Week 6 (Tuesday)

I interviewed Pastor Mary Eileen Spence on Sunday, February 15

1. How do you set boundaries in your schedule so you are not totallycontrolled by others?
a. She sets boundaries every time she’s in the office; however, she sometimes breaks those boundaries. She has gotten better over the years concerning the boundaries she sets. Makes a set time (or tries to, doesn’t always work) for meetings on a weekly basis. Sets aside 3 days a week, for several hours to do administrative work. She sets aside time in the early morning hours for devotions and exercise time, because otherwise she might not ever get it in.

2. Two best pieces of advice for a new church staffer to efficiently get their work done in the time available.
a. Set times for answering telephone calls and coorespondence and doing mundane administrative work. Do them all at once if possible. Try to respond to someone the same day or at the very least the next day. Get the monkey off your back.
b. Close your door at work or your home office. Avoid the temptation to do home tasks when in your home office, at the office the door closed usually means no interruptions. However if someone does interrupt, be quick in assessing whether or not its something that needs to be attended to or to invite them to set an appointment.