The importance of time management in ministry can’t be overstated. The most effective leaders will tell you that being intentional with your time will allow you to maintain a healthy balance between work and home life, not to mention – be more productive.

Too many ministry leaders unnecessarily wear themselves out and are in desperate need of a regular Sabbath during their week. In this article, you’ll learn how to use a “rhythmic week” system to manage your time so you’re not serving on empty. 

Time Management – Creating a Rhythmic Week

Productive people establish boundaries – they determine what they’re going to do, when they’re going to do it, and they stick to the plan. The rhythmic week system will help you set boundaries like this for each area of your life. This will enable you to pace yourself when you have many tasks to accomplish.

1. Determine Your Tasks

The first step to develop a rhythmic week is to identify your typical weekly tasks. Make a list of everything you must do and want to do in a regular week. This might include:

  • Office hours
  • Staff meetings
  • Weekly gatherings with your students
  • Bible study
  • Church 
  • Down time
  • Family time
  • Study time
  • Extracurricular activities

2. Create Time Blocks

To get started, break your day into three, four-hour blocks of time (morning, afternoon, and evening). Each block of time will be dedicated to a specific task area. You can color code your blocks to better visualize how your time will be spent, for example:

  • Green for work
  • Red for personal time/Sabbath
  • Blue for personal growth and study
  • Yellow for flexible work time (meetings or miscellaneous items)

First, fill in the blocks that you know are consistent from week to week. Think about the meetings that occur on a weekly basis. Block out Sunday morning, weekly gatherings with your students, time for relational ministry, etc. Mark those blocks green.

Second and equally important, when is your personal time/Sabbath going to be? Most ministry leaders find it difficult to take two full days off in a row. However, if you think about your personal time in blocks, then it’s easier to make space for it throughout your week.

Take at least one full day of personal time each week. You will be healthier for it.

You can think of your personal time in 12, four-hour blocks instead of two full days. However, it’s ideal to take at least one full day of personal time each week. You will be healthier for it.

Remember to block out your day off, family time, date night, workout schedule, etc. Here is an example of what a ministry leader’s rhythmic week could look like, using time blocks.

3. Communicate About Your Schedule

A rhythmic week is not only helpful for managing your time, but it’s a helpful tool for communicating to church staff, parents, students, and volunteers about your schedule so they know when you’re out of the office. 

Make sure to give your pastor a copy of your rhythmic week and talk with them about how you’re using it to maintain balance in your life. Post a copy of your rhythmic week outside your office to show your office hours. This will help parents see how you maintain balance in your life, too.

4. Commit to Protecting Your Boundaries

The only way a rhythmic week will help you is if you choose to live by it. You must commit to protecting your boundaries and focusing on the tasks assigned to each block. 

Inevitably, there will be days when something throws your rhythmic week off, like a special event. The great thing about rhythmic weeks is that it isn’t too difficult to move blocks around.

So, if the Christian Education committee meeting takes up Thursday night’s personal time block, then get that time back from another block later that week.

Final Insight

One final piece of advice: guard the personal time you fit into your schedule! Many jobs have time management challenges, but ministry jobs are near the top of the list for irregular routines. This makes burnout all too common, but using the rhythmic week system will help you combat this challenge.

To learn more about rhythmic weeks, check out Mark DeVries’ book Sustainable Youth Ministry. And if you want to take your time management to a whole new level, check out Getting Things Done.