Hey Friend -

Most of us plan our day by the clock, but what if we started planning by energy instead?

In the last email, I shared about understanding our energies and how they get filled or drained.

Today, I want to build on it and talk about how we can use the 3D framework to take advantage of the best times of the day to do specific ministry tasks. I believe doing the right thing at the wrong time can negate our best work.

When I'm funky in my ministry productivity, energy is the first place I look. We aren't 100% ready to go 100% of the time. We have high times and low times of energy.

Let’s call it the energy curve.

Grab a piece of paper and keep track of a few things over the next week.

When are you the most alert and excited? When are you indifferent or bored? When are you foggy?

Track it for a week. Note when you are experiencing these feelings. Are they happening at the same time of day?

That’s the beginning of understanding the energy curve.

We can also go a step beyond the day. We have certain days of the week with different feelings. I’ve learned that any sort of major, creative work needs to get done at the front end of the week. It doesn’t happen well on Thursday. That is a major shift for me. I used to write sermons on Thursdays. Not anymore. When I'm preaching or doing big creative work, I do it on Mondays and Tuesdays.

So let’s apply that energy curve to your ministry week.

Schedule sermon work and other deep work tasks at the best times of the day for your energy (Carey Nieuwhof calls this the green zone). If you read the last email and made your 3D lists, this is also prime-time for some of those developing tasks.

For me, afternoons are always a wash. I try to schedule for the tasks I am indifferent about, or need some attention, but not too much thought. In the 3D framework, this is when I like to work on "dealing tasks". I also schedule certain types of meetings at this time.

So when are you at your worst?

Foggy, too tired to concentrate, that sort of feeling? This time matters. Lately, this is when I schedule a bit of reading time, or a phone conversation I know won’t be too intense. As far as the week is concerned, almost all day on Thursday, I am in this space. So I make sure I’ve got stuff waiting on me at that won’t be critical for me to be at my best.

Energy curves are a secret tool that many folks don’t understand how to leverage.

It's not just about protecting your good energy. It's also about knowing what you can expect from yourself throughout the day.

Healthy ministry through strategic productivity isn’t about more hours in the day - its about developing better timing and expectations of ourselves.

So let me ask you this question. What’s one high-value task you can protect during your best time of the day?

I’ll be back in the next email to share why I am a big fan of certain assessments to understand my approach to awareness and the work of ministry.

Chad

PS - I'm doing a flash sale on my course Becoming Productive this weekend. It's 30% off it's normal price, just for email subscribers. You can get it at the discounted price here.