John Beeson asserts that work-life balance is an unobtainable myth, and that we instead need a system and support structures to help us manage our lives, tasks, and time. I couldn’t agree more, and I think there are immense parallels in the ministry world.
Here are some key thoughts in the article:
…modern-day telecommunications, the hair-trigger requirements of financial markets, and the pace of global organizations create 24 x 7 work lives for most executives. So, forget work-life balance and think personal organization and finding ways to relax…
…The first step in dealing with the workload is putting in place the support structure that allows you to focus your energies on key priorities and issues where you can add the greatest value to the business…
…Under continued stress an executive loses his or her perspective on issues and the ability to look at problems creatively…
While I disagree that the days of the two-week vacation are gone (I might be naive there), and also think we need to be very intentional in our chosen method of “relaxation” (think: sabbath rest and prayer rather than “relaxing hobbies”) they key point stands: you must find systems to organize your administrative type tasks, find a flow and rhythm to your day, and not spend the entire day “sprinting” at work.
In short, in our age of information overload, you must become a GTD master. I can give you tips on how to get started if you like.
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