Why a blog on pastoral productivity?

Today I'm beginning a blog which will focus on practical steps for being a more productive pastor.

Why this blog? 
Firstly we must understand that God would have us be productive.  Again and again the Scriptures tell us to make the most of the time that we are given on earth.  This can be in the form of a direct command: 'Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil' (Ephesians 5:15-16).  Or in parables, such as the parable of the talents (Matthew 25).  Also, it is good to note that if we are to be like our heavenly Father, then planning and productivity are Godly characteristics that we should be eager to imitate.  And ministers should be particularly mindful of being productive as we are supposed to be good examples to others of how God would have Christians live.

Secondly, I want to write this blog because I think it may be particularly helpful considering the type of work ministers are called to do. Ministers are expected to accomplish a great many things each week, write sermons, prepare Bible studies, read books, meet with people, write articles and letters, and conduct a large amount of administration work.  This can all be rather daunting and stressful, unless you have a strong system to help handle the many tasks.  I know this stress from experience.  Nine months into my first year as a minister I began to become more and more stressed.  Particularly as each Sunday began to approach I became anxious that I'd forgotten to do something important.  But thankfully before it got any worse, I stumbled across a system of productivity that I've been using and tweaking ever since.  Now as Sundays approach I have peace of mind that things have been taken care of - Saturday afternoons and evenings have become my most peaceful times of the week. 

So through this blog I hope to help pastors do two things - be productive as God intended and be productive with as little stress as possible.

How long will this blog go for?
Initially I'll post an article every other week.  Each article may range from major structural systems down to little ways that I speed up the variety of tasks I do each week.  But I do anticipate that the blog will run indefinitely, as I am still finding new ways of being more productive and expect to continue to do so.