tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951002336190667172011-11-27T18:11:20.830-06:00Personal Productivity for PastorsJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-80605072434947707572011-11-16T16:13:00.002-06:002011-11-16T16:16:21.182-06:00

Jack Dorsey tells us how he keeps on top of everything important as he runs two companies. He organizes his days by theme.Monday: Management meetings and "running the company" workTuesday: Product developmentWednesday: Marketing, communications, and growthThursday: Developers and partnershipsFriday: The company and its cultureSaturday: HikingSunday: Reflection, feedback, and strategyRead more

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-48944909924662328502011-11-14T22:24:00.003-06:002011-11-14T22:26:42.697-06:00

Great video by Scott Williams about how to manage your time with God as your No. 1 priority.

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-52909335390571257072011-11-04T22:32:00.004-05:002011-11-04T23:04:54.257-05:00

So... I'm still on a leave of absence from pastoring (read more here). But our pastor is leaving for another church. And I'm the head elder.So... I find myself planning to preach quite a bit in the upcoming year (quiet "hurrahs" fill my soul; how I've missed preaching!).I've been working on the sermonic year (assuming we don't have a preaching pastor for a while). This time the pent-up series

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-48751622787212796322011-11-01T20:35:00.003-05:002011-11-01T20:43:29.118-05:00

Over on Ja Cook's Don't Survive, Thrive! he has a great post about what disqualifies someone from being a leader. Not sexual blunders or embezzling (although, I'm sure those are also disqualifiers).Ja's list hits close to home with things like...You cannot lead if you cannot love those you leadandYou cannot lead if you cannot lift others up to be better than youandYou cannot lead if you cannot

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-23533910505273739312011-09-02T20:41:00.002-05:002011-09-02T20:51:36.286-05:00

As you may have noticed, I've quit updating Juggling Sheep. In April of 2010 my mom came to live with us as she undergoes further cancer treatment. I took a voluntary leave of absence from pastoral ministry in July of 2010. This gave me an opportunity to care for my mom while doing web design at Big Idea Web Design (out of my home). I've mostly been focusing on designing websites for churches

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-28524970346514248842010-09-14T06:22:00.002-05:002010-09-14T06:44:19.082-05:00

Today is a special day! Today is September 14, the date of the long-awaited release of the Get-It-Done Guy's book - 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More.Think of this book as a VERY PRACTICAL 7 Habits for Highly Effective Hipsters.Stever Robbins has a refreshing, fun, witty way of hitting each of his points home with clarity and practicality. Did I mention it's practical? Because you can actually

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-36059353644842869652010-07-30T11:17:00.001-05:002010-07-30T11:20:42.597-05:00

What topics/series do you typically use as a sermonic year framework? What topics do you always address around the same time each year? Why?

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-52832509311138629142010-07-29T13:32:00.000-05:002010-07-30T11:16:02.425-05:00

So, as I've mentioned before, I really like preaching topigetical sermons in topical series. The cool thing about this is that your six sermon series may be on one topic, but the whole series doesn't have to come from one scriptural pericope (because the series is topical, not exigetical). Each sermon, however, should be exigetical from one pericope that addresses a specific sub-topic. This is

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-81188821382740892752009-11-20T10:15:00.012-06:002009-11-20T18:31:48.856-06:00

One of the unexpected benefits of owning an iPhone is that I now have more time to read the Bible and other books.Sure, the first couple of months were full of finding new apps, tweeting more regularly, facebooking from anywhere, etc. But a couple of the apps have actually helped me to be more productive. *SHOCK*I'll write another post about the iPhone apps I use for GTD, but this one is about

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-59566681429611648722009-09-14T10:51:00.005-05:002009-09-14T11:32:18.591-05:00

Here's a novel concept:Everything that benefits the family counts as work.Both spouses "work" the same hours.Both spouses STOP "working" at the same time.Make a schedule and stick to it.Let me tell you why this is such a novel concept for me.I'm a half-time pastor (I work Tues, Thurs, half of Fri), a part-time web designer, and a half-time stay-at-home dad. My wife is a full-time teacher.For the

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-37237037687559569182009-06-19T15:36:00.000-05:002009-06-19T15:38:36.604-05:00

Getting Things Done. 45 minutes of teaching from the master himself.

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-53962496179300838622009-06-12T16:42:00.003-05:002009-06-12T16:53:59.269-05:00

We all want church members to find their spiritual gifts, their passions, and their place in building God's kingdom and reaching the community. Or do we?If we really want these things to happen, we need a process (or processes) for making them happen. If the members have the "what" and "why," we should readily give them the "how."Let's say a church member comes up to you and tells you God has

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-39672884616796012682009-05-18T09:12:00.004-05:002009-05-18T09:35:46.351-05:00

You may have noticed in my little blurb about me that "I'm on a journey toward becoming a more effective and efficient pastor."Stephen R. Covey says:"While you can think in terms of efficiency in dealing with time, a principle-centered person thinks in terms of effectiveness in dealing with people.”I've too often made the mistake of trying to be efficient with people... putting the end results

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-33828263080517171482009-04-16T13:31:00.003-05:002009-04-16T13:43:38.733-05:00

