Prioritization is an interesting topic. Most believe they prioritize well, but, in reality, it is very tough to properly prioritize the myriad of things in our lives. As pastors, we are constantly being pulled in a million different directions. Our staff needs our input, encouragement, and motivation. Our congregation needs pastoring, counseling, and shepherding. Our families need our love, attention, and support. Plus, we also need to do things for ourselves, like spending time in the Word and prepping for our next sermon series.
Before you know it, if you’re not careful, your life will be a scattered, cluttered mess, and your top priorities will be tough to identify because you’re spending time doing so many things in so little time.
Trust me, I know how tough this "prioritization struggle" can be as a pastor, which is why I want to be intentional about helping pastors learn from my mistakes so that prioritizing all the aspects of life can be much, much smoother than my own personal experience.
Having said all this, here are three tips I’ve found to be helpful in my own attempts to prioritize my life well.
First, make a quarterly list of priorities. Just like seasons change, our lives tend to change every few months. There are different seasons of ministry just like there are different seasons of weather. In some seasons, there might be aspects of your life that are closer to the top of the priority list, but in other seasons, those aspects can shift and move down a few spots. This is why I believe it’s important to update your priority list quarterly so you can go into each new season with a clear picture of what’s most important.
Second, as you make this quarterly list, get into the nitty-gritty. Don’t take the easy way out and list top-line general items like “God, family, church, rest, etc.” Be specific with how you list your priorities. If you have a son that plays baseball and you want to make it to all his games, put that on your priority list. If your wedding anniversary is coming up this quarter, list celebrating your anniversary as a priority. If you are launching a capital campaign at your church, put that on the list. This way, when life does start to get crazy and you find yourself spending time doing anything and everything, you can return to your list and ask yourself, “Is the way I’m living my life allowing me to move towards my top priorities?”
Finally, create true accountability. It’s helpful to have someone close to you check up on you and your priorities once or twice a quarter. The goal is to share your quarterly priority list with this person as soon as you make it, and then give them permission to periodically (and randomly) check in on you to see if your life is matching up with your priorities. If you make these random checkups, you’re less likely to try to “clean up” the week before they call you. Instead, they get a true, authentic picture of how you’re spending your time and energy and can therefore help you stay on the right track.
Let's face it, prioritization is not an easy thing to do or to keep doing, but it is not impossible either. I hope that you’ll implement these three tips in your own life and make progress toward having a less stressful and more life-giving schedule, ministry, and home life.