Productivity: Friend or Foe?

I’ve spent the last three and a half months at a much faster pace than normal.  I spoke at the preteen leaders conference in Rocklin, CA last week about keeping ministry simple.  About keeping the main deal the main deal and as a result creating space in your work week.  I had no idea I would be tested to such a high degree to put that into action the following week.  Coming home, I was immediately swamped with a busy to-do list.  I pretty much stopped doing any of my normal “side stuff” like blogging, developing resources for preteenministry.net, writing, etc.  But by Friday (that’s today), I was at the end of my rope.  Too much to do and not enough time.  Summer projects on the horizon, a Friday night event around the corner and all the other busyness that comes with ministry.  I had to make a change.  But I knew that last week.  It was time to put it into action.

Today I had a candid conversation with my boss about creating more space in my work week.  A slower more enjoyable pace of ministry life.  We came up with a game plan that I am optimistic about.  I’m relieved he is supportive about the idea.

I’ll also be hiring a customer service/finance person for preteenministry.net & a content writer, who will be the point person to create new content for subscribers.  Another big load off me.

I can breath now and it feels good.

Life got busy, I got swamped, but I am making adjustments.  How often do we just keep going? How often do we keep doing ministry at an unhealthy pace?  More importantly, why do we?  What is our motivation?  Is it really to point kids/preteens to Jesus or is it to be “successful” in ministry?  Do we get our worth from our work or our relationship with Jesus?  Why are we so driven to go and go and go without enjoying the journey we’re on?  Good questions to ask ourselves.  I’ve had to ask those questions again and again.  Sometimes my motivation and pace is in check, but sometimes it isn’t.

I like to be productive.  It feels good when I get things done.  Especially when they’re good things that make a difference.  But too much productivity isn’t healthy.  I enjoy life so much better when I go slower, read more, visit the bookstore more often and go to the beach.  What about you?

So, my game plan next week is to spend a day at Barnes & Noble, go surfing on a nice Southern California day and hang-out at Starbucks a lot.  I’m looking forward to it.  Do I have a lot on my to do list?  Yep!  Just not going to do most of it.  And I’m going to keep it up in the weeks to come.  Maybe not to that degree. But I will keep the pace of life slower, learn to be okay with doing less and get back to enjoying life instead of rushing through it.  I will struggle to go back to super Nick.  It will be a battle I face again and again in the future.  But I will make adjustments as needed.  My family & ministry deserves a healthy me.

Yes, I blog about this a lot.  It’s my biggest struggle.  I’ll probably blog about it again after summer.  But I know I’m not alone.  I see it in so many of us who work at churches.  We’re consumed with doing ministry.  Our lives rotate around church.  We’re super busy and don’t know how to stop.

I hope by sharing my ongoing struggle with doing too much that you may find hope if you struggle as well.  Hope that you can change.  Hope that you are not alone.  I don’t think enough leaders blog or write about it enough.  So, I hope to be a voice.  A voice that encourage a healthy pace of ministry life.  A voice that values non-productivity, rest and downtime.