Reagan's Roundup

Why You Always Feel Frazzled

August 5, 2021by Reagan Rose5 min read

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Read time: 3 minutes.

Good day!

I hope that you’re finding joy in your work today as you do it unto God’s glory.

So, I’ve been doing a series on Christian productivity for my church’s college and career group. And last night I gave the final message. It was a great experience for me and hopefully helpful for them.

But in preparing for the talks I dug deeper into a phenomenon called the Zeigarnik Effect. It’s something you probably experience all the time. But it explains a lot about why many of us feel so frazzled.

I just published an article on the Zeigernik Effect and how Christians can overcome it.

Read: Why You Always Feel Frazzled (Read time: 4 mins)

I’ve also been hard at work on season 2 of the podcast. Lord willing the first episode will be coming on Monday!

If you don’t know, The Redeeming Productivity Show is my weekly podcast on a biblical approach to personal development and productivity. We’re closing in on the 100th episode! Make sure you subscribe on your favorite platform so you don’t miss any of the new ones.

Oh, and there’s also a new video about grace and to-do lists you can check out below.

Alrighty, let’s get into this week’s roundup! 👇

▶️ New Video

👍 Something I Like

I’ve been digging into Darryl Dash’s brand new book 8 Habits for Growth: A Simple Guide to Becoming More Like Christ. It’s a guidebook for Christians who want to get serious about making spiritual disciplines habitual.

Dash doesn’t just give you theory, it gives you step-by-step instructions on how to commit and make these practices habitual in your life.

P.s. Darryl is also scheduled to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the podcast.

🧑‍💻The Roundup

Work That Makes a Difference: An Interview With Dan Doriani (8 mins)

This is a great interview with Dr. Doriani, about doing significant work as a Christian. Long-time listeners will remember I had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Doriani on the Redeeming Productivity Show a while back.

He has a refreshingly honest take on vocation.

“In all honest work we can please God, serve our neighbor and provide for our family. But some work is more strategic; it has greater influence. The CEO is not more valuable or honorable or pleasing to God, but he or she does have more influence – for good or for ill – than the person who was hired yesterday for a routine task. If we have rare and strategic skills, we should try to use them.”

(David Qaoud / Gospel Relevance)

How a Project Management Mindset Boosts Your Productivity (10 mins)

In previous jobs, I’ve had roles managing projects. Until I read this article, I’m not sure I realized just how much the world of project management has influenced how I approach my personal productivity.

5 tips for thinking like a project manager from the article:

Set aside dedicated time for planning
Never begin a new project without a complete understanding of it
Set clear communication standards and goals
Set boundaries and take care of yourself
Use data to keep expectations realistic

(Chris Porteous / Lifehack)

Focusing On What I Can Measure (2 mins)

Metrics are great, but whether it’s physical health or spiritual health, you can’t measure everything.

“It’s always tempting to focus on what I can measure in my relationship with God. Things like church attendance, Bible reading, minutes spent in prayer, hours spent in service, and such. Like steps, these practices are good, so setting goals and reaching them is healthy. But like steps, the health of my soul is more complicated than the number of hours I clock in disciplines and good deeds.”

(Seth Lewis)

Amazon’s older Kindles will start to lose their internet access in December (2 mins)

If you’ve got an older Kindle, you might be forced to upgrade soon.

“Amazon’s Kindle e-readers with built-in 3G will begin to lose the ability to connect to the internet on their own in the US in December, according to an email sent to customers on Wednesday. The change is due to mobile carriers transitioning from older 2G and 3G networking technology to newer 4G and 5G networks. For older Kindles without Wi-Fi, this change could mean not connecting to the internet at all.”

Pray Until You Pray: A Simple Way to Begin Each Day (6 mins)

I would never have thought of this method for training yourself to pray daily (don’t worry, the author explains why it’s not vain repetition he’s recommending).

“Every day, at the earliest possible moment — before you check your phone or your mind starts preparing for what’s ahead, but after you’re mentally aware enough to think — consider reciting a simple prayer full of truth.”

(Jonathan Parnell / Desiring God)