“Why put off until tomorrow that which you can avoid altogether” could be my life motto. See, I am a procrastinator. I am a three-time gold medalist in the art of stalling. I think it started when I was young and did my best to delay the dreaded bedtime.
Now as an adult, I will avoid staying awake to accomplish what needs to be done just to get to bed sooner. Funny how life works that way.
Well, I have had to learn to fight those natural tendencies to sloth when it comes to making sure I was ready for the weekend services. Something that over the years became routine and if I wasn't careful things fell through the cracks. If you stick with me, I'd like to share a few tricks I have learned over my years as an ADD, procrastinating, less-than-organized tech director.
Tip #1: Slay your dragons early
I love this saying, probably because I'd make an awesome knight (if I lost 50 pounds and wasn't afraid of horses, swords, and dragons). Never mind. Productivity and leadership guru Michael Hyatt says this all the time on his popular blog and podcasts. The idea is to get those things that you avoid off your plate first. For me, this was the administrative stuff that kept me from the relationships and creativity of the job. These are the things like schedules, paperwork, and emails – get them off your plate early in the week or the morning each day. I always found it very hard to focus on the creative elements when I knew I had those little things that had to get done, nagging at me from the back of my mind, or popping up distracting me from focusing.
The idea is to get those things that you avoid off your plate first. For me, this was the administrative stuff that kept me from the relationships and creativity of the job.
Tip #2: Over-communicate
When working with volunteers, I do not think you can over-communicate. Now that doesn't mean blowing up their phones and inboxes with church spam. I mean communicate the details that pertain to them.
I learned early on that [our volunteers] weren't in all the meetings and hallway conversations I was in during the week, and they couldn't read my mind.
If your church was like mine, you relied almost entirely on volunteers for weekend support. There is staff in place, but the volunteers make it happen. I learned early on that those people weren't in all the meetings and hallway conversations I was in during the week, and they couldn't read my mind. After a rough couple weekends, I realized that some key conversations would reduce everyone's stress.
I'll venture to guess many of you use a service flow of some kind, whether it's a word document, spreadsheet or planning center online – you have an idea of what the weekend services are going to be like more than a few seconds before they happens. Use those resources to give as much info as you can. We use Planning Center, and what's great about it, we can print different flows for different groups. That way the sound guy isn't getting lost in the lighting cues. But putting transition info, cues, and anything else that you think will be helpful can go a long way to tightening up your service.
I also started making update videos on my iPhone for the team that was working that week. I'd show them the stage, and walk through anything that was big or different. It made it more interactive and changed up the communication style. Plus, it created an opportunity for them to laugh at me more.
Bottom line, just make sure that your team isn't walking into the rehearsal/weekend blind.
Tip #3: Write it down
This tip isn't the same as over-communicating with your team; this is over-communicating with yourself. I learned that I had to have lists and procedures to cover myself. Not that I am incompetent, but I know that even with the best intentions I will still forget to clear off the video recording hard drives before service or that the pastor's mic needed new batteries. I have found that the only thing that is routine in the church is that we will have service on Sunday. Everything else is up for grabs as to how and when it happens. That is where you need a checklist just make sure that, even though the pastor dropped a last minute change on you, you still have the other things done for the weekend.
I found this reduced those seconds-before service panic attacks when I suddenly realize I forgot something. Especially for weekends that happened after a funeral, wedding, or concert that took place in the worship center. Having a visual reminder of all that had to get done is a simple approach to making your weekend better.
Having a visual reminder of all that had to get done is a simple approach to making your weekend better.
Our goal as behind-the-scenes ninjas is to reduce distractions and help create an environment that invites the congregation to have an experience with God through worship and the message. It can be stressful, I know. I have an ulcer named Christmas 2013.
My tips may seem simple, which is what I wanted them to be. You don't need another app, another meeting, or another thing added to your plate to complicate matters.
My last piece of advice is “just breathe.” Mistakes will happen, you'll forget to record the sermon, or delete the church website --- not speaking from personal experience or anything. I'm lying, I actually did that. Just commit to doing better the next week. We're all in this together.
