I am a liar. I bet you are, too. I’m not saying you lie to other people. As ministry leaders, we probably avoid that. However, we have no problem lying to ourselves. Here are 4 lies you and I tell ourselves on a regular basis:
- I’ll get it done tomorrow.
Yeah right. When I tell myself that, it usually means that I don’t find it that important. If it’s not that important, why is it on my task list? If I don’t think it’s important, it’s time to take that task off the to-do list.
The other reality is that tomorrow brings a whole other set of tasks that need to be done. If I felt that I could put it off a day, that means I am likely to put it off another day, then another day, then another day.
It’s in these cases that I tell myself to get it done or take it off my list forever.
- I can get it done better and faster than others.
As I get older (and hopefully wiser), I really am discovering I’m not as good as I think I am. There are things that I love to do that are in my strength zone. I may excel at those items. There are also things I do that I don’t love to do and fall in my weak zone. There are actually more of these items in my life than the things I love to do.
Yet, I find my ego does not allow me to pass these items on to others, even if I know they are more competent than I. Why? Because I think I am better than I am!
When I do finally let go of tasks and give them to others, I find that it does not take them long to do these tasks much better than I. I may have to give them a little training at first, but it’s worth it in the end if I never have to do that task again.
As we become more successful as ministry leaders, we do have to let tasks go. When I do, my ministry becomes much more focused and productive.
- I can multi-task really well.
I can’t. I bet you can’t either. I’m sure some of you are ready to argue with me. I need focus. Focus allows me to do my best work. If I am constantly jumping from one task to another back to the first task, the end product is never as good as it seems.
- If I get the quick tasks done first, I can focus the rest of the day on the big stuff.
Many people are most motivated when they first get to the office. As the day wears on, we lose energy and motivation. If you are like me, I love checking things off a task list. In my mind, it is very rewarding to start the day with the simple and quick tasks so that I can check a few things off the list.
The problem is, when I check five items off my to-do list in the first hour, I start to feel productive. I then feel I can slack off and let myself get distracted by Facebook, Twitter, CNN.com, or some other website that sucks me in.
Before I know it, it’s lunchtime and, although I’ve gotten some low priority items out of the way, I still have some major work to do. I then head into the afternoon less motivated and a little stressed. My productivity plummets and I don’t do my best work.
Although I’m still tempted to get the small stuff done first, I have to discipline myself to work on the most important tasks first.
Question: Which lie do you tell yourself the most?
