3 Ways To Jump Start Your Day

Business Administrators, try these to start your day better.

Depending on how you are wired, you may be like me and start your day fast and furious as soon as you get in your office. Your "to do" list grew over night and by the time you get to work, your off and running. There are days you get a phone call before you leave the house that one of your staff are out sick and now you are feeling behind before you even start. Does this sound like you?

Before you get that overwhelmed feeling of a crazy schedule for the day, try doing these three things. Make them your daily routine before you get into your office and get start. I know your rushed some days and feel you don't have time to do any of these. Trust me! You have time or can make the time and they will help you greatly to start your day off not feeling better even on those hectic start days.

1. As you arrive to the church, drive around the perimeter of the campus. This will take around 5- 10 minutes depending on the size of your campus. Drive slow and notice things that need attention. Drive through the parking lots and around buildings and behind buildings. Make a route and then make it a routine every day. The outside of your campus doesn't always get the close look it needs. Your busy schedule keeps you in the office area and in meetings most the day. This allows you a few minutes every day to check the outside as you drive around making mental notes.

2. Once inside the building, do not go directly to your office. Take a walk around the complex down common areas, large spaces like the Worship Center, Fellowship Hall, the Chapel, and other often used spaces. Look for things out of place or needing attention. Don't rush, make it a casual walk checking things out and making mental notes again. Just take 5-10 minutes for a walk through.

3. Its not office time just yet! I know you are chomping at the bit to get in there are start your hectic day. Take the next few minutes walking to each of your staff team members office and saying hello. Ask how they are doing and if you can help them with anything. If it is Monday , maybe ask how their weekend went. If you sense a need, take a minute and pray with them. This is one of THE best ways to add value to your team. They feel important and valued that you took time to stop by and acknowledge them. Now their day just started out better!

Do these without fail every day of the week and see what a huge difference it will make in your day and the days of your team members. Now you can go to your office and start. It will wait on you to do these three things. Now you are are not so rushed and can think more clearly to get started.

Comments? Suggestions? Just do it!

10 Things To Do When Unemployed

Sometimes you know you’re about to be let go and sometimes it comes like a thief in the night. Either way, you are probably not as prepared as you need to be to survive it well. In my 45 years of working, I have been unemployed three times; one voluntarily and the others like a thief in the night. Even in church work, the thief can steal your job without notice, warning, or accusations of any wrong doing of any kind. It’s just that easy and it happens way too often.

Do not overreact. Your tendency will be to focus solely on the job loss and the factors surrounding what happened. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and look at the big picture. Your first step should be to write down your thoughts and feelings to release them from any anxiousness you have.

Plan your day. Without the routine of your job, you will find that your days are empty and unorganized. Try and make your plans for tomorrow in advance of each day. Even if it does not fill your day, give yourself a plan to get something accomplished each day. 

Start your job search. There is no need to stress just yet. Begin getting your resume and other documents you need ready to send out. Start making phone calls and sending emails networking around with other colleagues and friends that you know. Let them know you are searching and ask if they would pass along your resume when possible. Get connected through social media. 

Keep emotions in check. Losing a job can be very emotional with feelings of inadequacy, bitterness, mad at the world, frustrated, and even loneliness and isolation from being at home all day instead of working. Your mind will wonder off and cause you to think only about the negative aspects of the job lose, so fill your mind with positive things as much as possible. There are always good things in every bad situation. 

Do not go it alone. If you are married, then include your spouse in what you are going through. Some temperaments tend to clam up and not communicate about the job lose. Make sure you are open and honest with your spouse and include them in your feelings and emotions. Reach out and find a few friends you would consider mentors to you. Let them know what has happened and keep them updated often for support and encouragement. 

Develop a Quite Time
This is a time you really need to be quite and hear from the Lord. Find your spot and your time and be there every day no matter what. Wherever we live, I have a spot in the house that I sit and read and pray. Find a prayer study and begin a journal of your thoughts  even if you have never done this, its important in a transition time.

Stay connected to your field. Whatever your career field was, stay connected there during this time of not working. Read related articles, research new technology in your field, read books, and get connected on social media related to your field. Do some research and learn new things happening out there.  

Build your web presence. I have already mentioned social media but do not underestimate its far-reaching power. Start with a professional business site like LinkedIn. Upgrade to premium if possible and create a professional profile that tells your story. Find other job search sites and up load your resume to each one. Set up email alerts for jobs you would be looking for. Get known on the web as a job seeker and start watching regularly. 

