Today’s post is an extension of yesterday’s on the topic of life planning. A big part of life planning is developing a rhythm of work and rest. Whether you’re a follower of Jesus or not, the importance of developing that work–rest or work–Sabbath rhythm can’t be overstated. We all know folks who think that the most productive people are those who work seven days a week and push through for fifteen hours a day. Certainly that approach will accumulate a great many hours in a much shorter time than if we work six days a week or even five, and work only eight to ten hours a day.
The question is: To what end? In other words if you work 105 hours each week and I work only 40-50 will you be more than twice as effective as meet, twice as successful, twice as happy? No one can answer that question definitively, but this much we can say: Working 105 hour weeks for weeks on end will almost surely create a level of stress in your body and your soul that even if sustainable will short-circuit your long-term health and perhaps longevity.
I am in the midst of a two-week span where I will be working many more hours than normal, probably 85-90 hours each week. I am doing that intentionally, because our church is preparing for a major initiative to press forward with a building construction process. While I typically limit the number of meetings beyond the daily staff and planning meetings to two or three each week, during these two weeks I’m leading additional meetings four or five evenings during each of these two weeks, one on Sunday and several one-on-one meetings as well. As I said I’m doing this intentionally. When I did my annual planning, I scheduled a week of vacation following these two weeks, because I knew I would need some rest, some Sabbath to be renewed and refreshed after this time.
You may be thinking: That’s great for you, but I can’t schedule vacation any time I want to schedule it. My company tells me when to take time off. Fair enough. When that’s the case, you can still schedule your work rhythm to include some extra time of rest after a push time by taking a Saturday as a true Sabbath rather than as a day to check items off of your home improvement schedule. When I came back from Cambodia a couple of weeks ago, I had a project waiting for me in my basement. I am finishing my home office, and my list included painting the walls, installing the door, grouting the ceramic tile I installed before I left for the trip, putting on the floor trim and crown moulding, and then moving my furniture into the room. In my mind, I would get all of that done the weekend after I returned.
What has actually happened is I have painted the walls with primer. I’m behind on the project, but I have needed to get other things accomplished, and I have needed to rest. One of the hardest things for me to do in life planning is to get enough sleep, and to take intentional time for Sabbath for rest, renewal and reflection on a weekly basis. That has been made doubly challenging by the schedule I’m maintaining these two weeks and that my sleep rhythm hasn’t yet returned to normal after returning from Cambodia. I’m still waking up daily at about 3:00am, which makes getting enough rest impossible.
I’m not complaining, simply stating the reality of my life. Your reality is different, but undoubtedly you have times when life is crazy and your sleep is disrupted. What do we do then? The key is to be intentional. Today is my Sabbath. I happen to have both a wedding and a wedding rehearsal this afternoon, which means my Sabbath is going to be interrupted. I have determined to take a little extra time tomorrow to rest and be refreshed. Sabbath means more than just resting. Sabbath is a time to focus on God (for those of us who believe in Him) and His glory and presence in our lives. It’s a time to be renewed and refreshed in bodies, souls and spirits. I will invest some time in reading the Bible as well as a leadership book I’m most of the way through: The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni. I’ll invest some time with Nancy. We’ll catch up with each other. Depending on the whether we may pull some weeds in the flower garden, which is a mindless activity that lets me use my hands, since I work with my mind and heart all week. It also allows us to talk about our lives and what is important in them right now.
The concept of Sabbath has nearly been lost in our culture, but if you are going to be a great leader over the long haul, you must invest time in your life plan to rest, reflect and be renewed. That time is like the lumberjack taking time to sharpen his ax, so it will be ready for the next tree he has to fall. When I was a young man, my Mom used to tell me, “You can’t burn the candle at both ends.” I would respond, “It depends on how long the candle is.” A couple of decades ago, I heard Rick Warren say, “The one who burns the candle at both ends isn’t as bright as he thinks he is.” Amen. That’s a difficult lesson to learn, but a lesson that will enhance our success and our significance over the long haul.
Here’s to leading better, by taking time to plan and live out Sabbath in our lives–today!
[Have a blessed weekend! Be with you on Monday.]