“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:1-3
You’re committed to the work of your church. You’ve established your plans, and your heart is dedicated to the work of your faith. But some weeks, it feels like there is just so much to do before Sunday that it just might be impossible!
So today, we want to talk about maximizing the time in your week. We want to address the planning, scheduling, and strategy problems that may be plaguing your church or your role in some way. You need to make the most of every day and organize your tasks in a way that keeps things feasible and doable. To stay motivated (and able) to complete your to-do list before Sunday, try this weekly plan for structuring your church communications work:
Note: Depending on what days of the week your church leadership team takes off, the "beginning" of your week might fall on Monday or another day. Adjust these practices to your own schedules.
Day 1:
Your first day of the week is when you set the stage for everything else. While an average employee might get the “Monday blues,” you need to come to work charged and excited to make a difference in the lives of your church members. Day 1 is so important because it’s the day you need to reach out. Working in communications means you partner with many other leaders: creatives, accountants, ministry leaders, and the pastors. Any piece of information you might need in the coming four days of work is something you want to ask for now––not at the last-minute. Prioritize your tasks, plan your meeting schedules, and request information about events and tasks you know will happen this week.
It may seem a little crazy to spend a whole day just preparing for the rest of the week! But this organization will set you up for success, and you can use any extra afternoon time to knock out the small weekly tasks that you need to complete. Responding to emails, posting daily social media messages, and processing internal request forms take time, and this is a perfect time to finish up recurring tasks.
Day 2:
The bulk of your work can be done in what I like to call “batch days.” This is when you work on similar projects in batches, rather than bouncing back and forth between very different projects all day long. By crossing off these big to-do list items, you make yourself more efficient. You limit the number of tools, people, and softwares you need to have open at one time––and you can really hone in on a focused task. Batch days are great for centering your energy on one thing at a time.
For example, you might spend Day 2 of your week just focusing on promoting events. You can schedule social media, bulletin announcements, messages to different ministry leaders, and any other type of promotional communications around all of the events your church has going on in the next week or two. Or you might make this day all about uploading and formatting the new sermons onto your church website. This takes a good amount of time to do, but it’s such an engaging and active part of your members’ faith online that you want to dedicate time to doing it right.
Day 3:
As people who work in church communications, we need to think ahead. I like to save at least one of my workdays for planning the future success of the church. Day 3 is great for looking forward: long-term projects (like a website redesign or the next sermon series), upcoming giving campaigns, and the church’s yearly communications goals. How is your progress going so far this year? How does this compare to your original goals for the year?
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Contribute to the planning and execution of these goals at least once a week so that you stay ahead of schedule in your plans for growth. Don’t let the future of your church get lost in the everyday hustle and bustle! |
Day 4:
Another productive batch day is perfect for gaining more ground as the week comes toward a close. Group major prioritized tasks to ensure you get done what needs to get done in your church communications. Are the bulletins ready to go for Sunday? And all of the other content members will receive at the service? What about events and programs that are happening at the end of this week? Re-evaluate the deadlines/things you committed to at the beginning of the week in another “heavy-lifting” day.
By Day 4, you should also check up on the emails and requests you sent out on Day 1. Have you heard back from everyone who you need information from? Are there any loose ends you still need to tie up before the last work day? Now is the time to check back on these internal exchanges.
Day 5:
Because you planned and organized your week so well, you’re almost to the end! This day is the time for final touches: printing bulletins, finalizing plans for the Sunday service, making sure graphics are done for pre-service slides, etc. By ending your work here, you leave time for your own personal worship––which is all too easy to lose sight of when you are such an integral part of planning and preparing the services.
