Getting Things Done (GTD)

”The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting with the first one.“ - Mark Twain

Mr.Twain was definitely before his time when it came to getting things done. I'm sure we've all been in the same place, overwhelmed with "stuff" and thinking that working harder, faster and longer was going to get more done. In my life, that style of productivity has only led to more stress. So, here at Church Staff 101, I'm going to walk through a breakthrough (for me at least) method of getting things done. I've borrowed some ideas from the book of the same name by Mr. David Allen along with a brilliant web article titled, Getting Things Done in 60 Seconds.

I came across the idea of GTD through the website, Lifehacker. I was intrigued and started doing some research along with purchasing the book. GTD was an interesting read. The overall concepts of the book were appealing to me, it was the methodology that slowed me done. It was then I found the website article. These two pieces enabled me to put into place my system of GTD; a system I've been using for almost eight months and has improved my productivity with lowering my stress load.



Yep, that's it. This pic is actually my desktop pic. I know, "Dork!" But it's a great reminder of what I need to do.

Stuff - is all the stuff I need to get done. Everything I can think of, lists I already have, new ideas, etc...
Inbox - I do use my Entourage (Mac version of Outlook) inbox as the central place for all to do items. Emails sent to me, emails I've sent to myself and Jotts all park themselves in my inbox. I do empty my inbox daily by sending all items into one of six folders; projects, someday, this month, this week, today, waiting on someone and trash.
Is it actionable - I ask this for every item every day and depending on the answer, I'm routed to the next step. I have found the "two minute rule" to be a lifesaver. I really had no idea how quickly I could work through stuff realizing if I could get it done in two minutes, then I needed to just do it.
Projects - I categorize to do items into subfolders here. For instance, a VBS item gets placed in a VBS folder here if it's not actionable right now.
Delegate it - I am blessed to have an awesome team around me. Casey and Brandon are easy to delegate to because I know they'll get it done.
Calendar - this is a future post, but Google Calendar is the BOMB!

And lastly, here's a six step plan to help you set up your own GTD.

6 Steps to GTD

• Read the book. You can purchase it right on this website. Read the parts that will apply to you.
• Online research. Google search "getting things done." Check out the article Getting Things Done in 60 Seconds.
• Implement your system.
• Stick to the rules. Determine to follow your rules.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you slip. We all slip up, no problem, just get back in the groove. Also, ask yourself why you slipped up. Maybe you need to tweak your system because it's not fitting you.
• Plan how you’re going to spend your extra time.

”Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness.“ - Jean de la Bruysre

Wayne Geer

What People Want From Work

As I was researching for a post, I came across this great article, What People Want From Work.

Here's the opening paragraph:

Motivation Success
Every person has different reasons for working. The reasons for working are as individual as the person. But, we all work because we obtain something that we need from work. The something we obtain from work impacts our morale and motivation and the quality of our lives. Here is the most recent thinking about what people want from work.

Click here to jump to the site, take a few minutes and read this insightful article by Susan M. Heathfield. And pass it on to your co-workers, it's good!

Wayne

God Moving

Check out my post, God Moving, at the Children's Ministry 101 blog. It's good stuff.

Wayne

Been Fishing Lately?

The heat is being turned up. You know your time is short at the position you're in and now it's about time you started looking for a new church. You didn't need to look before because everything was going well. But it's getting to be the bottom of the eighth inning and you're thinking the game's about over so you better find your resume and start sending it out.

WRONG!

In probably the most controversial post yet on Church Staff 101, we going to talk about what Stephen Pollan calls "fishing." The author of a number of excellent books, Mr. Pollan put words to thoughts I had floating around in my brain. The book was "Fire Your Boss" and the idea that resonated with me was, in light of today's market place, we all need to be fishing.

Fishing is not a new career choice. It's continuously working your network, building relationships, checking the employment sites, sending your resume out so that you always have a possible job to move to when you're in need.

"You're crazy Wayne! How could you be so disloyal?!"

Hold on to your knickers there. Think about how many times you've heard of other staff members being let go and they weren't ready to leave. How about those folks who were struggling at their job, but had to wait, maybe an excruciatingly long time, before they could move to something better. I have personally seen both scenarios in my last two positions. This creates a huge amount of stress; stress that could have been less had the individuals been fishing.

