What To Do When There’s Too Much To Do
Sometimes life can be overwhelming. For leaders, sometimes it feels like everything falls on you. In churches, it’s usually what should be the best times of year (like Christmas!) that end up being overwhelming and stressful.
In a previous post I wrote about preparing for a busy season (you can check that post out HERE!). Today, I want to talk a little bit about what to do if you’re already in that season. How do you handle it when it seems like everything is coming at you at once? What do you do when there’s too much to do?
1. Stop.
It seems counterintuitive, but if you searched google to find out what to do when there’s too much to do and came across this article, then you’ve already stopped everything else. So stop again. First, stop and breathe, give yourself a pep talk or whatever works when your stressed, then move on to steps two and three. Just remember to press pause for a minute. Sometimes you just need to catch your breath.
2. Prioritize.
After you take that breath of fresh air, you need to prioritize. Most of the time when people “prioritize” they really just make a list. Which might make them feel more organized but then they end up getting overwhelmed again because they place everything at the top of the list. We all know that everything doesn’t have the highest priority though. Try using the urgent vs important matrix to help you prioritize your projects.
The common consensus is to DO the things in quadrant I. PLAN the things in quadrant II. DELEGATE the things in quadrant III. And don’t worry so much about the things in quadrant IV.
3. Delegate.
There are some things that only you can do. That’s true. But there are lots of things that you can give away. Try letting another worship leader choose songs and schedule your team for the weekend. That will free up time and energy for you to focus on other things. Try having a team member lead a devotional in your rehearsal one week - that means you can focus on other projects. There are lots of options! Delegate what you can.
Busy times will come. But they will also go. Using the 3 steps above will help you move through them much easier. Here’s a tip: really focus in on #2. The urgent vs important matrix is a great tool! That alone will relieve some stress!
Still feeling overwhelmed? Schedule an appointment with a coach! We love helping worship leaders get organized, get ahead of the craziness, and go from surviving to thriving! You can schedule a coaching session HERE!