(pic:  Some rights reserved by ADHD CENTER)

If you are anything like me, I perform my best when I am doing a ton of different projects at a time.  Any given time, I will typically have 6-12 windows open on my computer.  

I have self diagnosed myself as having ADHD.

I don’t know if this ADHD thing  is a byproduct from hanging out with a teenage generation who is constantly distracted or a chemical imbalance in my brain?  But serving in the trenches of youth ministry, I have somehow adapted and become a very distracted 30 year old.

The issue is that we (youth pastors) are subjects to multiple streams of digital information that is always demanding attention and time.   The constant overflow of information is overwhelming which causes us youth workers not to focus.   21^st century media theorist, Katherine Hayles (Duke professor), is noticing a cultural shift  from deep focus (spend a lot of time on a few things) towards hyper attention (spend shorter time on a lot of things).  The ditigal age moves fast and if you cannot keep up you will be in trouble.

Thus, in the digital age, those who can effectively manage multiple information streams will win.  Those that can masterly and rapidly switch focus between different tasks will become the Rulers of the digital age.

Why?  Because these hyper attention peeps are not only quickly processing information but are able to quickly retain and store it and move on.  And I believe that youth workers will need to lead the way by teaching other adults how to function in the distracted digital age.

-  create high stimuli and aesthetic work environments.  my point:  change the stimulation when changing tasks.  your work space needs to consider your sensory or else you are going to become bored and unproductive.  what you listen to, see and feel in your work space will help or hinder your hyper attention.   for me  i use noise canceling headphones when I need to focus.  when i need to be creative i put myself in a space that has motion and music the moves me to create.

-  use energy stimulants to help focus.  i have no problems using (legal) stimulants to increase mental productivity.  i.e. coffee, energy drinks (with no sugar), green tea, Vitamin B, BSN N.O. Xplode 2.0, Ginseng root, Diet Coke and Basil and Peppermint Oil

-  schedule times in the day and in the week where you are offline.  i try my best to go offline for a few hours after lunch and on Sundays.

-  utilize online storage to manage the high streams of content and info.  the goal is find great info/media and store it so you can not only go back to it but use it later.  I.E Sugarsync, Mypcbackup,  ADrive, Just Cloud, iCloud, MobileMe, dropbox and Evernote

-  carry around a little notebook and write stuff down.  it is all about documenting your thoughts.  when your brain and computer screens are randomly firing ideas, you need a place to capture the thought.  carry a notebook, notecard and/or post-it-notes with you at all times.

-  get a tablet/ipad.  i fought the temptation of getting a mobile tablet for a long time but holy smokes….. it wonderfully captures and stores every ounce of info/medium/thought that i come across.  in fact, i have integrated my entire pastor’s library all on my tablet.  i can do exegesis, look at previous book notes, watch a movie, read or pull a youth group talk in a matter of seconds.

-  use reminders. use calendars alerts, people, alarms and post-it-notes that let you know you need to get a single task done immediately.

-  locate your sweet spots in the day.  find the times in the day where you are most alert, focused and cleared minded.  for me it is the morning.  for some of my friends it is the late night hours.  find those times and get stuff done—fast.

___________________________

Do you agree with Katherine Hayles that culture is moving from focus to hyper attention?  Why or why not.  Give examples.

Do you think the majority of youth workers struggle with ADHD? Or am I just generalizing too much?

What are some ways that youth workers can focus while keeping true to their ADHD tendencies?

 (pic brought to you by:   All rights reserved by BlueisCoool)

Via the Slant33.com blog Brian Berry, Michelle Lang and I all were asked to answer this question:  How do you find safe friendships at church when you live in a fishbowl?  

This question is something that totally hit home for me because I had to work really hard to find friends outside of my church while serving as youth pastor in a church.  I found that the friendships that last are the ones that you intentionally cultivate outside of the church.  So make sure to read Brian’s and Michelle’s response here and you can see my answer below:

___________________________

Healthy and vulnerable friendships for youth pastors are so essential. I spend a lot of my days talking and connecting with youth pastors around the country, and there is one common theme youth workers struggle with: They are extremely lonely. We don’t have a lot of friends. All youth workers dream about having a small group of trusted friends who love and care for them for who they are and not what they do for the church.

