SPOT On…Success
Posted by Tiffany Cooper
There is one absolute for every person in ministry. Ministry is a one of a kind job; it’s not a 9-5 shift or a one skill wonder position. Ministry is all encompassing and requires a person to function in multiple capacities. Thankfully we have an abundance of resources (and Leading and Loving It) to assist us in the journey.
Here is one small acronym that may help to resource you today. You may have heard the phrase “Spot On” which basically means, you’ve got it right. Today we are going to highlight a few ways to get it right in ministry, how to get it SPOT On!
S – Segment the Day It can be overwhelming when we lump all of our responsibilities together, all of them weaving in and out of our minds. Separating what needs to be done into segments throughout the day helps me to minimize stress. It may not be your cup of tea though.
My Example: The quick version. Key Factor: all of this involves interruptions from my kids and being a taxi driver to and from school!
7-11am Housework, laundry, bills, anything home maintenance.
11-12:30pm Lunch, focused time with the kids, put kids down for naps at 12:30.
12:30-2:30 Ministry, blogs, planning. (Except on Tuesday & Thursday when I have a sitter and I go and do errands.)
3-5 Kids stuff, prepare for dinner, more house stuff.
5-6 Dinner
6-8 Family time and put kids to bed
8-? Alone time for me and my husband. Of course, there are evenings that involve meetings, etc.
P – Prepare and Plan Even if you are tired of hearing it, preparing in advance really does impact the success of your day, week and so on. We will get rid of unneeded chaos if we plan out our work and home life.
O – Opt Out Give ourselves permission to say no, to opt out. We don’t have to do it all. Kay Warren says it best in the “Kay Warren Video Pt 2″ resource. Follow this link and listen to her advice on saying no at minute 3:30, it’s worth viewing the whole video though. http://leadingandlovingit.com/media/
T – Time Out Put the work and responsibility on hold so you can refuel yourself. It may be a 30 minute window of quiet or an evening enjoying TV. Maybe it’s really taking that day off. 
On – On your way to Success!
It’s the small things that add up to a successful life. Doing the small things right leads to a SPOT On, you’ve got it right, life!
So Ladies, how do you successfully manage the ministry and home life? What do you do to keep your love for both alive and healthy? Do tell, we want to know!
5 Responses to “SPOT On…Success”
August 26th, 2010 at 6:07 pmDefinitely preparation helps me in my ministry with kids at church, at home, and with my husband’s ministry. When I am disorganized, everything seems/feels that way too! I am learning to say no, or give myself “longer” deadlines during the week to get things done, so I don’t feel like I am ripping my family or anyone else off. Great advice today, thank you!
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one thing I have learned to do is not answer the phone after school. I feel like time belongs to my two older boys, who are in school all day. I want to chat with them, have snack with them, get homework done, etc. Then, I can prep dinner while we play cards or a game. I even had one friend say “I almost called you today at 330 and then thought, nope! She won’t answer.” We chatted at 730 that evening
just a little one that helps me!
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In this season of ministry, I am so very thankful to be focused at home. We jokingly call it to Minister of the Interior. Our two young children are my priority. So I have taken a time-out from church related jobs/commitments that would require time away from the family. It has not always been this way for my family. And I am confident that it will not always be. However, I am enjoying this season of motherhood.
Often in this time of ministry rest, I have new and fresh ideas. I suppose this distance makes my heart grow fonder for the time I will be able to try out those ideas!
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Oh my goodness, I have been searching for site like this for a while now. Thank you for putting this together and thank you for sharing. I so needed to hear this!
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