Avoiding the Curse of Task Management

Today's Guest Post is from Loren Pinilis who operates Life of a Steward, a site about time management from a Christian perspective. He’s passionate about helping God’s people manage their time and showing them that busyness, stress, and procrastination are answered by the gospel.

We may use OmniFocus or Nozbe. We zealously chase Inbox Zero by using the two-minute rule.

But our focus on task management and productivity can often bring with it a curse – a weakness which actually makes us less productive.

It all started with David Allen’s Getting Things Done. Allen’s approach to the frenzied amount of decisions and information flying at us was to drill down and refine workflow. In other words, focus on mastering the basic building blocks of our day. Get really good at being efficient.

The problem is we then stay in that mindset. We stay at the “runway level” of task management. We become obsessed with efficiently adding items to our lists and efficiently crossing them off.

But we never look up to ask ourselves the big questions. In our zeal for efficiency, we move away from effectiveness. Yes, we may occasionally take a look at the bigger picture when we consider weekly planning or annual goals. But that’s not the big picture I’m talking about.

Do we ever take a step back and ask ourselves why we’re even on Earth? Do we see our daily lives in the context of eternity? Because when we do, we get a very different view of our work.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men

Colossians 3:23-24 reminds us: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

This insight absolutely changes our life.

Now, crossing things off of our list isn’t our primary focus – it’s stewarding our resources well. Now, meeting our deadlines takes a back seat to bringing glory to God. Now, we work with purpose – every second of our day. Now, we will strive towards goals that really matter.

Now, we have to depend on Christ because we won’t be able to measure up to his perfect standard in our own power.

But now, we are given tremendous freedom. We’re not called to be somebody else. We’re not punished for failing to be as influential as a celebrity, author, or CEO. The sovereign God who created the universe doesn’t call us to achievement in the eyes of the world – but to obedience wherever we are right now.

And to bring this full-circle: that obedience can be achieved, in part, by efficiency and task management.

Mastering workflow is great. Efficiency is to be prized. But be sure to connect that efficiency to true effectiveness.

Question: Do you struggle with forgetting what true effectiveness is? What are some practices that can help us remember?

*Photo courtesy of LP

You Don't Need Another Productivity System

Don't get me wrong, there are times when a new tool is what you need. A tree falls in your back yard and the puny hand saw just won't do the trick. Better to invest in a chainsaw that will get the work done in a fraction of the time. Folks here in Jersey saw this first hand in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

When it comes to your daily work though, I'm not sure that a new tool is what you need. Let me explain.

I go through a bit of something every 3-4 months. I slowly use my productivity system less and less and then hit the 3 month mark. It's at that time that I mistakenly think that I need a new tool. I actually don't. What I need is to recalibrate, refocus and spend 1-2 hours getting clear and current with my lists. Then, I'm good to go and can tackle the big projects that keep me up at night.

Busyness tricks me into thinking that I can use my systems less and expect the same results. In the end, there is no substitute for being disciplined, using my system daily and sticking with it. That's not a sexy solution but it works every time.

How about you? Do you think you need another app or "tool" when discipline/refocusing is what you really need?

Podcast 25: 6 Ways to Bring Gratitude Into Your Life

In this Thanksgiving edition of The Daily Saint podcast, we discuss 6 ways to bring gratitude into your life.  Each of us knows what it feels like to be grateful but how do you make it a regular practice?  

Shownotes include:

• ShrinkingTheCamel.com and author Jim Wood.  Jim's new e-Book, At Work as it is in Heaven, can be found here.
• LifeOfASteward.com.  Loren Pinilis has an excellent take on time management and his new podcast is great.
• Michael Hyatt's post, The 7 Benefits of Keeping a Daily Journal 
• My post on life, post-Hurricane Sandy, What I Learned From a Week Without Power
• Seth Godin's book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

 Photo courtesy of SG

Listen to the Podcast

Six Things We Know About Leadership

One of the great myths about leadership is that it is a forever kind of assignment. Part of this is because we have such a low measuring stick for how someone gets constructive criticism. In many circles, you have to do something super bad in order to get fired. That's not good.

Another myth is that it springs out of having a title. Manager. Director. Sir. Mam. Father. Reverend. Rabbi. Most titles exist to put distance between people and the leaders. You can often spot a humble leader when she/he is comfortable with other people using their first name. I often struggle with this as a school leader. I prefer my first name but also realize that there are some times when it's actually more effective to allow someone to use my last name.

The worst myth, by far is the myth that leadership is something to be protected at all costs. This comes from a scarcity model to be sure. It also reveals a mindset of fear- "if I lose my post, what will happen?" All of this is a very sad and we see it over and over again.