To me it seems wise in today's job arena. Church's, like secular jobs, want us to be loyal, to stick with them through thick and thin. It shows that we're made of "good stuff." Today's church is not the General Electric of the 1950's where folks started and ended their job life at the same company. Look around, there's a lot of transition taking place, we (I know I'm generalizing here) are not wired to stay put for 30 years. And of course knowing the "grass is not always greener" it's still necessary to fish, because the grass may not be pristine, but it's possibly more lush than where you're working.

Are you ok? Still breathing? Stopped calling me names?

Think about it. Read the book. Pray about wisdom.

Top 5 Fishing Exercises

1. Read the book, "Fire Your Boss." Uh, probably one to read at home.
2. Polish up the resume. Check out Must Do's to Get a Job - Part 2.
3. Check out job websites. I think the best is ChurchStaffing.com
4. If something looks good, send out your personal marketing kit/resume. You can always say "no thanks" to a job offer.
5. Network. It's always good to know other people. It's all about relationships.
6. STAY WHERE YOU'RE AT IF YOU'RE HAPPY! But keep on fishing.
   

So, have you been fishing lately?

Wayne

Jott Update

This just in from Jott.com:

"We’ve been working hard on the official release of the Google Calendar Jott Link, and we’re happy to announce it’s finally here. Why is this cool? Because you can now create a Google Calendar event in a single step, from anywhere, simply using your voice. Just call Jott, say “Google Calendar”, and then the time of the event and what it’s about….and you’re done. We’ll take your voice, convert it to text, and insert it into your calendar for you. “Meet Cathy at 9 am next Thursday” is no longer a to do that needs another step, it’s something that’s recorded in your Calendar."

I'm really excited about this new release for the Google Calendar Jott Link. I've seen other work-arounds to get Jott to send an event to my Google calendar, but this route is much easier.

I posted about Jott a while back (Jott). It's a great way to not have to take notes or try to remember items, just use your cell phone.

Wayne

Turning 40

Turning 40 quotes:
“Life begins at 40 - but so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times.”
“Forty isn't old, if you're a tree”
“At 20 years of age the will reigns; at 30 the wit; at 40 the judgment.”

Yep, that’s right, yesterday I turned 40. Woo hoo! I took the day off, spent it with my precious family and ate a lot. It was good to be the birthday king.

My lovely wife and I were talking about history yesterday; the historical account of my turning 30. I had forgotten how traumatic it was for me. I did not take it well. But interestingly, entering a new decade yesterday was a great day. No fuss, no stress, no hand wringing and no trauma. I stumbled upon a “turning 40” blog today and I got to tell you, either those folks are not doing well or I’m the most well adjusted human on earth.

I would imagine it has something to do with my love for God having grown, my love for my wife having grown and my love for my children having grown. I don’t get warm fuzzies very often (my wife can verify), but that last sentence brings them.

At 40 I realize, maybe more than ever, what’s truly important.

Have an awesome day today!

Wayne

Must Do's to Get a Job - Part 2

Quotes found on resumes:

• You are privileged to receive my resume.
• Graduated in the top 66% of my class.
• Excellent memory; strong math aptitude; excellent memory; effective management skills; and very good at math.
• Accomplishments: Completed 11 years of high school.
• Education: B.A. in Loberal Arts.

If most often the first impression a potential employer has of a new hire is the resume, then the folks above are NOT going to get a job.

In Church Staff 101's Must Do's to Get a Job - Part 2, we'll spend some time talking about your resume, bio and other information to have in your marketing brochure. Yes, "marketing brochure", because as you look for a position for the first or fifth time, it's all about marketing yourself; allowing the potential church or ministry to get a feel for who you are and what you are about.

Personal branding is becoming a more important topic these days. We are bombarded with advertisements constantly, it's about time each of us take a hard look at how we are advertising ourselves. An insightful website to check out is A Brand You World. They produced a personal branding summit in early November and you're able to download mp3's of their very interesting teleseminars. One I would download and listen to is, Brand Your Resume, Bio or CV: Trends and Tips.

