Notes from ‘Do More Better’
I picked up Tim Challies ‘Do More Better’ yesterday, a book that’s been on my radar for a long while. Though I have my own productivity habits fairly well implemented at this point, it’s always interesting to hear someone else’s perspective on the matter. This book is particularly interesting to me, as it’s not only a practical guide to becoming more productive, but a book that answers the question of ‘why’ one should be productive from a Christian perspective. His thoughts on the matter:
The simple fact is, you are not the point of your life. You are not the star of your show. If you live for yourself, your own comfort, your own glory, your own fame, you will miss out on your very purpose. God created you to bring glory to him.
Productivity is, in effect, a way to achieve the ‘good works’ mentioned and emphasized in Ephesians, and Challies helps us frame that concept for the modern world:
Good works, then, are any and all of those deeds you do for the benefit of others. If you are a mother and you simply cuddle and comfort your crying child, you are doing a good work that glorifies God, because you do it for the benefit of your child. If you are a student and apply yourself to your studies, you are doing a good work that brings glory to God, because what you learn can and will be used someday to benefit other people. If you work in an office environment and do your job with consideration to your clients and coworkers, you are doing good works that bring glory to God, because you are living outside yourself, doing what benefits the people in your life. There is no task in life that cannot be done for God’s glory. Again, this is what Jesus calls for in these simple words from the Sermon on the Mount: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”
So what does this mean for you? Well, it depends on what you feel you’re here to do:
Are you a stay-at-home mom? This is the measure of your productivity. Are you a CEO with a corner office? This is the measure of your productivity, too. Are you a teacher, a toolmaker, a doctor, a driver? The same is true of you. Even while we are talking about tools, software, and systems, you need to remember this high and noble purpose behind it all: bringing glory to God by doing good to others.
The first step to becoming more productive is by breaking out of unproductive cycles. We have a problem doing that, he says, and we can always find an excuse that will keep us distracted:
If you want an excuse to be unproductive, you will inevitably find one, and if you can’t find one, you will manufacture one. And it could be that today’s world offers more ways of lazily procrastinating than ever before. When you ought to be working on your computer, you are only ever one or two clicks away from checking out your friends on Facebook or welcoming a few minutes of mindless entertainment on YouTube. Text messages provide a welcome distraction from deep thinking, and binge watching the latest series on Netflix can set you back a week. You are surrounded by temptations to laziness and may succumb far more often than you think. It could be that laziness is what stands between you and true productivity.
It is also important, he says, to remember that there is a difference between ‘being productive’ and ‘being busy’:
Busyness cannot be confused with diligence. It cannot be confused with faithfulness or fruitfulness. “Busyness does not mean you are a faithful or fruitful Christian. It only means you are busy, just like everyone else.” Busyness may make you feel good about yourself and give the illusion of getting things done, but it probably just means that you are directing too little attention in too many directions, that you are prioritizing all the wrong things, and that your productivity is suffering.
At this point the author moves towards recommending practical ways to become productive, down to giving examples of the very tools he uses. I appreciate this, as it’s one thing to talk about the theory of doing and an entirely different thing to actually help people accomplish it.
In this, he issues a final caution about getting stuck in the trap of making productivity just another thing which keeps you distracted from that which really matters:
Your primary pursuit in productivity is not doing more things, but doing more good. Generally speaking, you can do more good for others if you have fewer roles and projects than if you have more. It is far better to dedicate lots of attention to those areas in which you are particularly talented or gifted than it is to dedicate minimal attention to the many areas you are not. “Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.” What are those things that really matter in your life?
Advice worth considering, and a book worth reading if you find yourself desiring to ‘do more better’.
