Key Six: Protect against burnout
The more you do in your community the more needs you will see and the more demands can be placed on your time. To make sure you don’t overstretch yourself and end up burnt-out, safeguards should be put in place for you and your team to ensure your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
You need to:
-
Build rest into your plans
- Find ways of relaxing and having fun away from work
- Make sure your team are well-trained, taking on their share of the work and are looked after (see Key 5)
- Stay focused on God (Key 1) and be obedient when he tells you to rest.
This will help you give the people you work with your very best (
Key 2)
and make sure you and your project are around for the long-haul (
Key 4).
See below for more.
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Learn more about the 10 Keys for impact
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11 v28-29
1. Take time out and guard that time by drawing clear lines of demarcation
as to what must be done and what, though important, will have to wait
2. Switch off your mobile phone and don't be tempted to respond to every call; sometimes you are allowed to be 'not available'
2. Don’t look at e-mails at the weekend or when on holiday
2. Remember that 'No' is a very positive word and that your heavenly father says, 'Be still and know that I am God' (Psalm 46v10).
Christine Murray, St Rollox
Get a life outside of work! Try a new hobby like tango dancing, gardening or attending vintage festivals.
Josephine Knowles, Beyond the Streets
The key things for me are being accountable to other church leaders,
trying to put quiet times with the Lord in my diary each day, delegating
work, not over-committing and learning how to say ‘no’.
Mark Russell, Greenbank Christian Centre
We review stress-generating functions in the Centre and axe those that
do not contribute significantly to the aims. We’d rather shut down
sessions or even the whole centre than demand too much from our teams.
Piers Young, Coventry Jesus Centre
To be effective for the long haul we must have a working framework for
each day, with a start and an end point, plus proper breaks.
Richard Davies MBE, OWN IT
What's kept me going for 10 years is a weekly street dance class and
having people around me that can tell me to slow down when needed.
Rowena Crisp, Alongside You
‘Turning the Key’ – Additional Tips:
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Keep time with God as a priority
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Have a Spiritual Director/Mentor who you see regularly
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Train up a good team and delegate to them
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Make sure everyone takes their annual leave
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Monitor sick leave – it can be an indicator of stress
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Make sure staff don’t feel guilty for not coming in when they’re ill
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Mark time off in your diary and stick to it
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Try to allow flexible working hours where possible
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Encourage everyone not to have appointments first thing on a Monday.
This means they are less likely to spend Sunday night thinking about
work.
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Take a walk in a park during your lunch break
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If people work extra hours, make sure lieu time is taken
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Remember that saying ‘no’ to additional work demands, allows you to
say ‘yes’ to your family and to your physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual health
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Create laughter!
Further resources