A Christian Approach to Getting Stuff Done
“Why should anyone listen to me?” I can’t tell you how many times those words have hissed in the recesses my mind, unsettling my confidence, and making me question my ability to lead. Throughout my life I have been a leader in a variety of arenas. I have led bible studies, missions trips, departments, projects, and a family. For years, I’ve also been telling people what to think and do through...
I am pleased to announce that, in addition to the weekly blog, I will now also be producing a weekly podcast, The Redeeming Productivity Show. The goal of the podcast is to cover topics in a bit more depth, give access to content on Christian productivity for people who might not have time to read the blog, and also provide a venue to do interviews with productive Christians so we can learn how...
A few years ago a viral video circulated of Navy Seal Admiral McRaven giving the commencement speech at University of Texas, Austin. The memorable quote came when the admiral said that the best way to start off your day was by making your bed. He listed the benefits of putting bed-making first, and how it sets off a chain reaction of productivity and order in one’s life. It was good, simple, and...
In this periodic series, we’ve been exploring the phases of man’s relationship to work through time—work in the sense of one’s labor in general, job, or vocation. In this final installment, we will look at how this understanding of work throughout every phase of man’s existence affects the way in which we work in the present. Previous installments include: Work is Not a Dirty Word...
About six months ago I took a new job, had a baby, and purchased a home. This was what they call a Significant Life Event (SLE). It was a lot all at once, but it was a lot of good. One of the seemingly small changes that came along with all of these big changes was that we landed in a home just a little over a mile from my new job. And I have been pleasantly surprised by how dramatically living...
In this periodic series, we’ve been exploring the phases of man’s relationship to work through time—work in the sense of one’s labor in general, job, or vocation. In this installment, we look at work in Heaven. Previous articles include: Work is Not a Dirty Word, about how man was created to work.No TED Talks in Eden, about what happened to work after man’s fall into sin.Productivity...
Don’t you hate junk mail? There’s something about receiving unsolicited advertisements in my mailbox that just grinds my gears. In this post, I outline out to stop junk mail from even reaching your mailbox, as well as some tips on how to cut down on most other paper mail as well. I had to learn these things not just because of my hate of junk mail, but because my living situation...
Recently, I had the privilege of producing a course titled Stewardship & Productivity for The Institute for Church Leadership (ICL). It’s just launched, so I wanted to take a moment to tell you about the class and let you know about a special deal. The Content of the Class In this 10-lesson, self-paced, fully online course I explore both the theological and practical sides of stewarding...
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how it has seemed harder and harder for me to carve out the same amount of focussed time of prayer and Bible study in the morning than it used to be. Certainly, I am weak and easily distracted. But it is no help that an entire economy exists to deliberately distract me by twinkling shiny bits of content in my eyes with the goal of gaining my attention so...
I almost never wake up to an alarm. In fact, I stopped setting an alarm a long time ago. What’s more, I wake up alarmingly early—usually between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. No, I don’t have insomnia. Yes, I am employed. And, no, I don’t go through the day feeling like a tired zombie. The funny thing is, this isn’t actually a very difficult habit to cultivate. What follows is my simple...
A Christian Approach to Getting Stuff Done