When we started our new church from scratch, one of our core convictions was that church be more simple. This doesn't mean simplistic. It doesn't mean that we plan to ignore any of the purposes of the church. But what it does mean is that 1) we know our discipleship process, 2) we create core ministries to move people through the discipleship process, and 3) we say no to everything else.We

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-71635990391012695292007-10-19T10:12:00.000-05:002007-10-19T10:27:35.964-05:00

Since June, we've been working on starting a new church in Shakopee, MN. Renew Community Church had its very first preview service last weekend (October 13). And we'll be having one preview service per month until we launch weekly services April 12, 2008.We had two (yes, 2) guests. We knew we wouldn't have very many people at our first preview service, because we had been spending so much of

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-75728913270794352772007-09-18T05:37:00.000-05:002007-09-18T05:42:21.023-05:00

David Allen is going to be having an ongoing GTD column on the Huffington Post. It's goal is to introduce the system to people who don't know. What a great opportunity to refresh! You can read his first post here.I'm excited. The more people who live by GTD principles, the more people who are reliable and productive. What a great thing to go mainstream (if by mainstream we mean left-leaning.

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-63446834672925876452007-06-29T01:39:00.000-05:002007-06-29T12:39:42.927-05:00

Thanks for your patience.A lot has happened in the last month. I finished up my ministry in Wichita, KS (training, delegating, leaving notes and processes for the next pastor), sold our house, packed up the moving truck, and headed up to Chaska, MN. Whew!We're mostly done unpacking on this end of things, and we're finally able to find almost everything (where is that Ergo baby carrier?).On the

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-3202525195313511072007-04-20T14:48:00.000-05:002007-04-20T15:13:53.439-05:00

Evaluation is at the very foundation of effectiveness. You don't really know which direction to lead your church (and by extension, what to do today) unless you have taken some time to evaluate the situation. If you aren't evaluating, how do you know what to prioritize?Here is presented a cyclical model for planning (in any field at any time, micro or macro):Evaluate the current situation and

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-29846118019701975742007-04-07T20:51:00.000-05:002007-04-06T19:51:49.176-05:00

Boom. All at once. 15 "Someday/Maybe" projects jumped lists and became active "Projects" within the last few weeks:Maybe someday I would make the flower bed look nice. Now it has to be done so we can sell the house.Maybe someday I would put new siding on the house/paint the new siding. Now it has to be done so we can sell the house.Maybe someday paint the ceiling... Now!Maybe someday fill

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-90233444071257331022007-04-01T08:25:00.000-05:002007-04-01T08:54:59.524-05:00

You can tell a dating couple from a married couple when you go into a restaurant. The dating couple is talking and laughing and gazing into each others' eyes. They are in their own little world. The married couple will occasionally talk or look at each other, but they're pretty focused on getting the food eaten. The difference: the people dating are fully present with each other. (this is

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-45571121812350075882007-03-29T13:55:00.000-05:002007-03-29T14:46:15.794-05:00

One of the greatest gifts we can give to anyone is the gift of being "fully present."You know the "fully present" person. He makes you feel like talking to you is the single-most important thing he could be doing right now. She makes you feel like everything you say is interesting. You feel heard. You feel valued. You feel... loved?You know the other people, too. You're talking and they're

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-32305382898034419822007-03-27T13:15:00.000-05:002007-03-27T13:49:08.967-05:00

Merriam Webster's definition for ubiquitous:Main Entry: ubiq·ui·tousPronunciation: yü-'bi-kw&-t&sFunction: adjective: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : WIDESPREAD ubiquitous fashion>Right. So up till now, I've been using the term "Ubiquitous Capture" to talk about the initial major collection (including the mindsweep) that dumps everything into my inbox

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-17434256334862111892007-03-23T20:40:00.000-05:002007-03-25T18:20:10.144-05:00

So now comes the inevitable question: GTD is just keeping lists?Um… Yes. And no.Before I started using David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology for personal productivity, I had made plenty of “to do” lists. And they didn’t really help. And, in some cases, the “to do” lists even sank me deeper into paralysis and procrastination. What was wrong with my “to do” lists? The first problem

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-86170669971296365742007-03-22T15:03:00.000-05:002007-03-22T15:17:53.260-05:00

The secret to being organized and efficient (in anything we do) is to have an established workflow. Think about it: You probably shower the exact same way every morning. Don’t you? And then when you get out of the shower, you probably dry off in exactly the same way you dried off yesterday - face first, hair, wrap the towel around your back, etc. And because it’s so routine, you don’t even

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-11564397600258408552007-03-21T16:08:00.000-05:002007-03-21T16:11:33.222-05:00

Here’s my quick startup guide to Getting Things Done:1. Buy David Allen’s Getting Things Done - You will need your own copy. You can’t just check this out from the library and read it once. It will become a reference work that you will go back to several times as you implement and hone your organizational workflow. 2. Set Up a Working Work Area - This means having a trash can, an inbox, a

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-24891782739920483882007-03-20T14:06:00.000-05:002007-03-20T14:10:50.464-05:00