I love Stephen Pollan's take on resumes. "Resumes are human-resources screening devices rather than applicant promotional devices. Their main function is to provide a HR person with information he or she can use to cut down the number of potential candidates so interviewing doesn't take so long." If at the least a resume is an HR screening device, it's still imperative to put together the very best resume you can.

I just did a Google search for "resume help" and came back with over 15,000,000 hits. Needless to say, there's a lot of sites that can help you with your resume. A couple of sites I believe you should check out are Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume and
ChurchStaffing.com .

Ten Easy Ways... is written by Katherine Hansen and gives ten great and insightful must do's for your resume. The ChurchStaffing website allows you to check on job openings, post your resume, have your resume "tuned" and they will even write it for you, what a deal.

If I could just throw one more resume to do, it would be dont hav ani spellling errers! Please use spell check AND have someone else, maybe a couple of people, read over your resume to check for any errors.

An interesting new addition to your marketing brochure is the bio. Two sites that will help you craft your bio are Resume/Bio Tips and How to Write an Executive Bio. Check them both out.

And lastly, here's a list of some extra items to think about:

• DVD of you in action. Please take some time to do the best job you can of producing this piece of info.
• Blogs. If you author a blog, add it to your marketing brochure.
• Social networks. Add links to your myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn bios and sites.
• References. Add a list of references with up to date contact info.
• Everything looking nice, NOT over the top. You don't need a 3D, pop-up, music playing marketing brochure. Just make sure everything looks clean and neat.

Tell me what you think. What tools have you used to market yourself successfully? What hasn't worked?

Wayne

Follow Up to “Have You Actually Read the Employee Handbook?”

This is what I was told today, “Wayne, starting with this current year, 2007, you now have four weeks of vacation a year and whatever is left over at the end of the year rolls over to the next.”

Oh yeah! Who’s your daddy!

Answering the question from my last post, “Have You Actually Read the Employee Handbook?” definitely produced a wonderful outcome in my life and I just had to add this follow up to Church Staff 101. My vacation time doubled because I read the binder, and my fellow staff members are benefiting as well. Folks, take the time to review the handbook, you have no idea what you’ll learn!

Some To Do’s When Bringing Up Employee Handbook Issues:

• Of course, read it.
• If you have a question, bring it to HR’s attention and ask for a clear explanation.
• Be polite, this is not an “I got you” moment.
• If there is a “ruling” in your favor, be thankful; you’re still an employee.
• If HR can’t bring clarity, politely and respectfully bring it to the attention of a superior next in line.
• Determine if this is a battle worth dying over, if not let it go.
• If it’s a battle worth fighting and you feel like it’s a job “deal breaker” for you, be sure to read my series of posts, “Must Do’s to Get a Job.”

Submit your comments about reading your employee handbook, I’d love to hear from you.

Wayne

Have You Actually Read the Employee Handbook?

Well, have you? If your employer provides an employee handbook, do you have a copy, and if you've been given one do you even know where it is? For me, it's a white one inch binder with about forty double sided pages of interesting information that's been gathering dust on a bookshelf. Interesting now, though it should have been from the get go. Posting on Church Staff 101, you would think I'd be on top of things like this. Ha! This one has been a real "duh" moment. I've been at my current employer for just over three years, and a couple of weeks ago was the first time I had actually read it. What a shame.

What's even more ridiculous is the fact that most of my current colleagues have not read it either.

And so I challenge you, read those employee handbooks! Really, take some time to read through it. You may find there is information in it incredibly important to you. I realized anything I create while using the laptop the church has provided for me becomes their property, thus the reason I don't post from my laptop. Also, they have some explaining to do concerning my (and other staff's) vacation time; I believe according to the employee handbook, I should be receiving more time off.

It's important to know what the boundaries and policies are that govern you on the job. It's also necessary to know what you should expect from your employer; most times it's spelled out in the handbook. So take a moment and read through this short list of Six Employee Handbook To Do's, hopefully they'll be of help to you.

