12 Secrets to Becoming a More Effecient Children's Ministry Leader

Do you want to be more efficient as a Children's Ministry leader?  Feel like there is just not enough hours in a day to get everything done?  Here are 15 secrets that will help you accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.
  1. Set a start and ending time for meetings and abide by it. 
  2. Shorten your meetings by 15 minutes.  You can normally get done in 45 minutes what you think it takes an hour to accomplish.
  3. Know when 85% is good enough.  Sometimes the extra 15% it takes to make something perfect is not worth the return.
  4. Close your door and put up the "do not disturb" sign.  You must carve out uninterrupted time if you are going to accomplish your tasks.  This may mean working from home at times instead of the office depending on what stage of life your family is in.
  5. Live by lists.  Write down your goals and tasks and keep them in front of you. 
  6. Take advantage of bonus time.  There will be instances when bonus time pops up.  It might be a meeting that was cancelled, a delayed flight, or a long car ride.  Take advantage of it.  Be prepared to use this extra time to get things done.
  7. Schedule phone calls and appointments with end times. 
  8. Stay off Facebook during office hours unless it is part of your work.  Unless you are using Facebook to connect with volunteers, reach out to new families, etc. don't get sucked in at work. 
  9. Organize your work space.  Organizing your paper work, desk, etc. will make help you be more productive.
  10. Set deadlines and alarms for your tasks.  If you are like me, I have to intentionally put reminders in place for my tasks.  A great, free tool you can use is www.producteev.com.  
  11. Place your phone on do not disturb.
  12. Only check email at designated times.  Constantly checking your email can be a huge time grabber.  You are right in the middle of an important task and you decide to just glance at your email.  Next thing you know, your attention has been diverted by another task and you don't finish what you were originally working on.
What are some other things you do to be a more efficient leader?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson