Seven Tips for Managing Your Time and Avoiding Burnout

I was barely two years into pastoral ministry when it happened. I burnt out. It took almost a year to recover from the fatigue and depression. As I struggled forward, I decided that with God’s help, I would never let myself burn out again.

By God’s grace and with several time management strategies in place, I have been able to stay clear of another major burnout period for the past 23 years.

Here are seven tips for managing your time and avoiding burnout:

Develop a life purpose statement

Understanding your purpose in life helps you to do what is best and not to get distracted by the many good options in life (you can read about how to do this in my Three Steps to Understanding Your Life Purpose in a Deeper Way post). God does not want you to meet every need or seize every opportunity that crosses your path. In fact, Jesus Himself did not meet every need he encountered. He understood what the Father wanted him to do. A sense of our life’s purpose will help us to follow God’s agenda for our lives (which, by the way, does not include major burnout).

Manage your schedule according to your life purpose

Schedule in daily, weekly, monthly and annual reflection times where you think through your priorities and arrange your life accordingly in your calendar. A life purpose is only a life purpose when it guides our lives.

Spend time alone with God

I need to spend time alone with God each day. I need to spend extended times with God so that we can go deeper in our conversations. For example, I just spent a day of prayer and planning at a local retreat center. These times alone with God help me to recognize God’s voice in the busyness and chaos of everyday life.

Leave room in your schedule for important interruptions

Henri Nouwen said near the end of his life, “My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted until I discovered the interruptions were my work” (in The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan, p. 79). Having discretionary time will allow you to respond to the Holy Spirit as He prompts you to take specific actions in the moment.

Engage in activities that replenish you

In his children’s book, The King’s Stilts, Dr Seuss chronicles the life of an island king who would jump on his red stilts after a full day of royal duties. This activity gave him life, so that he could face his responsibilities with renewed vigour the next day. What are your “red stilts?” Jump on them regularly because they serve as rallying points for a carefree, energetic and fun life.

Multiply yourself into others

We obviously want to continue building our own capacity as leaders. Yet, one person can only do so much. As we multiply ourselves into others, we will extend our reach exponentially and live out our live purpose even more (without working ourselves to death).

Practice the rest of God

Mark Buchanan’s book, The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, is a must read for anyone who wants to pace themselves and avoid burnout. Mark advocates practicing a full day of rest each week where we stop doing what is necessary and do that which gives life. Practicing a day of rest helps us to rest in God throughout the rest of the week.

There are many other ways that we can manage our time and avoid burnout. What are some of the ways you have found helpful (you can join this conversation by posting a comment below)?