“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12
Dear stewards,
Hope your week is going well and you’re not being tyrannized by your to-do list!
I’m always surprised by how much my environment affects my mood and productivity. It’s been a very cold few weeks here in Southeast Michigan. But yesterday it was 40˚ so I took advantage of the break in the chill and went for a long walk around the neighborhood.
And I gotta tell you… the boost in mood, energy, and focus I got from that walk was amazing.
A positive change in environment can bring massive benefits. And it’s not only true of the outdoors or exercise. I get a similar boost when I clean up my workspaces or organize my computer.
I’m convinced we far underestimate how much the spaces we operate in affect our productivity. To that end, in this week’s podcast, I talked about The 3 Most Important Spaces to Get Organized.
Also, wanted to let you know that registration for Redeeming Productivity Academy will be closing next Tuesday, February 15th.
RPA is my membership community which centers around a biblically-based productivity program. We take you step-by-step through the mindsets and practical systems you need to go from drowning in a sea of overwhelm to efficiently sailing toward your goals with confidence and in God’s strength.
Here’s what one member had to say about RPA recently.
If you’ve been on the fence about joining RPA, now is your last chance to hop aboard until we reopen registration in May.
Learn more about Redeeming Productivity Academy
Hope to see you over there!
Now, let’s get into this week’s Roundup! 👇👇👇
✨ New on Redeeming Productivity
🎙The 3 Most Important Spaces to Get Organized (27 mins)
It can be tempting to believe that because we are spiritual people our physical environments don’t affect us. But they do. And often the best thing you can do to become more disciplined is not to rely on willpower, but instead, curate an environment that fosters the kind of habits you want to grow.
Make sure you’re subscribed to the Redeeming Productivity Show so you don’t miss an episode.
🧑💻The Roundup
Innovation Exists by God’s Design (5 mins)
I love following guys like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and others. Not because they are rich, but because they are innovators. While there’s much we can criticize them for, Tony Reinke makes a good case for why we should celebrate innovation and how we can honor God as the ultimate cause of innovation.
“Many of the sharpest Christians, who rightly celebrate God’s providential governance over all things, tend to wrongly assume (in practice) that his reign ends somewhere around the boundary lines of Silicon Valley. In reality, innovators—both virtuous ones and nefarious ones—are created by God.”
(Tony Reinke / Crossway)
The Small Steps of Giant Leaps (2 mins)
This piece is about earthly success, but it struck me while reading it that so much of Christian faithfulness is also being content to make the small, right choices each day. We may not see the benefit at the time, or even until eternity. But we trust that small steps of obedience do indeed compound for God’s glory and our good.
“The position you find yourself in today is the accumulation of the small choices that you’ve been making for years.”
(Shane Parrish / Farnam Street)
I Was Patient Before Having Kids (2 mins)
This was hard to hear, but he’s right.
“Now we know that having children doesn’t evaporate the parent’s reservoir of patience they previously enjoyed. Instead, being a parent presents a new set of challenges that reveal a lack of patience that was already there.”
(Erik Raymond / The Gospel Coalition)
23 Tips from 23 Years of Book Reading (21 mins)
Some great reading tips from Tony Reinke delivered at Colorado Christian University.
“Viral phenomena shrinks into smaller and smaller micro-spectacles until we find ourselves hopelessly addicted to our smartphones. Now we scan videos, scrub ahead, jump ten seconds forward in search of the snap ending. Sports become four-second clips. Movies become five-second GIFs. The tornado chaser’s footage becomes a dramatic twenty-second video.”
(Tony Reinke / Desiring God)
procrastination is pain avoidance (1 min)
Fighting procrastination with willpower does not attack the root cause.
“Procrastination is pain avoidance. Any anti-procrastination technique that doesn’t address this issue is doomed to fail.”
(James Stuber)
🖋Quote of the Week
“An unchurched Christian is a grotesque anomaly. The New Testament knows nothing of such a person. For the church lies at the very center of the eternal purpose of God. It is not a divine afterthought.”
– John Stott
Resurfaced with Readwise.
🎓 Redeeming Productivity Academy
RPA is a membership program for productive Christians. Access a growing library of courses and a community of other believers striving to steward their lives for the glory of God.
Here’s a peek at what’s happening this month in Redeeming Productivity Academy:
- 🙋♂️Content Creator Q&A with Reagan. I’m hosting a live Q&A for Christians who are interested in getting into blogging, podcasting, YouTube, or newsletter writing. I’ll share my processes, what I’ve learned, and take questions from you.
- 📚 Book Club: Heart & Habits. We’re about to start reading Heart & Habits by Greg Gifford together. Follow the weekly reading schedule and discuss the book together.
- ✅ February Habit Challenge. Come get your streak on with the monthly Habit Challenge. Choose one habit, mark every day you do it successfully, and win prizes!
- 🛠 Toolshed: Using Dynamic Data in Obsidian. Bodie, our resident Obsidian guru, will be taking us into the deep magic of this popular writing tool. He will show us how to create custom, live-updating lists, tables, and menus inside an Obsidian vault.
- 🚪Office Hours. Stop by my weekly office hours to get help on a productivity problem, enjoy some casual banter, or just hang out with me and other RPA members.
- And much more. The membership also includes to all past trainings, Toolshed sessions, and access to our always-interesting online community.
Join the community to grow in your personal development, get accountability for your goals, and connect with other productivity-minded believers!
Come join us! (Registration closes Tuesday, February 15th)
🤠 Pardners*
- Protect your soul with screen accountability software. Try Covenant Eyes free for 30-days with promo code “ROSE”
- Redeem your commute by listening to audiobooks from Audible. Listen free for one month.
- When it comes to calendars out of sight often means out of mind. See your whole year at a glance with NeuYear giant wall calendars.
Pardners are paid classifieds or affiliate links that support Reagan’s Roundup. To enquire about placing a classified ad in Reagan’s Roundup, simply reply to this email.
⌛️That’s All for this Week
Hit reply to send me link suggestions for future issues or just to say hey.
I’ll see you next time!
– Reagan