Take the Time Off
You may sense a feeling of urgency and panic. Don't fret just yet and enjoy some of your time off from the job. I'm not saying be lazy and do nothing about your separation. Spend some time visiting family and relatives and just hanging out. Do not feel guilty relaxing. Chances are you have put off vacations and trips due to work load and now is the perfect time to get caught up.


See the big picture. Start looking at the long haul even if you have prospective jobs quickly. Look for ways you can cut expenses to the bone. If you own a home, can you sell quickly and rent for a while. What are the cost differences? What can you sell if you had to? What savings do you have? What emergency funds do you have? What is your budget and your monthly living costs presently? What can be trimmed. Know that a job loss is temporary and you will bounce back. Get through a job loss with as minimal of damage as possible financially. Don’t sell the farm just yet, but be ready.





Comments? What would you add?

How Do You Communicate?

Learning how people communicate at the office can save you a lot of grief and understanding that effective communication is critical to any team. Many times, when things go wrong with a project at work, it can be traced back to a lack of communication. It can also cause you grief in your relationships at the office and at home. Let’s face it, any lack of communication can affect the outcome negatively. Here is a perfect example. Let’s say you are working trying to help someone in your office that was going through some personal issues and you were trying to mentor and encourage them. You emailed several times over the course of a few days but the person never responded to you. You see them in the office at maybe at a meeting but they never acknowledge your emails. Finally, after several email attempts and no response you catch the person in their office and ask why they have not responded to your offer to help them. They apologize and tell you that they do not email much and rarely check their inbox. However, they do inform you that the best way to communicate is by text message. Clearly a communication breakdown simple because of their preferred method. 

Now go back to by opening comment about learning how people communicate. In an office setting where you need to communicate with many to get things done, ask how they best communicate. What is their preferred way that will get you a timely response? Today there is text messaging, email, sticky notes, Facebook, a phone call, or in person face to face. Any of these can work. Had I asked that person ahead of time what their best way to communicate was, I would have been able to better help and get my message across. 

Understand that you may have a preferred way to communicate but that does not mean it’s the best way for everyone you work with. Learn the best method for each person in your office and enhance your communication greatly. Be flexible and as a leader be the one to establish communication methods up front. 

Comments? What is your best communication method?

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

5 Ways to slow down during Christmas

What in the world is all the hurry for? It seems people are running 100 miles per hour in every direction. Almost every day as I drive to and from work, I see people racing down the road like their house is on fire or something. We have all heard “race to the red light”! I mean people get irritated when the car in front of them turns on their turn signal knowing they are going to have to slow down and let them turn. They usually whip around them in disgust that they were slowed down. Some are constantly changing lanes back and forth trying to find the fastest lane. It’s unbelievable today.

Everything is all about speed and fast now days. At theme parks now you can buy your way to fast with a “fast pass”. With that you get to enjoy a shorter line. We used to call that cutting in line, now you buy your way to cut in line. Internet speeds are ridiculous fast compared to 5 years ago. I remember dial-up internet with speeds not even at one mbps speed yet. Now, the slowest speed is around 30 mbps download and is lightning fast. The average speed is now around 100 mbps and is incredibly fast. 

Day after day and year after year, we humans run faster and faster. We never slow down and continually seek ways to speed up everything we do. We get irritated when there are more than 5 cars at the red light and we may not get through the first light. We complain at slow service where we shop when in reality it was not really slow at all. We race to the red light driving and when we are in a drive-thru window we can’t understand what is taking so long and we ream out the person serving us at the window. 

Is it any wonder that we constantly ask the question where our day went! We blink and we are on the way home from work already and can’t figure out what happened. We over plan our calendars, we race around all day at work, we fill up our weekends, and we can’t say no to anything people ask of us. We race to church because we woke up late or had a dozen things to do before church then after we race to our favorite restaurant to get there before the crowd does and then we complain because the service was slow and we wonder why we are so irritated and frustrated all the time?

So, am I advocating the Mayberry philosophy for life? No, not really although that would not be a bad thing. I am not against speed. In fact, I drive a BMW sports car with engine modifications on a four cylinder that can produce up to 250 horsepower. You want speed, I got it! But, I don’t drive like a maniac in town and run people off the road in a hurry. I actually like driving the speed limit or under and take my time when driving most the time. However, get me on a back road and I’ll push it up to 100 mph or more for some fun! 