Six Employee Handbook To Do's:

1. Ask for a copy before you accept a position and read it.
2. Already at a job, then obtain a copy asap and read it.
3. Make note of information that is pertinent to you; vacation time, sick and personal leave, full or part time designations, dress code, even romantic relationships between staff members.
4. If you have questions, then ASK!
5. Put it someplace you'll remember. My last two jobs have made sure to remind me the employee handbook belongs to the church. When I resign, I'll have to return it.
6. Get the other staff to read their's also.

So, next time you're at a ministry network meeting or lunching with the other staff folk at your church, go ahead and ask them, "Have you actually read the employee handbook?" And when they look at you with the "yeah right" look, help them see the light by telling them why it's important.

Wayne

Are You Connected?

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."
Jane Howard hits the nail on the head concerning networking. Are you connected? No, I'm not talking about being connected to the internet or to "Americas best network" cell phone plan, I'm talking about a ministry network.

For probably the last eight or nine years, no matter where I've lived, I've been a part of a network meeting in that location. And in every situation, it's been time well spent that has been life giving and encouraging. Just yesterday I attended a local children's ministry network meeting, and I came away from it with great stuff to pray and think through.

I feel strongly about this one aspect of my own spiritual and vocational growth. In fact, I wish that in the first six years of ministry someone had pushed me to join a group. I can't even imagine the mistakes I would not have made had I been around peers who had already been through what I was experiencing. Below is a list of Network To Do's for you, so don't waste another minute, get hooked up, plugged in, and encouraged.

Eight Ministry Networking To Do's
1. You need to look for a group! I went out of my way to find and join these peers, they probably aren't going to come looking for you. Use the internet, call local churches, denominational district offices and local schools of ministry, someone is going to have some insight to help you connect to a group.
2. Put it on your calendar, make it an appointment. If you don't, something else will come up or you'll forget.
3. Force yourself to attend. Again, make it important. Think about it as another way to continue to be a learner.
4. Go with the attitude you're going to take at least one great nugget back with you. Focus on learning at least one thing that will help. Someone is bound to say something that can affect you, just be willing and attentive to receive.
5. Exchange contact info. This is one of those reasons we have about a million business cards. Make a connection with someone.
6. Ask questions. Speak up. Don't just sit there, ask away, that's why you're there anyways. If you're intimidated to ask in the large group setting (Chicken!), then wait until the end of the meeting time and pull someone aside.
7. Answer questions! Again, don't just sit there. No matter where you're at in your ministry journey, you have experiences, knowledge and wisdom that will help someone else, so give it away.
8. Start a group yourself. Put those leadership gifts you've been given to good use and start your own network meetings if there's not one taking place near you. Use technology to help, like email, im chat, even online conferencing.

I would love to hear from you! Comment about your networking experiences. Also, add this blog to your favorites or RSS reader to keep up to date on posts.

Wayne

Must Do's to Get a Job - Part 1

"For many people a job is more than an income – it's an important part of who we are. So a career transition of any sort is one of the most unsettling experiences you can face in your life." Paul Clitheroe

What do you do when you think or know your time is short with the current church or ministry you're working with? Who do you turn to for help? What do you need to know and do to settle into the correct ministry position? Finding a new job has always been a daunting task for me. A task that has drawn me closer to God and my family but has also been a learning experience every single time. So don't fret, hopefully I'm going to pass on to you some wisdom and experiences that will help in the process of landing your next ministry position or preparing you for the inevitable. Over the next couple of weeks of posts, we'll look at what I believe are the most important practices and necessary mindset to prepare you for finding a new position.

Let's real quickly talk about "the call." If you're on this site, reading these posts, you hopefully have worked out in your life whether or not you're called to be in ministry. My experience has been I truly feel that I was called to serve Him in a staff position. I believe it took place the summer I was a kids counselor at camp and God impressed on my heart I was destined to be in ministry. I just knew.

I've spent a couple of years not on a church staff, working in the secular world, and I knew it wasn't "right." If you're questioning your call or the calling, then my suggestion is some serious on your face time with God and some serious time with a mentor, someone who's a spiritual giant you can access. You are the only person who will really know if you're called or not. Well I guess for a $25 donation, I may be able to tell you as well! Come on, lighten up, I'm just kidding.

