Here we are, after one crazy ride of 2016 we are facing another journey around the sun. Many people like to craft resolutions for ways to improve their lives. Most of those resolutions revolve around eating less junk food, stopping an unhealthy habit, and exercising more. Although no one likes to admit it, most of these resolutions do not last past the end of January. At that point we are back to eating junk food on the couch watching active people on TV.
The reason why most of those New Year's resolutions are doomed to failure is that people tend to bite off more than they can chew. Imagine a large, overstuffed fellow deciding that he wants to get in shape by going to the gym every morning at 6 a.m. and then running a mile after work. How long do you think that will really last? Maybe a few days? Possibly a week or two, at best. The change is too drastic, and unless there is some extreme health reason for this new lifestyle it probably won't stick.
"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty."
Proverbs 21:5 (NLT)
Goal Setting
As churches launch into the year it is easy for staff to get caught up in the trap of setting huge goals, as well—goals such as totally renovating the entire technical department at the church. These kinds of goals will often lead to disappointment. But on the opposite side of the spectrum, setting goals that are too small is no better.
For you to have the greatest likelihood of success, you should choose one or two goals that are very important—but that you can reasonably accomplish within the next 90 days. Maybe you think you are higher capacity and you can handle even more goals than that? Stop. Limit yourself to simply two or three. If you finish them early you can always add more. You will be far more effective if you limit your focus.
Maybe your goal is to recruit and train five new volunteers. Maybe it is to go through each system and create a thorough operation checklist. Or maybe it is to upgrade a piece of your system.
It is important that this goal stretches you, that it is important, and that it is something that is possible to accomplish within a three-month time frame.
Plan Creation
Now is the time to create the plan and break it down into the smallest possible steps. What would you have to do to recruit and train five new volunteers? Well, you would need to talk to more people before and after services. Maybe you would encourage other team members to invite their friends. You would need to plan out how the recruits will be trained and who will do the training. You also need to realize that in order to add five volunteers you may need to invite 10-15 people to get five that actually commit.
If you are looking to update your equipment you will need to do research, possibly hire consultants, get approvals, and request bids.
Write down every step that you need to do to accomplish this goal in a three-month time window. Even if a step seems small and inconsequential, write it down. Ideally, each task should be manageable and not take much time to do. If the task is hard or takes too long, break it down further.
Working the Plan
This is the part where most people fail. It is easy coming up with a goal and a plan—but doing the work is where we tend to get lost in the woods. However, if you have done your plan right, you will have a better chance of success.
So each day for the next three months, look at your plan. Simply take the top task on the list and do it. Maybe it is to make a phone call. Maybe it's to send an email. Or maybe to read a review article. Just do one step. That's it. Once you finish that step you are free to go on to whatever else needs to be done. If you want to do more, go for it.
If you faithfully look at your list each day and do just one item, you will likely find that you accomplish your goals much sooner and more effectively than you thought possible. It's like the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
