How to Prepare for a Busy Season

I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the holidays are coming!

I know for a lot of church leaders as soon as the fall weather starts to hit, life get’s crazy. September feels nice. Kids are back to school, routines are being made, it’s beginning to cool down. But then October hits and you realize there’s only three months til Christmas. Only two until Thanksgiving! You may have thought the year was flying by, but now it’s at warp-speed.

Unfortunately, so many of us get overwhelmed in this season that should really be very enjoyable. I want to put a stop to that. I probably can’t help you put a stop to the busy-ness, but I can help you get organized so you can stay ahead of it.

Here’s a few ways to prepare for the busy season ahead:

1. Use a Calendar

I get that calendars aren’t everyone’s favorite tool. They aren’t mine. But they do help. Try getting a calendar (a big one if you can), writing the dates of all the important dates until the end of the year, and looking over it.

When I say all the important dates, I’m talking every holiday, travel days for holidays, every Christmas party, every Friendsgiving, the date of your daughter’s Christmas recital, etc. Write it all down.

In my experience, just the ability to look ahead and see what’s coming helps a ton!

2. Pre-Plan Your Songs

Start planning what your services are going to look like over the coming months.

Plan your special services (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, etc), but plan your regular ones too. Just sit down one day and knock them out.

If you know you have to cancel rehearsal the week of Thanksgiving, go ahead and think of songs your team is familiar with and won’t have to rehearse. Then take a few minutes load them into planning center (or what ever you use).

If you know you’ll have to add a rehearsal for a special Christmas Eve service, go ahead and set the date (don’t forget to write it on your calendar), pick the songs, and let your team know!

3. Pre-Schedule Your Band

Start talking with your team this week about the holiday season. Ask them to go ahead and let you know if they will be out of town at certain times. This will allow you to go ahead and start making the schedule for the busy months that are coming!

In reality, you could get these 3 things done by the end of next week. Many of us could probably do this by the end of tomorrow. Organizing these few items will save you from so much stress! I know it’s a lot to do right now, but I promise it will bring peace and joy back to your holiday season.

Already stressed? Need help creating a plan for the holiday season? Schedule a coaching session where we can walk through your struggles together and come up with a plan to end the year strong! Schedule an appointment HERE!