Options to Fix the Overcommit

Overcommit gone wrong! 

"Danger Will Robinson! Danger!"

It happens!  And it stinks for everyone when it does.  When your feeling overwhelmed with a long to do list and time running out, it actually drags you down.  Unless you are one of those crazy people that thrive on the pressure.  I like the pressure, however after a while there is nothing left of me, but a worn out a team, a family that misses me and a bunch of mediocre results, the pressure isn’t worth it.

One of the first things I do when I meet with a women’s ministry leader is find out how many pans are in the fire.   Are they spread too thin in the church?  If so, what are they willing to give up?   We identify what to let go and what to keep, then we can triage the rest.  

What are some options that doesn’t entail moving away and never answering your phone again?

1 - Revoke your promise.  Be upfront and truthful about the situation with the people involved, they will probably understand more than you think.  Who hasn’t been in over their head?  They may even want to help if they can. Your credibility will take a huge hit especially if this isn’t the first time you have had to back out of promises.  Repent and ask God to help you not to do that again.  Learn from this and move on.  I have a couple of post that could help you with the right way to overcommit and when overcommit works.  Check them out.

2 - Delegate or outsource.  Work your strengths and recruit your weaknesses.  If you have to, get a caterer that fits the budget.  Get a clean up crew, a set up crew even event hostesses can help you be in two places at once.  You don’t have to do everything.  The best bet here is to do this as soon as you can.  Don’t wait till the last minute.

3 - Ask for help.  There might be a whole group of women waiting on you to ask for help.  Believe it or not, some won’t help unless you ask.  Yep, they won’t even offer. They have been waiting to be asked.  They don’t want to step on any toes.  It’s cool, don’t sweat it, just ask them. 

4 - Postpone to later.  When being asked to do something you can always reply “I can help with this later...”  People respect the honesty.  See if you can move the dates back, to get you some extra time, resources and people.  

5 - Transfer responsibility only if it is win-win.  This doesn’t mean pass the buck nor the blame.  It means someone else in charge might be the very thing to get through this.  Don’t let pride hold back the vision or the passion of the ministry.  Sometimes we just need some time away.  










Got any more suggestions?