Finding that Sweet Spot

After having to deal with prolonged periods of general tiredness and fatigue brought on by my health condition and the need to isolate during the highs of the coronavirus pandemic, I have had periods where it is has been strongly recommended by my specialists to stay at home to work.

It has meant that I’ve had to adapt to working online more or less full time, being part of Zoom & Teams meetings and phone calls etc.

Occasionally getting out and about to meet with people in-person at a cafe usually outside of the busy periods or at least in well ventilated spaces.

I’ve had to grapple with limiting my exposure to groups of people and even now I still have to be cautious in group settings, due to the latest round of infusions that I’ve had which raises my susceptibility to any kind of virus. 

This brings with it many challenges and issues as well as opportunities to look at how I can continue to offer support and encouragement to those within my spheres of ministry and work within in my sweet spot.

Which is that special place where we feel that we are living life to the full:

• achieving our calling,
• enjoying the things that we love,
• and relishing in those things which we are good at.

It has also meant that I have learnt the art of multitasking – I am living proof that men can do it 😀

As I’ve mentioned previously I’ve been a part of the University of Michigan’s RENEW Fatigue Study and I have been reading Jordan Raynor’s book Redeeming your time along with other articles and posts relating to sleep, fatigue, time management etc.

So I was intrigued when Carey Nieuwhof recently posted on his blog ‘The Three Hour Workday (The Sobering and Liberating Truth About Your Peak Hours As a Leader)‘

A couple of things stood out.

Firstly, “most leaders have only three to five deeply productive hours in a day when their energy is at its peak.” Secondly, “to maximize your peak hours, you not only need to discover when you’re at your best, but what you’re best at” in those times.

Carey then outlines that we are at our best when we are working in our gifting, passion and impact sweet spot. The challenge we have though is when everything and everyone else starts to compete for our time. We need to be intentional about guarding it, not just within the work hours allotted to us, but also when we are out of the office.

You see, in ministry this is where the lines get extremely blurred, there are only 24hrs in a day and once they are used up we can never get them back. Therefore, we need to remember that we determine how we are going to spend them. 

We need to learn how to prioritise our time! Working out what we need and want to do each day and figuring out what is really important to us individually and which things (tasks / projects etc.) are a lower priority in our work and home lives.

You see, things that are not as important can either be put off to a later time, or dropped altogether. Which brings us to the important aspect of delegation, as there are some things that you and I can probably put off or drop altogether and other things that could more than likely be assigned to someone else to do, if they really need to get done at some point.   

The 34th President of the United States is credited with developing the Eisenhower Matrix which helps us with the decision making in this area, as we need to determine what is urgent and what is important, and those things that are less urgent and important we can set aside or delegate to others.  

So, how are you spending your time? Are you working in your sweet spot? Are you letting everything and everyone crowd in on your time? Or, are you being intentional with the time that you have?

The thing is often we may do this in our work life and at home due to the pressing needs in those areas – But we also need to do this in our ministry and figure out what our sweet spot in ministry is!

That way our ministry is fulfilling, uplifting, enlightening, inspiring, satisfying and ultimately God-honouring. 

Afterall, God has created us to fulfill certain things to the best of our skills, abilities and passions with the resources at our disposal.

I wonder though, if all to often we fall into patterns of doing the mundane, just because. Because it is easy, repetitive and creates a sense of structure and order.

Many of us are more than likely familiar with the song working nine-to-five, and for many years this was solely because that was expected of you, especially within certain work environments.

With the advent of seven days a week trading and even 24/7 trading however, we have created other routines – many of which are not necessarily healthy for us.

I can remember working a split shift so that I could coordinate expectations for the night shift and follow-up with the day shift, all the while doing ministry on the side. In effect I was burning the candle at both ends and eventually something had to give. 

Yes I was earning some good money (back in the day), but I was running myself ragged and my relationships where being affected.  

There have been times in my ministry when this has also been the case due to the requirements of the role at the time, be that an appointed one, or one that I have voluntarily taken on board due to the need.

I’m thinking back to my experiences with Earthquake Emergency Relief both here and overseas – there is a time and space for us each to go above and beyond.

If you love what you are doing, are gifted at it and it moves your ministry forward – this is your sweet spot.

