As you look back over the past week, can you count on one hand the number of activities that were done in a planned and organized way? On two hands? If you’re like me, then you had to think for a minute, sorting through the sea of busyness and to-do lists that fill each week. Then, it hits you — I did do some things this week that were more than just reacting to the environment around me. Yes!
Some things on my list include a meeting with my faculty department that was scheduled and fully accomplished in under 30 minutes. I was also able to meet with seven students individually to go over their mid-year self evaluations. Finally, I oversaw my students as they generated their weekly encouragement letters to their faith sharing groups. Now that I think about it, it was a pretty good week!
Too often, those of us in lay ministry are flooded with many things to do and an “on the go” style and system for handling all the things that come our way. Can you relate? Does mail come in and get placed somewhere, only later to be discovered after a deadline or engagement has been missed? Or, do you routinely carry things over from your to-do list to the next day or even the next week?
In spite of the occasional detail that falls through the cracks, there are some things I have learned. I have found that it is not only possible to be organized and “stay on top” of it all, but that it’s just plain cool. There is a tremendous feeling of being at peace, knowing that things are getting done when and how they need to be. You can relax because you periodically review your commitments and plan out the desired outcomes. Finally, there is a tremendous amount of work that gets done, all because it really is possible to be an organized lay minister.
In this era of increased lay ministry in the Church, I feel that the only effective minister is the one who has developed a system for handling the day-to-day work that needs to get done. I have learned what it means to work hard and maintain balance in my life. One needs a system in place for handling such things as:
• Paperwork: try to touch it only once.
• Phone calls: try to respond within 24 hours.
• Self evaluation: open the lines of communication by asking for feedback.
• Program evaluation: keep a file of “things which might be done better next time” and then act upon them when the program returns in the cycle.
• Idea gathering: don’t let good ideas slip into oblivion; write them down for eventual revisiting.
• Follow up: develop a consistent, thoughtful process for following up on meetings, appointments and calendar items.
This month, do your best to stay on top of things. A regular review of your tasks and commitments will be key. As you get a handle on the blur of activity that is your ministry and life, you’ll feel pretty cool.
WORDS TO LIVE BY
“You've got to think about big things while you're doing small things so that all the small things go in the right direction.” Alvin Toffler
This article is used by permission from Mike St. Pierre's Catholic Ventures Newswire, available at Catholic Ventures Online.
