
A good friend recently said, “Quit talking about it and start praying about it.” Ah, yes, another important part of my life that gets neglected when I’m too busy.
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Rashional Extras – Surprising reasons every leader should be on social media
By Tim Parsons
Pastors.com
(Excerpt taken from Tim Parsons’ article at http://pastors.com/4-surprising-reasons-every-leader-should-be-on-social-media/)
In the past several years I’ve begun to see social media in a different light. Sure it’s a way to stay connected with friends and family. That’s it’s primary purpose. However, I believe there are some surprising reasons leaders should be on and should actively use social media. Here are four of those reasons:
- It makes you human. Believe it or not, many leaders are viewed through the lens of the 8, 10, 12 hours that they are “on the clock.” In other words those that you lead form opinions about who you are based on the few hours that they see you at work. And this can often lead to some pretty skewed perceptions about you as a person. It’s important that they realize you are human. You have family and friends. You have hobbies. You experience life in a similar way to them. The more “human” you become to those that you lead, the more relatable you are and the better able you are to lead them well.
- It’s another communication medium. Leaders have a lot to communicate. It’s pretty difficult to not only communicate everything that needs to be, but it also is hard to ensure that everyone on the team has heard you. Add to that the different biases that people can put on what they hear or read, that makes communication one of the most difficult parts of a leader’s job. Social media allows you to communicate things differently, more often and in a way that reaches people when they may be the most receptive.
- You get to see into others’ lives. This is probably one of the greatest benefits to me as a leader. The reality that people post way too much on social media couldn’t be truer. It’s amazing the level of detail that folks will put out there for everyone to see. And, although I think it’s unfortunate, it does benefit me greatly. I’ve been able to pull people aside and ask them about a sick child or the like — and it’s helped me lead them better.
- You can connect with industry leaders and learn from them for free. Most of the “big time” folks in your industry are on social media. They’re sharing ideas and posting updates that could help you improve as a leader. There have been countless times that I have found (and stolen) ideas that have improved the team I lead in some way. And when you connect with them on social media, it also can open doors to conversations with them that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. I’ve talked to a lot of big names in my industry because of a connection in social media.
“We can’t afford to point fingers at each other within the Church, not while the world desperately needs our helping hands. As ambassadors of Christ, we know how to negotiate a truce between the world and the Creator but first we need to make a truce with one another. Let’s start small.
Can you love a fellow Christian who sins differently than you do? That shouldn’t be hard. You know you fall short too (Rom. 3:23).”
Collin Hansen
“Do We Really Want Unity?” article, Relevant magazine
September/October 2015 edition
Derek Johnson
Q&A article
Relevant magazine
September/October 2015 edition
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“We must be careful that our service within the church doesn’t become more important than our relationship with Jesus. Our focus for service shouldn’t be on the action itself but on Jesus.”
Bryan Gill
Ministry Training Institute
Samford University
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“Simplicity is the secret of seeing things clearly. … The tiniest thing we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is quite sufficient to account for spiritual muddle, and all the thinking we like to spend on it will never make it dear. Spiritual muddle is only made plain by obedience. Immediately we obey, we discern. This is humiliating, because when we are muddled we know the reason is in the temper of our mind.”
Oswald Chambers
“My Utmost for His Highest”
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“We sit in the shade of trees we did not plant.”
Andrew Westmoreland
Samford University
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