Your weekly roundup of insights and resources to help you get more done for the glory of God.
In Today’s Issue:
- How to Create a 5-Year Plan
- Remote Work & The Christian
- Frederick Douglass on Productivity
- Wisely Navigating Our Technology
- My Favorite Time Tracking App
Dear steward,
Most of us underestimate the value of long-term planning.
Maybe we are just focused on getting through the week, or we believe there’s no point in planning since life changes so much, or perhaps we wonder if planning is antithetical to faith. Whatever your reason, if you aren’t planning, I’m convinced you’re missing out.
I’ve written before about the merits of having a Christ-honoring ”Well Done” statement for your life (watch this workshop for the step-by-step). I’ve also written quite a bit about my quarterly goal-setting process. But there’s another type of long-term planning that I have found tremendously helpful, and I want to share it with you.
Recently, I completed my annual review of my personal five-year plan. This was year four of that plan, and I was amazed at how useful this little plan has proved to be in clarifying long-term goals for our family, work, and faithfulness.
The really amazing thing to me is just how many of these plans that seemed like far-off dreams have actually become reality in just a few years.
I’ve kept this plan mostly private up until now. But since the practice has been such a blessing, I want to share how you, too, can create a five-year plan focused on honoring God.
Check out “How to Make a 5-Year Plan.”
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Sunsama
How These High-Performing Leaders Reach Peak Productivity…
Ask any productive leader about their productivity habits and you’ll get similar responses: Focus on a single task, prioritize and create to-do lists, organize your emails and so on.
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This is why high-performing leaders at Spotify, Y Combinator and Lightspeed organize their life with Sunsama — the daily planner for busy professionals.
Sunsama helps you manage your tasks, meetings and emails all in one place by:
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THE ROUNDUP
The best links I found this week
Remote Work & The Christian (3 mins)
Scott Bellavia
The benefits of remote work are undeniable. But it also comes with certain temptations. Like when we start seeing it as right rather than a gift, or when we take advantage of the flexibility and neglect our calling. How should Christians think about this revolution in work-life-balance?
Forty-six percent of job seekers see work as ancillary to their other obligations and preferred activities. Is there anything wrong with this perspective or desiring remote work in general?
Frederick Douglass on Productivity (3 mins)
Thomas Kidd
This advice was coming from one of the most phenomenally productive writers and lecturers in American history, so it bears much consideration.
P.S. My video editor recently turned me on to Thomas Kidd’s Substack. Kidd is a Research Professor of Church History at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and writes a lot about productivity from a Christian perspective, especially as it applies to writing and academia. I’ve really been enjoying his writing there.
Wisely Navigating Our Technology (34 mins)
Marci Ferrell / The Thankful Homemaker
Wise, and biblically-grounded insights on technology.
We’re exploring the benefits and challenges of our digital lives and walking through some practical tips to use our tech wisely and intentionally technology in a way that aligns with the gospel, enhances our walk with Christ, and doesn’t hinder it.
SOMETHING I LIKE
Rize
If you want to steward your time well, you’ve got to know how you’re spending it.
I’ve been using Rize daily for several years now to track my time working at the computer, and it’s lead to great improvements in my focus and productivity.
A few features I like about Rize:
- Smartly tracks and groups my activities with minimal input from me.
- Gives me a daily score for how I performed on metrics like focused time, meetings, and breaks.
- Keeps me accountable with daily productivity reports, so I can see where I’m wasting time or not taking enough breaks.
Rize has a free plan that gets you the basic features. But I also reached out to them and was able to get a discount code for the paid version.
Use code “REAGANROSE” to get 25% off your first three months of Rize.
WHAT’S NEW
On Redeeming Productivity
How to Make a 5-Year Plan (29 mins)
I recently completed my annual review of my personal 5-year plan, and I wanted to share some insights on long-term planning and a simple framework for creating your own plan.
A DOSE OF WISDOM
Quote of the Week
God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.
A.W. Tozer
