You?re probably a jack-of-all-trades to some extent. Everyone has his or her actual job description, but how often do you actually stick to that? Or even if you do stick to your job description, have your responsibilities expanded to the point that you simply cannot do everything on your plate?
What happens when you have so much to do, you simply can?t? And then you drop the ball?
I know there are a lot of you who feel that way. The church tech industry isn?t always the healthiest of work environments. You feel like you don?t have enough space on your plate to put everything or your ?food? is getting all mixed together and you wish you could separate things. Regardless, there will always be more than you can handle.
So, how do you deal with those times when you just can?t keep your head above water? Here are a few things I?m doing to help myself improve how I handle these situations:
Whose Fault is It?
First, ask yourself, is this my fault? Did you overcommit or over promise? Did you underestimate the time needed to get something done or under deliver? If you can?t make it happen in the timeframe requested, you probably should have better evaluated the scope of the project before agreeing to it. If, after you?ve done that, you still can?t make it happen, the best response may be ?no? and follow up with reasons why you can?t complete it in the desired time frame. This is difficult when it?s part of your job description, but it can be done. If you?ve already failed, then it?s your responsibility to make it right in any way you can.
Help!
Secondly, don?t be afraid to ask for help or backup from your team. They already have the skills to help you. Sometimes, we feel like we need to do things ourselves when we simply don?t need to. Sometimes, it?s a pride issue, a feeling of ownership that becomes unhealthy, or maybe determination that has become unhealthy. But, we all need help sometimes and if there?s someone who can help you, it might be time to humble yourself and ask.[quote]Don?t be afraid to ask for help or backup from your team.[/quote]
I also recently heard someone talking about how you have something to learn from each and every person you come in contact with. By asking someone else for help, you humble yourself and open up to learn and grow by interacting with someone else.
Re-Organize
Lastly, if the things pile on faster than you can handle, and no one else but you can do that work, then you will need to work strategically to set yourself up to take that work load. Maybe consider praying for guidance and that God would lead you to someone who you can disciple and help grow into a high level contributing member of your team and ministry. I can?t stress this enough.
Years ago, I felt a calling from the Lord on my heart to be in technical ministries. I had no idea how to bridge the gap from where I was to where I wanted to be. I wasn?t even sure what skills I needed to be successful, but I made myself available and reached out when any opportunities presented themselves. God eventually opened a door that took me further then I expected in a short amount of time. It?s definitely not because I was great, experienced, or even close to qualified. It was because there were key people God ordained to enter my life at the right time that would change the course of my life for His purposes and calling. Since that happened to me, I personally feel determined to make myself open and available in the same way. You can?t do it on your own; you have the opportunity to set yourself up for success. But more importantly, you get the privilege to set someone else up for success in life and ministry as well. It helps you take your personal work agenda and combine it with a kingdom-based agenda.
It may be difficult to handle everything on your plate. It isn?t an easy problem to work through. Just make sure that at the end of the day, you?re still doing your best to follow and execute the call of God on your life in the best way that you can.