I just believe we are driving our lives up to unsafe speeds. What I mean by that is going so fast all the time, will eventually burn us out or wear us out. Let me explain with an illustration about my wife’s grand dad, Merle. Merle lived in the foot hills of the Shawnee Mountains in Illinois on about 10 acres. He was a real cowboy working hard every day, but at a pace much slower that we know or are used to today. Merle, took his time and enjoyed the things around him. He never missed a thing and knew what was going on all around him. This happened after grandma passed away and Merle lived alone. We were staying with Merle for a visit and that morning I was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee with Merle. You see, Merle was an early riser but then sat around and drank his coffee then cooking some breakfast. He was not in any hurry either. It was getting later in the morning and Merle was just sitting and talking and telling stories. I didn’t think we were ever going to get breakfast. My wife decided to go get her shower out of the way since Merle was slow getting started. A short time later my wife walks in the kitchen, in a bath robe, with a towel around her head and told Merle that the shower stopped working right in the middle of it. He turned around and gave a little chuckle at how his granddaughter looked, then stated that the dad-blasted belt on the pump either broke or came off again. He then turned around and started drinking his coffee like nothing had happened. After a few minutes she asked him if he could please fix the pump that she would like to finish her shower; if it wasn’t too much to ask. Merle said no problem he would be there shortly and seemed to be in no hurry to fix the pump. Finally after another few minutes, my wife already irritated, Merle goes to fix the pump for her. I was always amazed at what Merle would accomplish in a days’ time. We just were not used that slow of a pace in life but Merle lived it every day. He enjoyed life slowly!

The point is, Merle was in no hurry and was on his own time schedule. We city folks coming in and wanting our shower in a hurry wasn’t going to work for him. All the years I knew Merle, I noticed he was never in a hurry, yet accomplished a lot of work. He stopped and talked to people along the way and helped people all the time. He was known all over the county where he was loved for just being a great all-around cowboy. Did you catch that! Merle lived a slow life yet accomplished a lot of work. Today, we think speed is better and that we will accomplish more. Yet, in the long-haul is that really the truth?

I realize that during the Apostle Paul’s life there was no technology nor modern day inventions or in Jesus’s lifetime for that matter. But, look at what Paul accomplished in his journeys to spread the Gospel. Through Paul’s journeys he was able to meet hundreds of people and to share about Jesus that would change their life. He was patient, kind, and persistent in his travels. I have heard this many times that to accomplish great things you don’t have to work harder but smarter. I believe that to be true to some extent. Paul was smart in how he spread the Gospel and thought through his plans. The only way to work smarter is to slow down and think more. 

In our day and time, I believe we miss opportunities to help others, to serve others, to meet others, to know others, and to even witness to others. Why? Because we are just going to fast! Christmas is one of the fastest times in our year. There is so much to do; shopping, hanging outside lights, entertaining relatives, getting the house ready, more shopping, Christmas parties, more shopping, and you can see people are just rushing around like crazy. Allow to me to give you 5 ways to slow down this Christmas season and enjoy your surroundings so much more.

Talk to people - as you are going, stop and talk to people. When you are shopping at the store, take a few minutes to talk to the clerk or people standing in line. You never know who you will lift up and encourage during a busy time just by making the effort to visit with them along the way.

Be aware – look around you and be aware of what is going on. Don’t be so focused that you miss opportunities around you so serve and help others in need. Maybe there is a super long line at the store and by the time you get to check out the clerk is frustrated. A quick thank you and how is your day going with some encouragement would make their day.

Don’t over plan – you are in control over your calendar and are responsible for it filling up so full. Watch it closely and be open to saying no to extra events that will rob you of valuable time during Christmas.

Be intentional – Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Make it that way for you and your family and carry that over to others as you go. Don’t get so caught up in how others take Christ out of Christmas; just make sure you put Him back in it wherever you go.

Prioritize – spend your time on what is important to you and your family this Christmas season. Make a plan and include in that plan time to slow down and enjoy life. 

If you think about, Jesus did all of these 5 things during his time here on earth. Jesus was always talking to others; he was always aware of his surrounding and what was going in with people; his plan was simple; he was intentional in doing the work his Father and not what others wanted or expected him to do; and he knew what his #1 priority was, dying on the cross for our sins that we may be forgiven and made holy. 

I hope and pray you use these 5 ways to slow down and apply this Christmas season and see what a huge difference it makes in your life. Don’t stop there! Start the New Year out by continuing to slow down and live life as God would have you to.