As pastors, we should be caring mostly about higher-level stuff - seeing God’s vision for our churches, understanding our unique calling, roles and goals, balance, priorities, meaning, and purpose. We should be reaching our communities with the undeniably attractive gospel and a unique message for these last days.But I think a huge barrier to understanding and implementing the “higher-level”

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-69550833984137261902007-03-19T21:49:00.000-05:002007-03-19T22:06:21.035-05:00

This week I'll be guest blogging over at JustPastors.com. They've asked me to write about Time Management for Clergy - specifically GTD. And I thought... hmm, that's what I do...I'll also be posting those same entries over here (even though some of the information will be a repeat of what I've done here previously).---------------------------Today's Post - Finally Getting Things DoneYesterday,

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-986915811095511142007-03-09T09:05:00.000-06:002007-03-11T01:13:22.227-06:00

A couple of days ago, I posted some book summary sites as a way to get a grip on the volume and breadth of reading a pastor really should be doing.Calvin writes:As a 4-month newbie to GTD, I want to ask how do you find time/ make time/ plugin time to get the reading done you need (even with executive summaries)? It ismy #1 frustration in ministry. (OK, that may be an exaggeration, but it is

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-77357821154257575712007-03-08T15:28:00.000-06:002007-03-08T18:14:55.166-06:00

So yesterday I posted about Vulcan's new FlipStart. It's so cute and portable. And I wished aloud that Apple had such a thing in the works...Today, I came across this Reuters article talking about how Apple may start using flash drives "in small computers known as subnotebooks in the second half of 2007."Then I found this article on ThinkSecret about Apple posting a job for "Manager of Mobile

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-18635261168842493592007-03-07T09:52:00.000-06:002007-03-07T15:03:58.567-06:00

Okay. I may have been a little hasty a couple of posts ago to write off ever using MSWindows again.jkOnTheRun has just posted a 20-minute video review of the Vulcan FlipStart.He writes:The FlipStart is essentially a tiny laptop complete with a full QWERTY keyboard, trackpad, trackstick, integrated EV-DO, and a secondary display in the LID. It’s taken a while to get the FlipStart out the door

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-7185776004515281722007-03-06T10:40:00.000-06:002007-03-06T10:35:54.383-06:00

As "idea professionals," pastors can never read enough. You have to keep up on church growth literature, business/management/leadership practices, and theological and cultural trends. And you have to make time to feed your own soul.Here are a few great resources:ChristianBookSummaries.com - FREE. This site has a large library of summarized Christian books. Most are contemporary. Some are

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-88436097717532310762007-03-05T23:24:00.001-06:002007-03-05T23:42:57.429-06:00

I got a comment on my last post (about having to tweak my calendar so it's no longer a block schedule):Josue said...You may want to use Google Calendar. Then set a primary calendar for your hard appointments and a secondary one for your blocks. They can be given different colors and you can hide or highlight them very easily at any time.GTD is cool :) I just started implementing it 2 weeks ago

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-59695595079912154812007-03-03T19:18:00.000-06:002007-03-05T06:43:46.099-06:00

So I'm now on my second readthrough of David Allen's Getting Things Done. Thursday night I read on page 41 (also repeated on page 143):The way I look at it, the calendar should be sacred territory. If you write something there, it must get done that day or not at all.When I first started using GTD, I set up my Outlook Calendar to look like my office schedule. So my entire calendar consisted of

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-7620766130721488772007-03-02T15:00:00.000-06:002007-03-02T15:01:06.326-06:00

Did you hear the one about the pastor who accidentally mentioned that he did all of his sermon preparation on the walk between the parsonage and the church? On the agenda for the next board meeting was a proposal to sell that parsonage and buy a new one 20 miles away.A couple weeks ago in The Amazing Expanding Project, I wrote about short-scheduling your projects as a great way to manage time

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-15074641827850455632007-03-01T10:45:00.000-06:002007-03-01T15:36:22.733-06:00

Last time I was getting my hair cut, the stylist was talking (I think it's part of their formal training) about my family and my job and what I do, blablabla. And she said, "Oh, I could never be a pastor. Being on call like that all the time..."I've heard that sentiment quite a bit. I think pastors are only on call 24/7 when they allow themselves to be on call 24/7.Does this stylist really

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-70485081822382176732007-02-28T09:32:00.000-06:002007-03-02T00:53:17.022-06:00

Okay. Now there aren't enough hours in the day!Last Tuesday I accepted a call to start a new church in the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. For years, I've turned down other job offers. I believe in staying as long as I'm being effective (read my pastoral longevity rant). But this job is different.Over the past three years, I've sensed a growing call to start a new church with my friends Matt

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-53215114693593155642007-02-27T08:45:00.000-06:002007-02-28T20:54:50.675-06:00

We're all familiar with the free GTD desktop wallpaper from anabubula.com. But lifehack.org is greedy. It wants more:What I’d like to see is something similar to a desktop workflow diagram, where each area has an access point, or a folder. ie. Stuff is a folder, Projects is a folder or links, the recycle bin is Trash, the calendar box has a link to your online calendar and so on.This might create

