The desk struggle is real for pastors. It doesn’t take long for it to get out of control. You may have even resigned yourself to the fact that you will always have a cluttered desk. It’s just a part of the job, right?

Wrong. Average pastors may consider a cluttered desk to be a necessary evil–but not so with renegade pastors. As a renegade, you should be more aware of the dangerous effects that can result from a cluttered desk. A cluttered desk means that:

• You will eventually lose or forget something. You may think you know what’s buried in each pile of paperwork on your desk, but you probably don’t. Eventually, something will fall through the cracks because you forgot it was waiting at the bottom of a desk pile.
• You will lose time looking for things. Time spent searching for something on your desk is time wasted. Even if you save only a few minutes every week by keeping your desk organized, you will gain several hours per year for fruitful ministry.
• You will get frustrated. Spending valuable time searching for things, coupled with the pain of forgetting something, will inevitably increase your frustration level–and no pastor needs added frustration.
• You won’t be able to focus as well on the important things. A messy desk leads to mental clutter. The more mental clutter you have, the less you are able to focus on the important things you need to do.

In addition, a cluttered desk (and clutter in general) decreases your enthusiasm and your peace of mind. For all of these reasons and more, it is important that you get your desk under control.

– Nelson Searcy and Richard Jarman

The above excerpt is from pgs. 85-86 of The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Time Management. 

Time is your most important God-given resource no matter how hard you work, you can’t make a day last longer than twenty-four hours. By mastering a set of proven time-management principles, you can regain control of your life. It is possible to manage your time so that you can stay on top of the never-ending demands of being a pastor, nurture your congregation, spend quality time with your family, and take care of your physical and emotional needs. Become the pastor God has called you to be.

P.S. – Click here to grab your copy from Amazon today!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© 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.