schedule by the week or by the yearI find that when working with leaders who wear multiple hats and have a lot of different projects– especially if they are combining local hands-on ministry with regional ministry– that working with a weekly schedule doesn’t work well. The reason for that is there’s no typical week. Some weeks they’re spending 80% of their time on a regional project, while other weeks are focused on different priorities. Often even thinking monthly doesn’t help that much.

However, I have found that for those people with multiple responsibilities, praying through a yearly time budget is very helpful. They can calculate their numbers of days off, vacations, or holidays, then determine the number of working days left. From there they can prayerfully determine their key responsibilities and the contributions they need to make. How much time will they need to allocate to each of those things? Then factor in travel. How much time will they be away vs. at home?

Mapping all of this out on a yearly calendar can help you create a schedule that reflects your priorities with enough prep time built in to consistently fulfill all of your responsibilities. During a particular season you might focus on one area, but then not deal with it at all next month. Creating a yearly calendar helps you make sure you’re allocating your time in a way that reflects your priorities.