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-42990715303791235592007-02-26T21:20:00.000-06:002007-02-26T21:40:00.922-06:00

Beth (over at My Simpler Life) just tagged me in the "why I blog" meme.There are several reasons why I blog:It keeps me accountable to GTD and best practices.Pastors desperately NEED time management and personal productivity.I thrive on developing others.I learn best by teaching.It's storage for my best thoughts, ideas, links, processes, and documents.The community sharpens me.It could enhance my

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-68816150613355635552007-02-26T20:40:00.000-06:002007-02-26T20:37:33.048-06:00

My primary GTD system is my Palm Pilot. I like it. It's small, easy to use (except I can't write the letter "k"), and I can carry it with me everywhere.So the Palm Pilot was the obvious choice when I started using GTD (I mean, I already owned it and everything).But when it came time to do my weekly review, I had a problem. It was almost impossible for me to reconcile my task lists with my

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-70120914823928788412007-02-25T21:42:00.000-06:002007-02-25T21:41:32.394-06:00

Okay. So this blog is about time management and personal productivity for pastors.Today's time management tip is really a part of my big soap box rant about pastors staying long enough to make a difference in a local congregation.The average tenure (meaning "ten years") of a pastor in North America (across all denominations) is less than five years.Back in 1954, a pastor could walk into a new

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-74180080757733131902007-02-23T13:06:00.000-06:002007-02-23T20:01:29.870-06:00

I think one of the best ways to increase personal productivity as a pastor is to intentionally move from the role of doer to the role of designer. Moving from doer to designer is all about leveraging your time and energy.Pastors complain all the time about the church expecting them to do all of the ministry. And pastors know that their real job is to empower others to do ministry. But the

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-7371932434256924722007-02-22T10:36:00.000-06:002007-02-23T19:20:10.317-06:00

Top·i·get·ic·aladj. [syn. topositional]"A style of preaching characterized by exegetical sermons preached in the context of a topical sermon series."- Jay Perry's Exhaustive Dictionary of Made-up Words (JPEDMW)Topigetical preaching is really the best of both worlds, in my opinion. It is a preaching combination of both topical and exegetical styles. It maximizes the strengths of both styles,

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-85304737783389279762007-02-22T07:40:00.000-06:002007-02-22T07:47:52.422-06:00

My wife has a bit of a problem with "Productivity Pr0n", when it comes to implementing GTD. She's tried out goal makers and list makers and has invited me to join all of them (because she wants to be able to "share" tasks and projects with me - thanks, Honey).Well, she's been trying out iCommit v2 for a while. The interface is a little clunky, but she LOVES the iCommit weekly review module.

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-9394893840474193892007-02-21T22:07:00.000-06:002007-02-21T22:07:52.779-06:00

Have you ever been in a conversation that you really needed to get out of? And you just couldn't figure out how to end it?Maybe you have some place to go, someone to call, or the conversation is just going nowhere and you have to get on with your job.... Maybe a church member is monopolizing your time when you really need to be talking with a visitor.Here's what to do:Startle.Say, "Oh, thank

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-79067681970300625452007-02-21T05:46:00.000-06:002007-02-21T05:44:08.290-06:00

There's a great post on zen habits about How to do a Weekly Review in Under an HourNow that's what I'm talking about. A weekly review in under an hour. My weekly GTD reviews are taking me about an hour now, but I'm only allotting myself 1:15 anyway (see my previous post on short-scheduling your projects).I used to never get done with my review - partly because I was waiting until review time to

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-42952536319535485022007-02-20T22:20:00.000-06:002007-02-20T22:21:18.248-06:00

Here's a time management principle: Projects will naturally expand to fill all of the time we dare to give them.If you set aside 20 hours of your work-week to spend on your sermon, your sermon will be more than happy to use up all of that time. Because you have allotted so much time, 1) there's no sense of urgency, so you're more likely to procrastinate; 2) you'll spend a lot of time on a turn

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-73937106725239870682007-02-20T06:42:00.000-06:002007-02-20T06:47:10.017-06:00

I was alarmed this morning at what I read on the Cranking Widgets blog:One of my most difficult hurdles in implementing GTD has been a consistent weekly review. My schedule is somewhat erratic at times, and while I normally have ample time on Friday nights to do the review, I often have a hard time mustering the energy to delve into a 2+ hour endeavor.What? 2+ hours? Every time? Why does your

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-83483839719436528312007-02-19T17:48:00.000-06:002007-02-19T17:49:11.693-06:00

So, in the middle of my weekly GTD review, a church member came in to my office very distraught that her daughter had been incarcerated and was being held without arraignment for a while because it is President's Day.All that to say that my GTD review didn't get done today! But also to say that maybe I do need to remember that a big part of my job is to comfort the afflicted, and sometimes that

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-83315391135304416392007-02-19T17:40:00.000-06:002007-02-19T17:36:30.529-06:00

I originally posted this over at apokalupto as a response to whether or not pastors should be making altar calls:After a couple of years preaching, I came under the conviction that I was actually training people to ignore God and Biblical Truth by NOT calling for commitment. Essentially, I was opening up the Word of God, preaching, applying, and then letting them leave. "Good sermon, Pastor."The

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-25767777505840984982007-02-18T08:24:00.000-06:002007-02-18T11:28:41.122-06:00

I just ran across this video from the show with ze frank. I thought it would be worth your time to watch... while you're putting off doing something really important. Enjoy!

