When it comes to both productivity and spiritual growth, intentionality is key.
You have to plan for it.
That’s why I love the start of a new year. It’s a chance to slow down and get out of reactive mode. It’s a chance to proactively plan, start new habits, and set goals. It’s a chance to intentionally set your sights on the things that will help you become the person God wants you to be.
But planning your year is a chance that’s easy to miss.
With all the busyness of the holidays, it can be hard to justify taking a day to plan the next year. But before you know it you’re back in reactive mode, being swept away by another unplanned year.
Same old habits. Same old goals still collecting dust on the someday shelf…
I just can’t recommend this enough: Take a day—even just a half a day—and clarify your goals for 2022, professionally, spiritually, relationally.
- Write out your priorities
- Fill in your Calendar
- Reflect on the year that’s passing
- Pray over the year to come
I’ve found the simple act of planning the coming year is one of the highest ROI activities for both my productivity and spiritual growth.
If you’d like some help with this, I’m hosting a free live training event next Wednesday, December 15th at 2pm EST called Plan Your 2022 for God’s Glory. In this live webinar, I’ll walk through a process of reflecting on the past year and planning for the next with a Christ-first mentality.
If you want to come, make sure you register. And even if you can’t be there live, I’ll be sending the recordings to anyone who registers as well.
✨ New on Redeeming Productivity
▶️ The Best Books I Read in 2021 (12 mins)
In this video/article, I share the books that had the biggest impact on me in the last year. Some are new, some are old, all convinced me to make changes in my life.
🎙 The Metaverse and the Future of Christianity (60 mins)
It seems everywhere you look these days, you hear people talking about “the Metaverse.” But what exactly does it mean? In this episode, I talk to Ian Harber and Patrick Miller, authors of How to Prepare for the Metaverse. We discuss what the Metaverse is, where it’s going, and how Christians can prepare to live faithfully in the face of this next stage of digital life.
*Subscribe to the Redeeming Productivity Podcast*
🐦 Twitter Thread of Bible Reading Plans
We could all benefit from more time in the Bible in 2022.
Here's a list of great Bible reading plans broken down by how much time they require per day.
— Reagan Rose ⏳ (@Reagantrose) December 8, 2021
🧑💻The Roundup
Why Christians should pay attention to the Metaverse and NFTs (5 mins)
Another excellent piece on why we need to be paying attention to the Metaverse with an emphasis on the role and importance of NFTs.
“As Christians, dependent on the ordinary means of grace, we must consider our roles in our quickly-changing world, we need to be thinking about how we can respond to this massive incoming cultural shift.”
(Stephen McCaskell)
The 5 Whys: get to the root of your productivity problems (5 mins)
A simple technique for getting yourself unstuck.
“When your productivity takes a nosedive, it adds stress and anxiety, as you don’t have enough time to accomplish your goals and do what really matters to you. Understanding why your productivity is flailing will help you get back on track.”
(Karine Bengualid / Superhuman)
TGC Editorial Staff: Books We Enjoyed in 2021 (10 mins)
One of the many reasons I love this time of year is because everyone posts their favorite books of the past year. It’s a great way to find book recommendations.
(Ivan Mesa / The Gospel Coalition)
40 One-Sentence Email Tips (2 mins)
So many great tips.
“Here are a collection of concepts to help you write better emails, optimize your inbox, and keep your sanity.”
P.s. check out Nothing Wasted Life‘s December Good Idea List for more interesting links, that’s where I found this one.
(Josh Spector)
TIME’s Best Inventions of 2021
This is super cool.
Organized into categories like Transportation, Apps & Software, and Productivity, this list is a fascinating look into so many of the amazing new inventions from the past year.
👍 Something I Like
I guess I’m in the Christmas spirit because I’ve been listening to the album Christmas At King’s by Choir of King’s College, Cambridge on repeat.
It’s all classic Christian Christmas carols. I don’t have any particular beef with Santa, but I don’t really care to sing songs about the guy. It’s weird. Call me crazy, but I want to sing about Christ at Christmastime.
Okay, somehow this has turned into a rant…
Just listen to the album:
🎓 Redeeming Productivity Academy
My membership program is still accepting new enrollments.
If you’re a Christian who is struggling to get organized, manage your time well, and just be more productive for God’s glory, you’ve found your tribe.
⌛️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
