Overflow: Moving to Less for More

Most people have a to do list.  But do you have a not to do list? 

If you are going to do less to accomplish more, you need to stop doing things probably more than you need to start doing things. Why?  If the gravitational pull in life is toward complexity, more, saying yes to whatever and being reactive, then it's going to take intentionality to reverse that.

Here's why: not all activities are created equal.  Some bring far greater reward for the same amount of effort than others.  Why not focus on those that bring the most reward and eliminate those that don't?

That's hard step, but here are some shifts to doing less in order to accomplish more that have helped me in the last few years:

In ministry

1. We cut all mid-week programming except small groups, believing that small groups provided the best opportunity for life-change.  As a result, participation in mid-week ministry went from 35% of weekend attenders participating in mid week ministry to 68% of weekend attenders participating in small groups.  We also do a better job in small group ministry.
2. We cut our most successful non-family children's venue (Vacation Bible Camp) to do a better job focusing on Sunday mornings and equipping parents to develop their kids spiritually and morally at home.
3. I have focused more of my time on working with the leaders on staff and key leaders in the church. I say no to most outside meetings that are not in some way related to our mission or vision.  Ironically, that has given me more time to hang out with more Connexus people.

In my life, I:

1. Began to turn down almost all speaking engagements except those related to family ministry or leadership development.  Even I hate saying no, but it's been effective and made me a better leader. Rather than randomly saying yes, I carefully and prayerfully discuss opportunities with my family, our elders and key staff.
2. Decided not to develop a new personal hobby for the next five years and instead focus on opening time to simply be around for my kids.  I've found that one of the best way to parent teens is to be around when they are around.  Schedule less...be available more.

There are other shifts I've made and we've made, but you get the idea.  I think one of the greatest releases for me has been to figure out this truth: we have a role in the Kingdom of God but we are not the Kingdom of God. Other churches can do the things we're not doing.  Other people will fill roles I can't fill. 

Most of us assume we have to do everything to be effective.  What if God saw us as most effective at doing one or two things?  There are some things you or your organization does that you are simply great at or could be great at. Michael Phelps is a classic example of this. He's not the entire Olympics, but he's an incredible swimmer.  And to become a great swimmer, he had to say no to becoming a great tennis player, an NBA player, a Harvard student or whatever else he might have become.

Not everything you or I do brings equal results. How much time do we spend on things that bring little to no reward, often in the name of being "well rounded"?  Why not stop doing that and start focusing on the few things that bring greatest results?

What scares you about this?  What excites you?

Comments

[dan scott]

I have a really hard time doing this. This Summer going into a very busy Fall, I knew that simplifying my life and creating routine in that simplicity was critical to my (and my family's) well-being. I've been living this routine for three weeks now, and I can't tell you how liberating it is to say "no, thank you" without guilt... my family is just too important. I know where I'm needed most and where I need to concentrate my energy.

I wholeheartedly believe in the "do less for more" leadership/ministry principle. Working in an environment that focuses resources in key areas rather than spreading them thin among many programs EXCITES me. (Yes, that was all capital letters.)

What's difficult is when senior leadership has a different idea of what church programming needs to look like. When we in middle management have little to no leverage for changing that philosophy, it can be quite discouraging... but we try our best to influence change as the opportunities arise.

Great post...

[M.W. Smith]

Your words strike deeply in my heart. As someone who continues to see the environment around me in my church become cluttered with a calendar of good intentions I get discouraged. Recently in our kids program 252, we asked kids to raise their hands if they ever feel they are too busy and it stresses them out. 250 hands went up and the parents in the room were shocked into silence.

I see clearly what you are saying and want more than anything to be in the center of everything that you shared!

So what do you do when the vision of what you shared is something you know you are called to be and do, creates a restless passion beyond words and after three years you've only created a philosophy of that kind of ministry within an "area" of ministry? What do you do when the thing that excites you the most is the thing that scares everyone else?

[kt]

What scares me is that we will pare down so much as a church that we will not do everything that is biblical to be doing or that there will be people we were supposed to reach that were not reached. Personally, if I only focus on a few things then what if I mess those up- yikes!

What excites me how effective we could be with a laser point focus - like Jesus. Dave Ramsey spoke at NPCC once and I still remember him saying (via internet) that focused intensity over time multiplied by God equals motivation. Motivation is something we all need and can be found through this kind of focus. If you only have to be good at 2-3 things, it is much less overwhelming and stressful(generally).

One more point to comment on about life moving to complexity. When my son was born I just wanted him to be "normal" and "healthy." Now, as a toddler I am secretly fighting the desire for him to be a genius musically or academically. Humans are so predictable in complexity it is almost laughable (including me :) ).

[Carey Nieuwhof]

Dan and M.W....thanks for your comments. It's hard when a team doesn't share the same heartbeat, and it sounds to a certain extent like that might be an issue.

I think the best thing you can do is a) respect the decisions that the senior leaders have made; b) discuss your heart with them privately (public loyality brings private leverage) and c) try to implement the approach as best you can in your "world" at home and at work (keep your priorities clear and organize yourself according to your best contributions). I think that's the best approach I can think of.

Others among you in the same boat? Advice?

[Carey Nieuwhof]

Thanks for making me smile kt. Great point from Dave Ramsey too. Focus is what this is all about.