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-76342506429354945552007-02-18T07:13:00.000-06:002007-02-18T08:14:01.095-06:00

Ever since the beginning of my ministry, I have used PowerPoint for my sermons. There. That shows you how old I am.Over at Genuine Curiosity, Dwayne writes about how he uses PowerPoint to focus his presentations:Pick 3 to 4 points you want your audience to remember. Create 1 slide for each major point. Create 3 bullet short, crisp points for each slide (yes, get it down to 3 - not 4 or 5).

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-43941602822160378862007-02-17T20:58:00.000-06:002007-02-18T06:21:08.816-06:00

My mom quit leaving me voicemail. It happened about a year ago. Come to think of it, I guess everyone else quit leaving me voicemail too. I guess they all just finally gave up hope of me ever calling them back.One of the unintended and unforeseen benefits of GTD recently came to my attention when I was doing last week's GTD Mastery Review. #59 says, "I always return phone calls within 24 hours

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-35320876186653015922007-02-16T16:50:00.000-06:002007-02-16T16:45:06.353-06:00

Don't do anything alone as a pastor that you could be doing with someone else.Do you need to make a hospital visit? Take someone.Are you going to a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce? Invite someone.Are you teaching a baptismal class? Bring an elder along.Are you going to a conference? Take someone.Are you planning an upcoming sermon series? Include someone in the process.Are you going out

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-29318248346875810072007-02-15T13:20:00.000-06:002007-02-15T13:21:01.475-06:00

Over at the Lifechurch.tv Swerve Blog, Pastor Craig Groeschel is doing a 5-part series on Time Management.Craig is an amazing communicator and the founding Pastor of a very innovative multi-campus megachurch in Edmond, OK.His Time Management Blog Series is called Don't Do It All. He really focuses on delegation as a necessary part of leadership and time management. He also talks about churches

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-48907126531220074452007-02-14T14:35:00.000-06:002007-02-14T14:31:39.071-06:00

I just wrote a "Where's the Fire" description of Getting Things Done on Technorati.com.If you think this is a pretty good description of why GTD is hot, you can vote for this to be the WTF default GTD entry. Go there and vote now.For those of you who would just rather read it here:_________________________GTD Creates Peace of Mind with a Simple Process David Allen's personal productivity

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-2234296436769367712007-02-14T09:35:00.000-06:002007-02-14T14:33:01.875-06:00

Every church needs a well-thought-out system for assimilating people.It's a stewardship issue. I really believe that God will not entrust more visitors to you than your church is spiritually, physically, or organizationally capable of dealing with. If you don't know how to deal with them when they come, don't worry; you won't have to.This used to be real hit-and-miss in my church (and, from what

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-14047477671942561832007-02-13T21:05:00.000-06:002007-02-13T21:03:51.731-06:00

I just got back from Toys "R" US!I bought crayons!Something nice for my son's upcoming birthday? No. For me. For GTD.I wrote previously about how I had a bunch of ideas in the shower and didn't have a good way to capture them. Pascal Venier left me a link to "A Shower of Ideas". He had a phone (for voice memos), a white board, a note pad, and pens. But nothing really for recording thoughts

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-79941703264872635332007-02-13T20:43:00.000-06:002007-02-13T20:44:14.375-06:00

Last week, I posted about not capturing my ideas. One of my biggest issues was not capturing thoughts, ideas, and to-dos while in the car. I can't write while driving and I don't have a voice memo recorder.Veggiegrrl left a useful comment:I use my cell phone to call and leave a message on my voicemail at work. Then I don't have to remember to retrieve anything from the car -- it's waiting at my

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-72012687286160999132007-02-12T11:22:00.000-06:002007-02-15T14:42:08.215-06:00

During today's weekly review, I scored myself on Duff's 100 Behaviors to GTD Mastery Checklist. I came out at 28. Yes, that's 28 out of 100.I resolved to read Getting Things Done a second time through (#27).I have made several copies of the Mastery Checklist and put them in my tickler file. I will be using the checklist every week during my review time to identify the next steps on my journey

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-20804892821303229672007-02-12T07:35:00.000-06:002007-02-11T09:50:27.236-06:00

I wrote a previous post on getting buy-in from the board. But not all of your biggest influencers are on the board. How did that happen?You need the support of your biggest influencers to make a success of any major initiative - changing a church name, buying/selling property, changing church organizational structure, raising money to hire a Bible worker, creating a new outreach focus, starting

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-77832970124120663362007-02-11T09:50:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:24:20.468-05:00

Here are updated links to some of my processes and worksheets. Feel free to use them as you deem fit. They are registered under a Creative Commons License: Attribution, Noncommercial, Share-Alike – CreativeCommons.orgTime Management:Time Log (MSWord) - No Longer AvailableTime Log (PDF) - No Longer AvailablePersonal Vision Workbook (now a book):Personal Vision WorkbookSermon Planning:Sermon