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle makes it clear that the number of people with whom one can sustain the kind of relationship he calls a perfect friendship is quite small. The role of youth pastor is relationally driven, which means the capacity to maintain a large group of friends is not sustainable. There is no need to have a large pool of surface-level friendships but rather having two to three really great friends outside the church. So the question remains: Should youth pastors find friends inside or outside the church?

I strongly argue that the best solution to finding safe friendships is simply outsourcing your friendships outside the church. First, youth workers need more community outside their church communities. Getting sucked into the church fishbowl is dangerous because your life, perspective, and experience are only rooted in your church community. You won’t be able to see life outside your church community lens. It is important to have non-church friends to help you objectively think and process about your life, marriage, and ministry.

Second, youth workers need outlets that force them to get out of the fishbowl. You need legitimate reasons to jump out. If church life is the only thing you have going, it will literally suck the life out of you. Find ways to enjoy life outside your church life.

Third, friends at church can only see you as a church employee. You need friends who see you as you. Ministry is your job, so don’t feel obligated to have best friends at your church. You cannot get on a vulnerable level with friends inside the church without changing their perspective of who you are as a leader in the church.

Fourth, having friends at church is too risky. You need safe and trusted relationships were you can freely vent without having to filter your thoughts and words. It is problematic when you are worrying if your venting sessions will backfire. Church people love to gossip about other church people, especially if it is about the church leadership.

Youth pastors have to figure out how to build relationships where you can be honest. My only solution is to jump out of the fishbowl and start intentionally carving time to cultivate friendships outside the church. Here are two ways to cultivate safe, fun, and trusted friendships outside the church:

Be committed to developing long-term friendship. In order to build great relationships, you have to value friendships. The best friends for youth pastors are other youth pastors. Youth pastors share interests and passions with other youth pastors. Join a local youth pastor network so you can befriend other like-minded youth pastors with whom you can talk life, marriage, and ministry.

Find hobbies outside the church. In other words, get a life. I was just recently at the National Youth Workers Convention in San Diego, and I stopped the youth ministry guru/veteran Les Christie to ask: “What has kept you sane in your youth ministry tenure?” Without any hesitation, he passionately said, “I found hobbies outside the church. I found other things to do than just youth ministry.” I smiled and gave him a hug and said, “I completely agree.” The hobbies I have pursued outside of church have kept me sane and given me other friends.

So how can one guarantee safe and life-giving friendships? Shatter the fishbowl, be committed to cultivating friends outside the church, and find hobbies that pull you away from church work.

__________________

Questions for youth workers:

-  Do you feel like you don’t have a lot of safe friends?

-  Do you agree or disagree you cannot have safe friends inside the church? Why or why not.

-  How do you find friends?

My Full Disclaimer: This is a guilty pleasure post and coincides with the post: Youth Pastor Physical Care.  If you are not interested in fitness or exercise I would recommend not reading this post. Also, I am not a medical doctor so if these suggested workouts don’t work; please don’t blame and/or sue me (P90x and Insanity workouts will give you your $ back if they don’t produce results).  I am only sharing what worked for me.  Please consult your doctor before doing any physical activity.

______________________________

I love talking about why youth pastors need to consider working out.  I started working out and recording my workouts at the age of 12, my dad was a bodybuilder, and I underwent ACE (American Council of Exercise) certification back in 2001.  I love youth ministry and working out.  So I am always struggling how to integrate exercise in my youth ministry lifestyle.

Why Youth Pastors Need To Exercise:

-  ministry is spiritually and emotionally draining and working out helps the body recharge and clears the mind.  working out got me through a lot of stressful and dark youth ministry days

-  youth ministry is not necessary physically exhausting, so it may be wise to consider being more physically active

-  many of the older-veteran ministry guys/gals are having health problems because of the intense ministry lifestyle

-  most youth pastors are competitive and exercising helps alleviate the competitive spirt

-  God said to take care of our bodies (1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19–20)

-  youth pastors have to stay fit for their “hot” husband/wife

-  some youth workers want to look young because their metabolism is slowing down and the stress is effecting their hair color

Youth Pastor Lifestyle

Two words that describe the youth pastor lifestyle:  busy and broke.  Over the years, I experimented with many workout routines that are: (1) highly conducive to crazy youth ministry schedules (2) cheap (3) simple and (4) produce fast results. So it is my goal to share with all of my youth ministry friends particular workout guidelines and routines I have found to work.