We need space and time to find and experience our sweet spot – I believe we are working and ministering at our best when we are in partnership with God, and our sweet spot is where we will do what needs to be done because we have the right motivation and desire. This is when we are maximising our potential and fulfilling our god-ordained purpose and mission to the best of our abilities, skills and passions.

The thing is, when I spend time with God and set aside time for the ones that He has placed in my life, then I am able to do all things out of the overflow of my heart.

Romans 15:13 reminds me to “pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (The Voice)

You see, peace within the chaos is finding ones sweet spot. I hope and pray that you will find yours and do all that you can to protect it 🙂

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Called: to the office or officership?

The following article entitled Called: to the office or officership? was originally posted on Spirit Cry: A Call to Freedom a blog written by former Salvation Army Officer, Cameron Horsburgh on 4 May 2016.

It is something that resonates with me, especially as it refers to my previous appointment ‘in a Corps’. As there would be days in which I was out of the office, spending more time out in the community amongst the people.

If people wanted to touch base with me they would often have to book an appointment with our centre receptionist so that we could touch base in the office or organise another space to meet.

It is reposted with permission 🙂

I’ve been following a thread in a Facebook group for Salvation Army officers. The original poster was wondering about the normal working hours for officers. What time do we start in the morning? What time do we knock off?

A few officers gave a bit of an idea. Some start early—8:00, 8:30am. Others are responsible for getting children to school and don’t get in until after 9:00.

Yet others said it depended on what else was going on. If they had programmes or other work activities that night or the night before they might start a bit later or finish a bit earlier.

That’s all quite fair. However, there was one assumption that seemed to go unchallenged: it seems to be assumed that ‘work’ for an officer happens primarily in an office.

The work day, according to this view, begins somewhere between turning on the computer and making coffee.

For many that’s true. Officers in T/DHQ appointments, for instance, often have administrative roles and their work is primarily conducted from behind a desk. Even in a corps there’s always a lot of administrative work to be done.

What I am questioning is the fact that the default setting for a corps officer in the 21st century is administration.

What do you do on a work day when you have nothing else specifically planned?

You go into the office. And do officey things. It’s as if our standing orders are to get to the admin block and look busy.

 

Why don’t we default to something else? Is it that we have to be seen to be working? Do we have to be seen by our employees and other staff to be putting in just as much, if not more? Are we worried that we’ll be setting a bad example if we don’t? I remember hearing one Commissioner say that the most important thing an officer can do is turn up to work on time.

Well, I question this. As I had to explain to someone once (on being questioned for not unnecessarily hanging around their workplace) my being an officer doesn’t mean I live in an office.

Now, I get that admin is important. There will always be another email to reply to and another form from THQ to accidentally shred. But why is it the default? Couldn’t we put something else in there instead?

There are always going to be corps folk who need visiting. There are always going to be books that need reading. There are always going to be biscuits to buy for the Home League.

There are always going to be hospitals that need visiting. There are always going to be prisons that need ministry. There are always going to be homeless people who need a feed.

There are always going to be kids at the local school who need help with reading. There are always going to be scales that need to be practised. There are always going to be Facebook posts that need to be made. There are always going to be weights to be lifted. There is always going to be furniture that needs moving at your thrift shop. There are always going to be playgrounds to take your kids to.

There are always going to be people needing your prayers. There are always going to be sermons that need writing. There are always going to be assignments that need research. There are always going to be friends who need a chat. And yes, there are always going to be payroll forms to sign.

Is there an O&R that says we have to do these things in our office? Not that I know of. Some of them are most appropriately done in the office, but some of them can be done outside as well. Some of them should be. I cannot work on a sermon at the office. I can study at the office, but not with people around. Funnily enough, I spend most of my office time out of office hours.

Now please, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that corps officers shouldn’t spend time in the office. I’m not saying that admin tasks should be blown off. I’m not excusing tardiness and I’m certainly not condoning unreasonable laziness. I’m simply pointing out that officership isn’t a nine-to-five job and there’s no reason why we should fall into that pattern by default.

I wonder 4 years later:

Have we succumbed to the pattern of this world? Have we accepted the Status Quo? Are we truly living out our calling or are we waiting for people to come and see us whilst being shut away in our offices, looking busy?

Mobile phones and technology have made us more accessible – But are we really?

As always I’d be interested in your thoughts on this – God bless

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