In the final part of this three-part blog series, I’d like to share the second practice that will be an essential component to managing your time well.

Don’t Start Your Day Until You’ve Planned Your Day

You may have heard the old axiom “Plan your work, then work your plan.” The wisdom in that saying is right on point. The most productive people I know, both in ministry and otherwise, have developed a habit of planning tomorrow before they close the door on today. They have taken time to outline the details, and
then they stick to the plan they’ve outlined. I encourage you to do the same — and so does Solomon: “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind” (Prov. 21:5, THE MESSAGE).

The most practical way to implement this concept is to take a few minutes every evening to prepare for the following day. Say it’s Tuesday at 5:45 PM. Before you leave the office, spend 15 or 20 minutes sketching out what you are going to be doing on Wednesday:

• Write your to-do list.
• Make sure all of your meetings are entered into your calendar.
• Pull out the folders and documents you’ll need and put them on your desk.
• Locate the tools and resources you know you’ll need so that they’ll be handy.

When you walk out of the office that night, walk out knowing you have done your best to be sure that Wednesday is completely planned. By doing so, you’ll ensure that Wednesday runs as smoothly as possible, allowing you to be both efficient and effective with your time.

Click here to read Part 1 of this series

Click here to read Part 2 of this series

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. – for a deeper dive into time management, click here to check out my new book, The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Time Management.

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.