WorkOut Guidelines To Follow:

-  have the freedom to workout on your own time ( i prefer mornings)

-  workout at home or outside

-  make working out a priority.  don’t ditch working out because life and ministry are “busy”

-  get on a program so you are able to track reps and progression

-  have a clear start and finish date

-  be realistic by starting small

-  clarify your fitness goals.  i.e. lose weight, improve cardio, build muscle, get in shape, run in a marathon

-  listen to music when getting your sweat on

-  record all workout routines that includes # of sets and reps, date, and body weight in a notebook.  it helps to see the workout results, which motivates excerise completion.

-  identify a reward if you finish the workout program.  incentives greatly help!  if you complete the program what will you reward yourself?

-  find a friend to workout with you

Best Workouts For Busy and Broke Youth Pastors:

Running- One of the most easiest thing to do is slip on a pair of shoes and go for a run.  The thing about running is that you need to find a running program and goal that works.  You need to be training for something like a marathon, 5k, or 10k so there is a clear finish date.  Workout for runners:  Beginner Training Plan- 6 Weeks to a 5K,  running workouts, race training workouts, and running tips.  I would also highly recommend to visit www.runrevrun.net which is a website for pastors and friends to share stories about trying to keep — or get — fit.

No Weights, No Problem Workout- This is a circuit workout that totally utilizes the entire body and it’s weight.  The workout consists of 8 exercises with 2 sets each.  Please visit the Men’s Health website (click here) to view the exact workout routine.

Insanity Workout- Insanity is a 60 day DVD workout that has 10 insane interval workouts.  Each workout is 45 minutes and targets fat burning, cardio, and endurance.  Shaun T (the workout creator) developed the program on the circuit training model in order to deliver fast results in 60 days.  This workout is tough and requires a lot of intensity.  To find out more about the Insanity workout click here.

P90x- P90X contains 12 intense DVD workouts that focus on muscle groups or a training technique.  Get ready to do a lot of push and pull ups.  This workout can be completed all in your home.  P90x provides you with a 90-day calendar which illustrates a daily overview of your workout routine.  P90X is all about building muscle and muscle confusion.  Personally I like P90x over Insanity, however Insanity is nuts.  In the Fall I am going to re-do the Insanity workout and compare and contrast the results with the P90x workout.  For more info check out the P90x website

GSP Rushfit-  Rushfit was developed by Welter Weight UFC Champion, George St. Pierre.  Rushfit is a 8 week in home video workout.  Rushfit is all about strength, endurance, and explosive power training and ab & core conditioning. Essentially George has designed a workout that builds muscle, improves cardio, and cuts fat.  I am currently experimenting with Rushfit and it is difficult!  The conditioning segments kills me.  For more info check out the Rushfit website.

No Workout, No Carbs-  If you dont like to workout, I have a solution for you– The Slow Carb Diet.  The Slow Carb Diet is amazing because it is simple, cheap, and no exercise is needed to lose weight.  The Slow Carb Diet has 5 rules.

Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbs

Rule #2: Eat The Same Few Meals Over and Over Again (each meal has to include and limited to: protein, legumes, and vegetables)

Rule #3: Don’t drink calories (water and coffee only!)

Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit and dairy

Rule #5: Have 1 cheat day per week (1 day per week you can eat an unlimited amount of any food/beverage)

When I did the Slow Carb Diet I lost 13lbs in 29 days.  I didn’t believe it.  All I did was follow these rules. If you want to learn more about The Slow Carb Diet click here.

____________________________________________________

What are other best workouts that are cheap, simple and conducive to the youth pastor lifestyle?

What workouts have you had success with?

I have a confession to make:  I am an energy/caffeine addict.  I love getting a quick fix and feeling fully alive (John 10.10).  I guess I am just trying to live out a Biblical life in youth ministry.