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-40752503626308165412007-02-10T18:57:00.000-06:002007-02-12T13:01:19.342-06:00

When I was going through the Ministry Advantage Pastor's Coaching System, my personal coach wanted me to do a 1-week time log. For five consecutive work-days I set my timer to go off every 15 minutes (during "at-work" time) and wrote down what I had been doing during those last 15 minutes.Then, in a second column, I had to categorize my time by roles - "pastoral," "administrative," "visionary,"

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-12438309106623397102007-02-09T16:30:00.000-06:002007-02-09T16:31:04.565-06:00

I finally achieved Gmail inbox nirvana!I've been working toward getting my email inbox empty for a couple of weeks now. And it finally happened yesterday.Here's how I do it:Every message that comes in gets a cursory view.If I can deal with that message in less than 2 minutes, I do it right then.If I need to answer it later, print it off at the office, or incubate it for any reason, I star

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-57177978821784092272007-02-09T16:03:00.000-06:002007-02-09T09:20:47.484-06:00

Because churches are volunteer organizations, and because they are run by committee, and because the church will be there long after you leave - you NEED buy-in. In fact, buy-in may be one of the most important commodities in a congregation. If there's no buy-in, you're just spinning your tires.As a young pastor, I wanted to look professional in front of my board. I wanted them to believe me

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-44810916617626716912007-02-08T19:38:00.000-06:002007-02-08T18:39:37.285-06:00

From The Stewardship of Life by Kirk Nowery:Traditional approaches to time mamagement deal with sgementation, prioritization, implementation and the like; but the bigger question when it comes to time management is not the degree of practical efficiency but the measure of spiritual effectiveness. If we are to be truly wise stewards, we have to ask: What is really going to matter at the end of

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-75487503272088566502007-02-08T14:00:00.001-06:002007-02-07T17:41:25.788-06:00

One of the things my supervising pastor taught me when I was an intern was the two daypart rule. The rule: work two out of three dayparts every day. He didn't ask me to clock in or keep a strict schedule (although he did evaluate my work to see whether or not I was being lazy). All he asked was that I worked two dayparts every weekday.Most days I worked morning and evening. Occasionally, I

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-29943608466798147982007-02-07T13:03:00.000-06:002007-02-07T13:02:00.651-06:00

I don't always capture all of my ideas, projects, actions, and must-dos. There. I admitted it for all the world to see.I found myself just this morning obsessing about going to the office and setting up the PowerPoint Projector (our old one died last week). So I went to the office and set it up. When I went to cross it off my project list... it wasn't there. Huh. Maybe that's why I had been

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-53120253305260634432007-02-06T13:36:00.000-06:002007-02-06T13:34:37.937-06:00

My wife and I are both PKs (pastors' kids - for those of you who don't know). And both of our shiny, happy families disintegrated when our pastor dads left our pastor's wife moms. Her family split when she was six; mine finally tanked when I was in seminary.Needless to say, we both learned a lot about pastor's families. Mostly what not to do. I'm shocked I'm a pastor. And my wife is shocked

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-37687108572085018822007-02-05T15:00:00.000-06:002007-02-05T14:46:38.637-06:00

In Kenneth Blanchard's classic One Minute Manager, he talks about having One Minute Goals so you (and your supervisor) know what you're about (and not about). Something that you have prominently displayed so that you can review it in about One Minute every day.One of the biggest problems facing a pastor is that there is virtually no agreement on what a pastor's job description is or should be.

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-26680027147517698302007-02-05T12:20:00.000-06:002007-02-15T12:11:04.272-06:00

NOTE: This is just an update of a previous post. Duff has asked me to change his link to http://gtdmastery100.com/, as the original site was not set up to handle so much web traffic.In case you haven't already found them, I wanted to let you know about 2 great Getting Things Done resources in the blogosphere...Duff just posted a list of 100 Behaviors for GTD Mastery. You've got to read it!

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-83294047851327154562007-02-04T08:31:00.000-06:002007-02-04T08:45:46.490-06:00

The weekly GTD system review is a very important component of the whole Getting Things Done process. In fact, I think the review is the only way to make yourself trust the system enough to use it consistently.The Getting Things Done literature says that Friday afternoon is the ideal time to do your weekly system review.As a pastor, building toward a public worship event at the end of every week,

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-52624276153657676192007-02-03T19:43:00.000-06:002007-02-03T20:01:02.020-06:00

I found this great GTD video of David Allen linked from ToDoOrElse.com. If you're still a GTD agnostic, watch the video.

