60 Minutes That Will Save You Hours
Are you tired of being surprised by your own calendar?
Most leaders are.
And most leaders do nothing about it.
This is for the ones who are ready to do something about it.
Before you do anything else, answer these three questions:
Where did you see God’s hand this week in something that didn’t go your way?
What are you carrying into the weekend that you actually need to put down?
What’s the one thing Monday needs from you — and only you?
Don’t scroll past them.
Sit with them for a minute.
You made it.
Five days. Hundreds of decisions. A hundred small fires. Maybe one big one.
And here you are — Friday, laptop still open, brain still running tabs on everything that didn’t get done.
Before you close it, give yourself sixty minutes. Not to keep working. To do the work that makes next week actually work.
Most leaders skip this. That’s why most leaders stay stuck.
The Plan Didn’t Survive the Week
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” — Proverbs 16:9
The Hebrew יַחְשֹׁב (yachshov) — to calculate, scheme, arrange. You did that this week. And then life happened.
A donor called upset. A staff member quit—a crisis hit at 4:45 pm.
That’s not failure. That’s the Lord directing your steps. The question isn’t ‘why did my plan fail?‘ The question is: what was God doing?
Now — because He is directing your steps — intentionally prepare the next ones.
Remember Monday is Coming
I’m not perfect. But my best weeks happen when I have prepared for them. The crazy may be the same, but I am grounded, and I have a head start each day.
That’s what this practice does.
Pull up your calendar. Look at every day. Every meeting. Every commitment. Study it — while you still have margin to think and pray instead of reacting.
For each day next week, send yourself a scheduled email or drop a calendar event as a promise to yourself. Include four things:
What needs to get done — the one or two things that day cannot end without.
What you need to remember — the context, the tension, the people, the politics.
A scripture or thought to protect your heart — not decoration. Armor.
One person to thank or connect with — someone who needs to hear from you, or someone you need to hear from
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Subject: Monday — Head Start
What needs to get done: Finalize the board report draft. Get it to Sarah by noon.
What to remember: Staff meeting at 2 pm — the tension between Marcus and the program team remains unresolved. Don’t let it get buried again. Address it, or it will address you.
Scripture to protect my heart: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” — Isaiah 40:29. I’m going to need this on Monday, so I’m claiming it now.
Person to connect with: Call Donor Dave before 10 am. He gave sacrificially last quarter and hasn’t heard from me since. That’s not okay.
One more thing — don’t overthink the email.
Put what comes to mind and move on.
Don’t agonize over it.
Get close to what you need.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be honest.
Rest Like You Mean It.
You are not behind. You are not failing. You are a leader doing hard work in a hard field — and God is directing your steps even when they don’t go where you planned.
Sixty minutes. Review the week. Prepare for the next one. Put the laptop down.
And here’s what I know to be true: when you sit down to encourage yourself for the week ahead, you have already started a conversation with God about what’s coming. You are inviting Him into your Monday before Monday arrives. There is no better way to lead effectively — and no better way to walk protected.
Rest this weekend like you actually believe that.
Dave Sena is the founder of BoldLeading.com — coaching and consulting for nonprofit leaders who are done guessing.