Strategic Planning

Be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Ephesians 5:15-16

When your back is against the wall and the calendar demands are creating a crunch time on all fronts, what are some principles to use to decide what to do first and fastest?

Life and death: Some issues, especially in people-helping fields are life and death issues. If someone is suicidal, if a person has a terminal illness, if someone is gravely hurt in an accident, or if someone close to you has lost a loved one, you put those people at the top of the list. You may not have to be the one who attends to their needs, but you need to delegate a reliable person who can give them immediate help.

Family over friends: My kids, my mother, and my husband have more right to my time. My family’s “A” priority needs are more pressing to me because I have made a higher commitment to them. Take time with your family and define “A” priorities. I don’t stop my life to run a forgotten snack to the school, but I will drop off a term paper due that day. Their emotional crisis is my crisis, but their lack of responsibility isn’t my crisis.

Heaven or hell: The next set of issues is dealing with helping Christians over helping unbelievers. I always give those unbelievers with a spiritual interest, or those with whom I am developing a relationship, first dibs on my time. I might be the only good news they receive in their life. I need to stay credible with them, and their experience with Christians might have been flawed in the past, so I want to keep my word to them now.

Leader or follower: I choose giving the leader time over the follower. If I can help keep my leaders motivated and holy, they can follow up with the followers.