I have chugged many energy drinks (Monster, Redbull, Rockstar, AMP energy) that are loaded with sugar and carbohydration. I would get a quick fix and crash hard. Back in Nov ’09 I started having heart palpitations because of youth ministry stress and consuming high amounts of caffeine. Basically my heart said no more.  So I had to rethink how to cut caffeine out and brainstorm new ways to feel energetic without chugging redbulls before youth group.

Ministering in youth ministry requires a lot of emotional and spiritual energy.  Just the other day someone asked me:  How do you get an enough energy to do youth ministry?

One of the biggest potential downers of running a youth ministry program is not having an enough energy to make it from start to finish.  All the planning, meeting, praying, studying is done and now you are on with no energy.  I would get so frustrated because my youth ministry team and I would plan so hard and the start of youth group would come and I would feel extremely exhausted.  Or I would be preaching and I would run out of gas half way through the sermon.

I am going to highlight how to have explosive energy when trying to:

-  be productive in your youth ministry office

-  pull a youth ministry all nighter

-  preach the gospel

-  lead a youth ministry program or event.

Here are my tricks on how to feel alive (without the sugar/carbohydrates) when leading a youth ministry program:

1.  Provide your body with the core nutrients it really needs: 1) Drink more water by adhering to this guideline:  Drink half your body weight in ounces every day.  If you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water.  2) Exercise 3 times a week in the morning, 3) Breathe great unpolluted oxygen, and 4) Take vitamins and minerals.

2.  Take Vitamin B-6 and B-12 because they unlock energy in your food storage

3.  Get more ginseng because it reduces stress and chronic fatigue – Ginseng is well known to have energy boosting agents.  It builds resistance to stress and boost energy.  A ginseng supplement can be added to tea which will greatly improve energy.  

4.  Listen to Music That Pumps You Up – My favorite pre-youth group songs that I would listen to:  Jump Around (House of Pain), I’ve Got The Power (Snap), and Splinter (Sevendust)

5.  Immersion In Natural Light – Your body needs vitamin D to help with nutrient absorption which will unlock energy.

6.  Reduce Acidic Foods- Avoid all fast food restaurants.

7.  XS Energy Drinks – XS doesn’t contain sugar, it is loaded with B vitamins, and doesn’t contain caffeine.  I know the CEO of this product because he attended our church in Laguna Beach. He is a sharp guy and knows what he is doing when it comes to engineering a quality energy drink.  He wanted to design an energy drink that allows for explosive energy while tasting good without any sugar.  To check out XS products click here.  I have had much success with this product and took cases of XS with me for junior high and high school winter camp.

8.  Eat Berries- Eat red, blue, and purple berries.  These berries contain anthocyanins which is a powerful energy booster.  

9.  Have A Pre-Youth Group Snack- a small healthy snack that is low in sugar, has a lot of protein and fiber a couple hours before youth group can help you finish the day off strong.  Some suggestions:

• mixed nuts (for example trail mix.  Special forces are encouraged to consume high amounts of trail mix when they need endurance in high attitudes.)
• nonfat yogurt
• apple and peanut butter
• frozen berrie smoothie
• trail mix
• granola bar

10.  Drink 8oz of Diet Coke a hour before youth group – When there are high amounts of caffeine intakes you get jitteriness, nervousness, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, and gas aka the farts.  If you monitor a healthy caffeine intake of 3mg per body weight you will still get the energy minus the side effects.  For example:  If you weighed 150lbs you can consume 70-210mg of caffeine.  If you want to read more about this click here.

11.  I would avoid drinking coffee before a nightly youth group program or event- Coffee not only dehydrates you, but also will inject a lot of caffeine in you 4-6 hours before bed time, which may cause insomnia.  However I am not against drinking coffee in the morning.  Just load up with coffee between the hours of 5am to 10am.

The students in your youth ministry need you to be aware, alert, alive, available, and enthusiastic.  With a few simple changes you can give yourself the gift of explosive energy to make youth group last for eternity.  Youth group will be great and you will naturally feel great!!

Please feel free to add some of your natural energy boosting tricks in the comment section.  I am always looking for new ways to get energy minus the sugar and carbohydration.  By the way, I have tested all these tricks………

12. Ohh I almost forgot: Prayer is another huge piece to obtaining enough strength and energy to get through youth group!  My simple pray was right out of Psalm 29.11:  ”Lord give me strength to make it through tonight, amen!”