Your to-do list is long. Staff to interview, supplies to purchase, and your CPR certification is out of date. Running a summer camp is a test in time management, and the preparation for summer is no different. What comes first? What has the highest priority? Every task feels important, every decision feels urgent, and the margin for error feels uncomfortably small.
Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you have enough time to get it all done before camp starts. With some planning and careful consideration of priorities, you can build a road map to success. This blog provides a step-by-step guide on time management, prioritization, and creating goals that are actionable, reasonable, and measurable.
Step One: Define your Outcomes
The first step in camp time management is deciding what success looks like for your camp. A clear definition of what you are working toward determines the priorities on your to-do list.
Identify 3-5 outcomes that actually matter. These outcomes should reflect camper safety, staff stability, enrollment health, and operational readiness. When outcomes are clear, they become a filter for every subsequent decision.
Camp time management often fails when leaders attempt to manage tasks without first agreeing on outcomes. This step corrects that mistake.
Step Two: Prioritization
Once outcomes are clear, the next step is prioritization. Prioritization is organizing work based on your outcomes.
When new tasks appear, which they inevitably will, they should be evaluated based on which outcome they support. If a task does not support a core outcome, it may still need to be done, but it should not displace higher-impact work.
This step is where camp leaders regain control of their time, instead of reacting to every request in the order it comes.
Step Three: Turn Priorities Into Goals
Priorities must be translated into goals to be acted on. An actionable goal is specific enough that you know exactly what to do next without needing more clarity. Goals should be clear, reasonable, and measurable. Clear goals are not theoretical and don’t create more uncertainty.
Reasonable goals account for the fact that not everything goes according to plan all of the time. Especially at camp. If a goal is unrealistic, leaders either abandon it entirely or push themselves to burnout trying to accomplish it. Neither of which is the point of setting a goal.
A goal that cannot be measured cannot be managed. Before you invest time into a goal, define how you’ll know it’s working. Measurable goals provide clarity, accountability, and feedback.
This step bridges the gap between planning and execution. It ensures that camp time management moves out of abstract ideas and into daily work.
Step Four: Give your Time a Purpose
With priorities and goals clearly defined, time can now be assigned with purpose. Which involves intentionally protecting time for high-impact work rather than allowing it to be consumed by interruptions.
Camp leaders often assume they will get to strategic work “when things slow down,” but camp leadership rarely slows down. Intentional time assignment ensures that the most important work happens even when things are busy. This also includes identifying where systems can replace manual effort.
Strong systems are not about removing the human element. They are about protecting it. They allow camp leaders to spend less time managing information and more time leading people.
Step Eight: Review and Adjust Accordingly
Time management requires maintenance. A short, consistent review creates alignment and ensures that time is still being spent where it matters most. Even the best plans require adjustment.
Effective camp time management allows for recalibration without self-criticism or drastic overcorrection. Goals will progress at different paces, and your highest priorities may change week to week.
Make sure that the system serves the leader, not the other way around.
Why This System Works for Camp Time Management
Camp time management is not about doing more. It is about doing what matters most, consistently and sustainably. Let’s reframe how we think about time; it’s not the enemy, it’s just a tool.
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