The Best Minute: Setting an end time, leadership, and courage.

1 IDEA FROM ME

If you have a somewhat large project or task you do on a consistent basis, give yourself time restraints on when you allow yourself to work on it and when it has to be done by.

For example, as a pastor, I write a sermon almost every week. Instead of “working on it until it’s finished” (whatever that means), I have set times in my calendar when I am working on my sermon. When my allotted time is up, I’m “done.”

But here’s the thing, since I know I am giving myself a certain amount of time, I stay focused during my sermon writing time and do nothing that would distract me (no checking email, social media, etc.). The end result? I typically finish before my allotted time because I stayed on task knowing a pre-determined end time is coming.

So if you are working on something that is never really “done,” decide when you are going to be done ahead of time. When you do so, you are a lot more likely to actually be done in a reasonable amount of time.

2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS

I. Andy Stanley on good leadership:

“Don’t strive to be a well-rounded leader. Instead, discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else. Admitting a weakness is a sign of strength. Acknowledging weakness doesn’t make a leader less effective.

Everybody in your organization benefits when you delegate responsibilities that fall outside your core competency. Thoughtful delegation will allow someone else in your organization to shine. Your weakness is someone’s opportunity.

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II. Annie F. Downs on courage:

“I don’t know how old you are. But I know the lie you hear. You are too young. You are too old. You don’t know enough, or you know too much. The truth is that courage doesn’t have an expiration date. Courage doesn’t have a marker that says, “You must be taller than THIS to ride this ride.”

1 INTERESTING FACT

The world's first roller coaster opened on June 13, 1884 in Coney Island, New York. Passengers seated sideways rode a train on tracks over a wooden structure 600 feet long.

The train started at a height of 50 feet on one end and ran downhill by gravity until its momentum died. Passengers left the train and attendants pushed the cars over a switch to a higher level. The passengers then returned to their seats and rode back to the original starting point.

Source: Westland