Your weekly roundup of insights and resources to help you get more done for the glory of God.
In Today’s Issue:
- Doing Less with an Eternal Mindset
- How Alistair Begg Manages His Time
- What Did Discipleship Look Like in the Early Church?
- The Atomic Habits App
- Quote: Quality vs. Busyness
Dear steward,
This is a quick reminder that I’m hosting a free webinar, Time Stewardship Crash Course, next Wednesday, May 15th, at 12 PM ET. We’ve got about 300 spots left.
Click here for more info and to save your seat.
Doing Less with an Eternal Mindset
There’s a paradox when it comes to productivity.
Though we often speak of “getting more done,” the path to doing more of what matters almost always begins with eliminating the trivial. It’s addition by subtraction. You have to do less to do more.
But, even when we recognize our need to prioritize, we still seem to be inexorably drawn to overcommitment. We can’t resist the urge to do more, even when the more doesn’t matter. Ironically, the busier we become, the more we ignore the essential things.
So, how do we ensure we invest in what truly matters? This is the core question of life stewardship. We want to invest our lives in a way that will most glorify God. Perhaps the answer is not to follow that instinct to speed up and do more but to slow down—not out of laziness or neglect but for the sake of focus and quality.
A couple of months ago, I wrote a short blurb at the end of a newsletter about Cal Newport’s latest book, Slow Productivity. As I reviewed my notes and highlights last week, however, I decided to do a more in-depth review. Even though Newport is not a believer, I think the concepts he develops in this book are full of wisdom. And these principles are even more critical for the eternally-minded person.
Click the big green button below to read, watch, or listen to my thoughts on Slow Productivity.
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THE ROUNDUP
The best links I found this week
WHAT’S NEW
How I Manage My Time As A Pastor (11 mins)
Alistair Begg / The Focused Pastor
Some helpful thoughts on time management from a seasoned minister. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways:
- Focus on the local congregation first. Other opportunities must take a backseat.
- Look for multiplicatory opportunities. For example, invest in pastors or people in big transition periods like college students.
- What to do when your message prep time gets pushed aside, and you’re less prepared than you’d like to be for Sunday.
Comparing Discipleship in the Early Church vs. the Modern Church (84 mins)
Dr. Peter Goeman / The Bible Sojourner
I enjoyed this conversation. I was especially struck by the massive time commitment the early church gave to discipleship. Part of thinking about productivity as a believer is being intentional about investing your time in things that have eternal impact, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than to pour your life into people (just one more reason, some of us need to slow down).
Atoms: Habit Tracking App from James Clear
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits has come out with an app based on the principles taught in that book.
I haven’t taken it for a spin myself, but I spoke to some of the members of our RPA community who have. The common opinion seems to be that it’s well-designed, but a little pricey for the premium features.
Layman’s Fitness Kettlebell Giveaway
Are you a busy Christian guy looking to reprioritize your fitness with simple workouts you can do at home? My friend, Don LaTorre, owner of Layman’s Fitness, is doing a kettlebell giveaway.
If you participate, you can win three brand new kettlebells (one 16kg, 24kg, and 32kg). These three kettlebells are over $300 in value and are all a guy needs to get strong while saving time by exercising at home.
To participate, all you need to do is sign-up for Don’s Fit Tip Friday newsletter and complete a 3-minute survey. The survey will be emailed to you right after you subscribe to the newsletter.
The giveaway ends at 11:59p EST on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024.
On Redeeming Productivity
Doing Less with an Eternal Mindset (Slow Productivity Book Review)
A Christian perspective on Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity.
A DOSE OF WISDOM
Quote of the Week
Once you commit to doing something very well, busyness becomes intolerable.
Cal Newport
