Is time away, really time away?

This week, I had the privilege of spending time away at a lake in Oklahoma with my boys and bride. We had a great time and I'm glad we were able (through the generosity of the dwelling's owner) to have a great place to unwind.

Did I unwind? My first concern was that I would be distracted by the responsibilities (and blessings) I have this weekend. However, with exception of some time spent yesterday preparing, that hasn't been a big deal. No, the larger consumption of my conscious thought was from a project that had to be finalized this week thanks to a material discount that we were able to use only by the end of the month. I had hoped it could wait until next week, but emails, project cost calculations, and approvals all had to be accomplished.

I'm NOT complaining. However, I am realizing that time away requires planning, too.
  • Identify what requires completion and what can wait.
  • Delegate (with authority) all that is appropriate to do so.
  • Document, document, document - all that's required to set folks up for success in my absence.
  • Over the long term, develop more project managers to lead through key deliverables required in the operations of the church.

I'm looking forward to getting back (we're driving today).

How do you prepare for time away?

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