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-43146891822325530902007-02-03T18:00:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:12:18.868-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------God never intended us to be loners. We need others to pray for us, encourage us, challenge us, and keep us honest. That’s why Jesus sent out the disciples two-by-two. That’s why Paul had Silas and Moses had Aaron.“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” - Proverbs 27:17While

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-37627394426415343952007-02-01T19:29:00.000-06:002007-02-01T19:36:56.336-06:00

I just got back from a business trip. And this is my inbox!The GTD paradigm has changed my life. But until this week, it all fell apart when I went on trips.I have gone on at least 5 business trips and 5 personal trips since starting GTD in May of 2006. And every time I got back from a trip, I would have to find all of my receipts (pockets, wallet, backpack, car?), my notes, business cards,

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-4665038963530133772007-02-01T09:00:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:16:10.621-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------What is God calling you to accomplish for His glory? As we’ve already noted, God has a plan for your future.“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.” - Jeremiah 1:5Sometimes, this calling will unfold slowly, as it did for Nehemiah. Other times,

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-3813331992008199292007-01-31T07:45:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:16:28.838-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------Our personal values determine what we do and how we do it. Personal values are essentially priorities statements. They are 4-8 things that repeatedly show up in your life. If someone were to follow you around for a week, they would be able to say 4-8 things about what you value most in

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-65453267487136670702007-01-30T22:40:00.000-06:002007-01-31T07:28:51.561-06:00

Houdini has lost his GTD book! And he doesn't know where to find it.He want's to know if you have it...I don't have it.After reading and implementing Getting Things Done, I was so excited that I had to tell all my friends. I was about to lend my copy to a close friend..."No!!!" Cried my wife, "You will need it. You will wish you had it. It is a reference book."So I ended up buying the book

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-26440880182611900222007-01-30T09:05:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:17:00.331-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------Who are you really? In the grand scheme of things, who did God design you to be? As we go into the Identity Statement, remember: this is about being, not doing. This isn’t about what God wants you to do. It’s about who you are as a Christian human being.Start off by looking up the

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-14700271496955045882007-01-29T09:54:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:17:22.772-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------The Bible is chockfull of mentor relationships:Moses mentored Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:9)Elijah mentored Elisha (1 Kings 19:19)Mordecai mentored Esther (Esther 2:7)Jesus mentored the disciples (John 1)Barnabas mentored Paul (Acts 9:27)Paul mentored Timothy (1 Timothy 4:11-16)Etc.God has

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-9829851055135448782007-01-28T11:45:00.004-06:002011-09-24T23:18:29.182-05:00

A great way to do do exercise #4 (God at Work in My Past) in the Personal Vision Workbook is to create a Mind Map.You can use a mind mapping program to brainstorm every major experience, transition, disappointment, loss, accomplishment, spiritual milestone, etc. that you've ever experienced.You can then drag the different nodes around so that they're chronological. Save that as your "life

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-26699502679020590752007-01-28T11:10:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:17:53.204-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------Every one of us has been on a spiritual journey bringing us to the point where we are now. God has been at work shaping our characters, interests, and skills – getting us ready for His vision for us.“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-12113450393572297242007-01-28T07:15:00.000-06:002007-02-12T20:35:18.789-06:00

Here are the top 5 features I would want in a Perfect GTD App (this assumes, of course, that the app already does all the GTD basics):1. Cross-Platform Conformity - I would want it to run on my PC (office), Macs (home), the Internet (anywhere), my Palm Pilot or Pocket PC (without an internet connection), and have printout options for my Moleskine. I would want the interface to be completely

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-22339878367829999882007-01-27T18:00:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:18:56.695-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------God has already been at work, speaking to you through His Holy Spirit. He’s been telling you what He wants you to quit doing and start doing. This isn’t the big vision God has for you, but it is a stepping stone toward that vision. If we’re not willing to start obeying God in the little

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-30349678527430849022007-01-26T15:52:00.000-06:002007-01-26T16:01:50.279-06:00

I've been tracking Nuance Labs over the last week or so. They seem to be creating a new, perfect GTD app (read my thoughts on that) called "Liquid Minded." You know, "mind like water," and all that.Today they posted a great GTD Overview that really encapsulates the major principles of David Allen's Getting Things Done system. A great review or introduction.

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-89075275083944666672007-01-26T10:07:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:19:16.222-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------God will not force His way into our lives. He will only come in as we intentionally invite Him. He can only work in the areas of our lives where we give Him access.“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-34701812607730155782007-01-25T18:00:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:19:33.763-05:00

The following is from my Personal Vision Workbook. Read the introduction and legal stuff.--------------------God has a plan, a vision, for your life. Before you were even born, God knew what He wanted you to do and be – a legacy He wanted you to pass on to future generations.“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-60939035903098432832007-01-25T12:52:00.000-06:002007-02-12T18:17:19.831-06:00

ReDo solves a major problem with the ToDo list function in my Palm Pilot - recurring tasks.With ReDo, I just put a recurring task in once, decide how often I want it to show up in my ToDo list, decide which list I want it to go into, and forget about it. It's kind of like a tickler file for my task lists.When I started using ReDo, I would put projects in it. But I don't do that any more. It

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-56347981269767462652007-01-24T08:45:00.003-06:002011-09-24T23:22:00.447-05:00

Well, I am a pastor. So now that I've gotten my desk cleaned off, my life running smoothly, and my brain free of clutter (thanks to GTD), I want to spend some time helping you figure out what God has in mind for your life or your ministry. And from the popularity of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, I think a lot of people are looking for clarity - for an understanding of God's unique purpose

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-39807165157164160842007-01-23T18:30:00.000-06:002007-02-12T20:36:13.717-06:00

