JIT

Just in Time preparation. The term “JIT” originally came from the construction industry but is being used by many industries. It is a mind-set. The original image is that a brick is not delivered to a work site until the mason reaches out for a brick to lay. Instead of pre-ordering and stock-piling everything that might be needed, items are ordered to be delivered just in time. This saves a huge amount of money for a variety of reasons.
Youth workers tend toward two extremes, both of which are problematic: Just “winging it,” which will be addressed in a later post, and planning way ahead, just in case. Addressing this last approach, planning very far ahead usually involves a great deal of wasted time. As time passes, things change, thinking changes, conditions change so that the program/talk/sermon/activity has to be rewritten. Make notes, form an outline, but don't work on it seriously until it is JIT. You do need to allow for last minute interruptions or issues that might keep you from getting it done, but that probably only means a day or two.