Look at the members of Congress. Many would rather be re-elected than be principled or courageous. They act as if the world will stop if they aren't re-elected. Many who have lost have become more effective at creating change than when they held the title of Senator or House Member.

Even in Christian circles, scandal after scandal has shown that leaders would rather prevent bad press than do the right thing. News flash: when you are more concerned with keeping something out of the paper than with doing the right thing, your leadership is in trouble.

So I'm thinking today about work and how one ought to be protective of it in a healthy sort of way. Cut through the myths as we've laid them out above and let's talk about what we know to be true about leadership:

1. Leadership is temporary.
2. Leadership takes guts.
3. Leadership isn't always popular.
4. Leadership ought to be aligned with the truth.
5. Leaders serve others.
6. Leadership looks for the good of the organization.

In order to wrap your arms around these six beliefs, great leaders have shown that a certain sheath is important to be built around their leadership role. This can also be seen as a scaffolding of sorts. Think of it as a support system to keep you fresh and healthy as a leader.

Six corresponding actions that we can take to match action to belief include:

1. Leadership is temporary. EMBRACE THIS BY PLANNING FOR YOUR NEXT LEADERSHIP ROLE.
2. Leadership takes guts. EMBRACE THIS BY ANTICIPATING PUSH-BACK ON YOUR NEXT BIG DECISION.
3. Leadership isn't always popular. EMBRACE THIS BY BEING OK WITH DISAGREEMENT.
4. Leadership ought to be aligned with the truth. EMBRACE THIS WITH AN INVENTORY OF HOW PEACEFUL YOU FEEL WITH A TOUGH DECISION.
5. Leaders serve others. EMBRACE THIS BY TAKING OUT THE TRASH, PAYING COMPLIMENTS AND DOING THE LITTLE THINGS.
6. Leadership looks for the good of the organization. EMBRACE THIS EACH TIME YOU MAKE A PERSONNEL DECISION.

Each of us is probably more of a leader than we give ourselves credit for. And less of one too if we're honest. By embracing action with belief, you'll maintain your leadership for the long haul and make one heck of a difference along the way.

Question: which of the six things we know resonates most with you?

Photo courtesy of FMM.

How to Stay Calm in the Face of Stress

When was the last time that you flew off the handle?  Do you remember the cause of it or how it was resolved after the dust had settled?

Often, stress builds up under the surface and then, when you least expect it, rears its ugly head.  A good definition of stress is, "Pressure or tension exerted on a material object".  If the material object is you, this post will apply all the more.  

 I once had a co-worker in the office who found me at the wrong time after what had been a difficult week.  After we exchanged words, we went our separate ways.  

To this day, I have no idea what we argued about.  

Stress is like that.  It blurs your thinking so that you are more likely to react instead of respond appropriately.  Recently in the world of race car driving, a driver deliberately wrecked a competitor's car.  When he was subsequently fined $100,000 and penalized by NASCAR, he defended his actions, "I guess I had to do what I had to do."  

Doesn't exactly sound like remorse does it?

Instead of going off on someone, how can you remain calm when you would otherwise provide a knee-jerk reaction?  Here are some practical suggestions:

1. Slow the game down.  Step away from the situation.  Turn off the computer, go for a walk, breathe.  What you don't want to do is say something that you will regret so it's vital to give yourself some physical distance from the situation at hand.  Turn your attention to someone or something totally unrelated to your stress.  
2. Practice the 24 hour rule.  That is to say, do not respond within the first 24 hours.  There might be an exception to this such as an emergency scenario or when someone is in danger.  Otherwise, do your best to not respond within the first 24 hours.  This will take discipline and courage.
3. Seek advice.  Ask 2-3 people that you trust what they would do in your shoes.  
4. Watch your email.  Many email errors take place because someone was in a rush.  Guess what?  Email lives for a long time.  (for a refresher on email etiquette, read Laura Stack's excellent piece on the proper use of email).
5. Speak with the person directly.  Whomever it is that rubbed you the wrong way, approach her/him calmly and directly.  Do not raise your voice but speak in a professional tone about what bothered you previously.  If you're going to push the stress out of your body, let it begin with the words that come from your mouth.  Don't approach the person in a hallway or public place but give your conversation the right context in which to take place.  An office or meeting room make the most sense.
6. Pray over the situation.  No matter how bad the situation may seem, God has seen far worse and can handle whatever mess you are in.  Pray for yourself and for the person(s) causing you stress.  I have found that this works 100% of the time.

Believe it or not, stess both causes and creates humility.  It takes humility to present your stress to God.  It takes even more humility to approach someone who causes you stress.  It builds up humility inside of you when you admit weakness and vulnerability.  

The words of St. Peter still ring true, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Question: which technique do you use to stay calm when faced with stress?

Photo courtesy of EG.