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

God Moving

I think it’s neat how God orchestrates situations. Tonight, my son invited two neighbor boys to the Jr. High student ministry service. One lives next door, a family we know well. The other boy is from a few blocks away and has just recently started hanging around all the kids on our street.
I got out of the car to greet the dad of this new friend and he and I started chatting. Well, lo and behold, they are looking for a church, a non-denominational church that’s laid back. We talked and I gave him my business card, I knew there was a reason I lug those things around. He now has a piece of contact info for me and we have a connection; our sons hanging out with each other and attending Jr. High ministry tonight.
I don't know that on my own I would have hooked up with this family. I like how God moves.

Wayne

WOW - Pre-design Meeting

Six hours. Have you ever been a part of a six hour meeting? Most of the extended meetings I've had to endure, were just that, meetings that I had to endure. The six hours I spent with Reagan, his wife, and the rest of the children's ministry staff as we discussed pre-design for our new children's ministry environments truly was exhilarating.

I am not kidding.

Reagan's company, Worlds of Wow, is designing our rooms for our new building. We've had a couple of meetings but the one on Monday was a first for me, a pre-design meeting that started with us filling out the Master Pre-design Visit Questionnaire. Of the four companies I've worked with in the past, WOW has been the first to have us put our thoughts down on paper (well, electronically via Google Docs) and discuss them at length with probing questions from Reagan. And it was a great time. I loved the give and take between all six of us, along with Reagan's insight into what's engaging to not only children but to families as well.

I am chomping at the bit to hear from WOW about the prelim ideas for our room environments. I'll post as soon as I get some updates. Until then, take a couple of minutes to read the first two installments about my journey with Worlds of Wow, Worlds of Wow and WOW - The Process Begins.

Wayne

Dan Cutchen - You'll Laugh So Hard You'll Cry

"Pastor Dan is awesome!"
"I had a great time in service today!"
"I don't want to leave, can I stay for the next kid's service?"

These were the comments I heard after Pastor Dan Cutchen guest led our kids services for a weekend. Dan is one in a million. I've known him quite a few years; having invited him to guest lead some services for me at another church. At the time we had two or three other children "evangelists" come out because we had a month of extra services and wanted different people to come and lead them. Since then, I've only known a handful of people who have ability like Dan.

He is truly engaging. First through fifth grade were focused. And yes, fifth grade boys were engrossed. Teen and adult volunteer leaders came to me and remarked how good Dan was at leading from on-stage. He definitely has a gift.

If you are in need of someone to come and guest lead children's services or guest speak to your congregation about inter-generational ministry, please consider Dan. From total silliness to toe-tapping songs to inspiring stories, he will bring God and His Word. And you will laugh so hard you cry.

Click here to go to Future Hope Ministries, Dan's website. You'll find his contact info along with pics, testimonies, cd's and dvd's and a ton more. Dan is definitely endorsed by Children's Ministry 101!

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

WOW - The Process Begins

My first thought was, “Oh great, I hope this isn’t some company that thinks they can decorate a cool children’s ministry room.”

I was “encouraged” to call Worlds of Wow because the design/build company our church is using for an expansion had used them in the past. And since I’d never heard or seen anything about WOW in my research for the other building projects (read the post, “Worlds of Wow”), I thought I’d give them a call just to fulfill the obligation.

Wow (no pun intended) was I wrong about WOW. Truly, God’s divine hand was working out this relationship because when I called, lo and behold, Reagan Hillier and Kyle, another team member, were finishing a project locally. We set up a meeting and from the get go, I was impressed. Reagan and Kyle have a gracious air about them, they're very easy to like and talk with. Needless to say we had a great meeting.

My assistant, two others and myself also took time to check out work they've done at local churches and were again impressed. The environments they've created are beautiful and are kid and family friendly. And to top it all off, all the churches we visited spoke highly of Worlds of Wow.

So, the contract has been signed and with WOW, the process begins. Come back to Children's Ministry 101 for the next post as I'll be writing about the "questionnaire" and the pre-design visit; probably the most insightful design meeting I've ever been a part of and we didn't even come up with a design.

Wayne