Truly, I'm not making light of the calling. But again, my sense is it's an extremely individual "knowing." It's not going to happen without intense intercession. I think of it as "don't get up until you have what you need from God" type prayer. You have to hear from Him.

Next, we'll work through the all important resume'. I have seen first hand the resume' good, bad and ugly. Without a networking connection, your resume' gives the first impression, wow, HUGE ramifications.



Take a minute and subscribe to my RSS feed to stay up to date on what's new on Church Staff 101, thanks.

Wayne

Jott

I used to carry a pda device and a cell phone. The pda was used for a handful of applications I thought were super important. Eventually I got to the point that I was using it only for taking notes. The problem was that I either had to "type" the note then sync to get it to my computer, or I had to rely on the "handwritten" note using the pda software and hope that the pda didn't turn on in my pocket and my latest note destroyed by pocket scratchings.

And let me tell you, taking notes on my cell phone was a beating! It didn't matter what entry method I used, it was not efficient. I also had the great idea to use my cell phone to record notes as voice recordings. The problem was that it was never easy to remember to check all the voice recordings every day. And then when I did listen to them, well, I then had to transcribe them, two steps to get one note. Duh!

Ah, Jott to the rescue! Jott is a free online service that has saved my bacon! Here's how it works in real life. I'm driving and think about something important, like I need to remember to tell my assistant to purchase roller ball pens. I have Jott set up as a speed dial on my cell phone, number 7 actually. I speed dial Jott, the computer voice asks "Who do you want to Jott?" and I say, "Myself." I then speak the note, "Tell assistant to purchase roller ball pens." Computer voice says, "I got it." I hang up. Jott then transcribes what I just said and emails it to me! I now have the note in my inbox and I don't have to spend any time or energy trying to remember it. So simple.

Jott can be set up to send your note to any email address as well as your note can be sent to any cell phone as a text message. With Jott you don't ever have to go through the mental gymnastics of trying to remember what that super important note was you've now forgotten. It's truly an amazing free product.

Check it out at Jott.com and let me know what you think.

Wayne

Country, Opera and Stories

Alright, here it goes. I'm going to let you in on a closely held secret about my life. This may radically change the way you think about me, but I'm willing to be transparent.
I like to listen to country music and opera.

Yep, you read that correctly. The music I hated as a young man, I love now. There is something about an opera piece or a great country song that just grabs me. In fact, this morning as I listened to one of those gripping country songs, I asked myself what made it so appealing to me? When it comes to country, I do like the twangy voices, the music, especially the steel guitar, and I like the story. Opera; the music, the female voices singing and again, the story. It's the narrative, the telling of some event in a compelling way that I love because honestly, it moves me.

So, what's so special about the story? As I listened this morning, even as I write now, it's the tale that made the impact. A good story can greatly affect. It can change our emotional state sometimes instantly. Many times I've come home from work in one mood and after hearing a great story from the day told by my wife or children, I'm completely transformed emotionally.

The story has the power to transform us partly because it helps us focus. You know it's true, when a story is being told that somehow piques our interest, we're glued. We hang on every word. We don't want to miss any details because we're wrapped up in the story. And the outcome is that oftentimes we're inspired by what we've heard.

Ok, Wayne, but what does this mean for me? When in ministry, it seems like most of the time it can be a rough uninspiring road We don't always see fruit in those we are pouring our lives into. And you know, sometimes people are just downright mean. But it's the compelling stories we hear that once again drive home the point that what we're doing is worthwhile, eternally worthwhile. It's when those we minister to come and tell us about how they are living out their walk with God that we are then re-energized. It's as if God the Father reaches down and pats us on the back, wow what a wonderful feeling!

And so I challenge you to look for and be encouraged by those stories. Go ahead and feel good about the ministry that's taking place through you. Thank God for Him showing you a glimpse of what He sees and knows. Take that story and let it inspire you until the next one. And lastly, pass those stories on to those around you. What a precious gift you hold, when you see a peer who is struggling and needs something to affect them, and then you tell them the story that's been your most recent pat on the back.

So what great ministry (NOT country or opera) stories have you heard lately?

Wayne