Pacing Yourself: How to Avoid Burnout During the Busy Season

Feeling overwhelmed by the Christmas ministry marathon? Discover how to pace yourself and avoid burnout during the busiest time of the year with insights from Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing. This episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast is all about striking a balance between the demands of the season and the necessity of self-care, inspired by the example set by Jesus himself. Todd shares practical strategies to help you prioritize, delegate, and take those all-important moments of rest, ensuring you're not running on empty when your congregation needs you most.

Say goodbye to the notion that you have to do it all alone. Todd emphasizes the importance of leaning on your team and volunteers, while also giving yourself permission to say no to non-essential tasks. By implementing these strategies, you'll not only survive but thrive during the Christmas rush. Plus, Todd invites you to share your own burnout-busting techniques, fostering a community of support among church staff members. With Chemistry Staffing by your side, you're not just managing the season—you're mastering it. Join us as we navigate this joyful yet demanding period, ensuring you have the energy and enthusiasm to lead your church with grace.

Have questions or comments? Send to podcast@chemistrystaffing.com

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Is Your Church Hiring?
If your church is searching for a new staff member, reach out to Todd for a conversation on how he might be able to help.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. I'm Todd Rhodes, your host and one of the co-founders of chemistrystaffingcom, and I'm so glad that you took just a few minutes out of your busy day to join me on today's podcast. We're continuing our series. We just started it yesterday, navigating this Christmas ministry marathon that we are just about to enter into, and today's topic is how to pace yourself, how to avoid burnout during the busy season. So let's start with the obvious today. Okay, christmas is a huge deal. We talked about that yesterday. It's like the Super Bowl for churches. Christmas is a huge deal. We talked about that yesterday. It's like the Super Bowl for churches. We've got the extra services and the special events and the rehearsals and the planning meetings. Oh, my goodness, I'm getting tired Just talking about it.

Speaker 1: 0:53

And oh yeah, your regular responsibilities Haven't gone anywhere either. I mean, it's a lot and it's easy to feel like You've got to push through and do everything yourself, but here's the truth you can't pour from an empty cup. If you're running on fumes, you're not going to be able to give it your best, and that's not fair to you, your team or to your church One of the best things that I've learned that you can do is to pace yourself. Think of it like running a marathon If you sprint the first few miles, you're going to be out of gas by the time you hit the halfway point. But if you find sustainable paces, you can keep going without being burned out. And Jesus modeled this himself at his own ministry, modeled this balance. Even in the busiest times of his ministry he found time to withdraw and to pray and to rest, and one of those times is alluded to in Mark 6, 31. Jesus says to his disciples come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. So it's not just a suggestion, it's an invitation from Jesus himself to prioritize rest and renewal, even or maybe even especially when things are just incredibly busy. So here's your bottom line for today.

Speaker 1: 2:16

As you head into this next, extremely, probably the busiest time you're going to be all year, pace yourself, look at your to-do list and ask yourself what do I have to do? Are there things here that I can delegate? You don't have to do it all on your own Trust. Your team. Lean on your volunteers. Be grateful to them as well. We talked about that a couple weeks ago in our Gratefulness and Gratitude series.

Speaker 1: 2:41

But remember it's okay to say no to things that aren't absolutely necessary right now. You can't burn yourself out. You have to take care of yourself. Don't forget to take care of yourself. Schedule a few short breaks throughout your day. It might be as simple as stepping outside for a quick walk or grabbing a coffee, even sitting quietly for a few minutes. Those little moments can make a big difference.

Speaker 1: 3:07

I'd love to hear your strategies. How are you pacing yourself for these next few weeks? If you found a strategy that helps you avoid burnout, helps keep you sane during this time, send me an email. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Your tips and tricks might just help somebody else who's feeling the crunch this Christian this Christmas season. All right, thanks for spending a few moments today with me. I know this season is hectic. Remember, you're not alone in this. Pace yourself, take a deep breath. Don't be afraid to ask for some help. Don't be afraid to say no, you've got this and we are here at Chemistry Staffing. I am here cheering you on. All right, I appreciate you. I hope you have a great week and I hope to see you back here tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.