>the art of time mismanagement (or being a Pastor!)

>Procrastination: the art of delaying difficult or disagreeable tasks until they become more difficult or disagreeable because the available time has reduced. (See also entries under ‘Leaving it too late’ and ‘Apologising profusely’)*

It’s very tempting at this point to quip that I will come back to the blog later and leave it at that. It may have a limited about of comedic effect. I suspect though that the comedic effect will be small and the point I want to make will be missed.

This week I had set aside Wednesday to write my sermon for Sunday morning. Lots of different things gathered in my mind, my email inbox, my phone voicemail, my text messages and my desk that meant that I did not finish the sermon.

Never mind, I thought, I have some time tomorrow. Thursday morning came and I had a team meeting with my colleague Lynsey. We talked about a wide range of important issues and the meeting went on longer than I had expected.

Never mind, I thought, I have some time after lunch and after a meeting later that afternoon. Before I knew it, however, the time for the meeting came and I had not got back into the sermon.

Never mind, I thought, the meeting will only take an hour. There’s still some time later. The meeting went on much longer than anticipated and when I got home I had to cook tea.

Never mind, I thought (after tea), there’s some time before the prayer meeting this evening. Then the phone rang and an emergency took me out of the house and I got back in time to gather my thoughts and bits and pieces and head off to the prayer meeting.

Never mind, I thought, there’s tomorrow (ie today). This morning there have been different thoughts, phone calls, emails, and preparation for an interment at the Cemetery this afternoon.

Never mind, I thought, I will do it now (10.45) after making a cup of coffee. Now I have been blogging instead.

Never mind, after I have posted this I will go back to the sermon, after hermetically sealing myself off from all other distractions…

Sunday morning service comes. Sermon unfinished. Improvise badly. Realise I am naked in front of the congregation, not having had time to get dressed… **wakes up in cold sweat in study after dozing off and decides to get back to writing sermon as priority**

Procrashtination: the experience of having important things postponed because lots of other equally important things have crashed into your life in their place. Effects can include a desire to create an eighth day in the week and the temptation to take time from days off (see also ‘Baptist Ministry’ and ‘That’s life, deal with it!’)*

*entries taken from the limited Lear Dictionary of English