Time Management

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Tips for a Productive Day at Seminary

Of all the subject areas we address here at SSG, one I’m really passionate about is time management. Here’s a baker’s dozen of my favorite tips for daily productivity.

Get up early. Sleeping in is fun, but should be an occasional treat.  Jesus’ example of early [...]

Popularity: 83% [?]

January 10th, 2009 | Mark | 4 comments | Continued
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Your Seminary Isn’t Responsible For Your Education

Your seminary isn’t responsible for your education.  You are.
In the past week, I’ve had the chance to visit with a few current and just-graduated seminarians, and some of their observations have been strikingly similar:

The seminary environment is too academic.
The assigned readings are too long, and not really related to the subject matter.
If I do [...]

Popularity: 93% [?]

October 27th, 2008 | Mark | 6 comments | Continued
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Seminary Syllabus Strategy #4: A Study Plan for Each Major Exam

Similar to creating a writing plan for papers, you should block out dedicated study time for major exams. If you do this now, at the beginning of the semester (and stick to your schedule), then you won’t be pinched to find time to study.
It’s pretty simple:

Reserve study blocks beginning about a week before the [...]

Popularity: 34% [?]

August 28th, 2008 | Mark | 1 comment | Continued
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Seminary Syllabus Strategy #3: A Writing Plan for Every Major Paper

Seminary will give you plenty of practice writing papers. By the time I graduated with my M.Div, I could easily write ten pages about nothing. (Some would allege that my sermons are exactly that…but I digress.)
Writing papers on the scale that seminary requires can be daunting if you haven’t done it before. [...]

Popularity: 30% [?]

August 27th, 2008 | Mark | 3 comments | Continued
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Seminary Syllabus Strategy #2: Start Reading Now

Seminary involves a LOT of reading. At the beginning of the semester, you typically have more open time. Seize it! Use it to read ahead now, and then when the first wave of papers is due, you won’t be so rushed.
There may be some classes you can read ahead in more easily.
Look [...]

Popularity: 27% [?]

August 26th, 2008 | Mark | 2 comments | Continued
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Seminary Syllabus Strategy #1: Get It In Your Calendar

The first week of seminary is over, and looming ahead are due dates for reading, papers and tests. You know this because you should have a syllabus for each class, which contains all the assignments you’ll need to complete this semester and their due dates.
This is awesome. It’s a time management bonanza. [...]

Popularity: 29% [?]

August 25th, 2008 | Mark | 2 comments | Continued
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You’re a Victim of Triage (and upcoming posts!)

Regular readers of Seminary Survival Guide have noticed that my posting has been slow of late. My explanation is that I’ve been practicing what I preach.
One key concept I believe it’s critical for Christian leaders to master is triage: knowing how to sort through a welter of urgent demands and determine what is truly important.
Triage [...]

Popularity: 17% [?]

August 5th, 2008 | Mark | 1 comment | Continued
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Seminary Time Waster #6: Saying “Yes” to Every Request

Seminary students who can’t say no give permission to others to waste their time.
We’re nice people. We like to say yes. Jesus knew this. He advised us, “Ask and it shall be given to you.” (This verse is not primarily about prayer; it is about human interaction.) He knew that [...]

Popularity: 19% [?]

May 12th, 2008 | Mark | 3 comments | Continued
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Seminary Time Waster #5: Disorganization

A common frustration about seminary is all the balls you have to keep in the air at once. Seminary coursework alone can have you managing several multi-step projects with their own timelines and deadlines. Add to that your job, family commitments, and whatever ministry you’re serving in. It’s a lot to keep [...]

Popularity: 27% [?]

April 14th, 2008 | Mark | 4 comments | Continued
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Bash Your Television into a Million Pieces (Seminary Time Waster #4)

The average American watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television every day. (Center for Screen-Time Awareness, 2007 Fact Sheet)
Annually, that’s 1,673 hours. Can you believe it? Almost 10 weeks a year, just watching TV. It is a waste of your life!
We understand the need for a little entertainment or down-time, but TV is a time [...]

Popularity: 17% [?]

March 31st, 2008 | Mark | 2 comments | Continued
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