I had figured out the difference between projects and tasks. Now it was time to put my tasks on context-sensitive (contextualized) task lists. These are in my Palm Pilot as different "ToDo" list categories.Here are some of my ToDo action categories:"@Agendas" - things I want to talk to certain people about when I see them."@Call" - calls I need to make when I'm in a calling mood."@Computer" -

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-62762174925333347372007-01-23T09:51:00.000-06:002007-01-23T09:50:39.388-06:00

I finally understand why lists never worked for me before I read Getting Things Done.My mom is a compulsive list maker. And I had a PalmPilot with a ToDo list (and priority ranking!). And I had read that some important (and productive) person wrote out a ToDo list every day before he started work, so he could be really productive (or something). So I would write everything down that needed to

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-5353637521951117022007-01-22T15:01:00.000-06:002007-01-22T15:10:32.887-06:00

So along with the massive pile of everything in my inbox, I now had a massive pile of guilt. I had written down all of the stuff I knew I needed to do. And now it was in black and white. On paper. I could no longer hide from it. There were church members I needed to visit, people I needed to have uncomfortable conversations with, and interests who needed to be "followed-up."My gut reaction

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-2288761472228125082007-01-21T10:12:00.000-06:002007-01-21T10:17:37.359-06:00

Today, a quick post on GTD workflow. Getting Things Done really centers around the 5 major phases of the workflow process (download David Allen's 5 Phases Overview):1. Collect (put your things in your inbox)2. Process (figure out what to do with those things)3. Organize (figure out projects and tasks and calendar)4. Review (regularly make sure your process has no leaks)5. Do (start doing

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-29444973650432097212007-01-19T12:31:00.000-06:002007-01-19T12:59:25.319-06:00

Darren J Paine has just started Getting Things Done. Hurray for Darren! But wait. He is starting to fall into the trap of the quest for the perfect GTD app (very similar to the search for the Holy Grail or Pellinore's hunt for the Questing Beast). He writes:i am looking for a simple application that will help with the GTD process. there is about 247 “solutions” out there, some are online

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-91280177501351986392007-01-18T08:50:00.000-06:002007-01-18T18:17:33.396-06:00

One of the best "tips n tricks" I got from David Allen's book Getting Things Done was the tickler file. Here's a picture of mine. The tickler file is a filing calendar consisting of 43 file folders - 12 monthly and 31 daily folders. The tickler file is such a phenomenal productivity tool, there's even a blog called 43folders.com that talks a lot about GTD implementation.It takes me only a few

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-87690808211410505832007-01-17T16:40:00.000-06:002007-01-17T16:43:14.401-06:00

Anybody else have a fetish for office supplies? (Sometimes I just go into the office supplies store to unwind. I look at pens and paper, software and routers, office furniture and PalmPilots. Do you know how many different Avery labels there are??) So when I learned I would need office supplies to process my inbox (see my previous post), I was really excited. Here's a list of the office

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-15509859358929614092007-01-16T10:57:00.000-06:002007-01-16T11:00:36.840-06:00

One of the secrets to the GTD system is the ubiquitous capture.When I did my initial capture, I had been a pastor in the same church for 6 years. We had rented office space at first. And now we were in our permanent location. I had boxes (and boxes) of notes, Bible study materials, magazines, articles, receipts, mail, tapes, CDs, software, VHS tapes, booklets, office supplies, and my dad's old

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-91391171894761296292007-01-15T09:13:00.000-06:002007-01-15T09:13:59.177-06:00

Set a timer to trick yourself out of perfectionist procrastination.If I thought of how much work it would be to clean my whole kitchen, I would never even get started (perfectionists are the best procrastinators).So I set the kitchen timer for 5 minutes and see how much I can get done (before I go back to playing sudoku or surfing the web). If I only get 5 minutes of cleaning done, fine. But

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-50713445740575694502007-01-14T10:48:00.000-06:002007-01-14T11:36:17.382-06:00

What I really want to share with other pastors (and lay people) is the higher-level stuff - seeing God's vision for your life, understanding your unique calling, roles and goals, balance, priorities, meaning, and purpose. I tend to preach about these things quite a bit (you can take a look at my 20/20 Vision sermon series as an example). I feel like it is really important to know God's will

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-30833594618050352362007-01-10T13:51:00.000-06:002007-02-12T20:36:59.777-06:00

I've been on a personal productivity journey for a long time. As a pastor, it seemed that everyone and everything "needed" my attention - NOW!I had read Stephen Covey's Personal Management Classic Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and realized that I needed to do the important things instead of just the urgent things. I picked up some tips and tricks about designing weekly roles and

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195100233619066717.post-58932742287937308222007-01-06T20:21:00.000-06:002007-01-06T20:13:45.915-06:00

The last few posts have concentrated on how I plan my sermonic year. And I see you shaking your head and saying, "I don't have three months to plan! It's January already! I need something quick!!!"Truthfully, you can do about the same process in a day, if you have to. Here's a link to a plan for a one day sermon planning retreat. They also have several other great links. Enjoy!

Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17005660504732359039noreply@blogger.com0