Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity by Tim Challies

★★★★★

(2015)
  
Tim Challies gets a LOT done.  He gets the right things done.  Matt Perman interviewed him in What's Best Next on how he organizes a typical day.  When I read the interview, I wished it was longer and more detailed.  So I was thrilled when I heard he had written an entire book on productivity!  It has turned out to be an answer to my prayer that I would be abundant in good works.  

Tim defines productivity as "effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God."  Keeping this definition in mind, I worked my way through this short book, pausing to complete the Action Steps before moving on.  I had already written my mission statement while reading What's Best Next, but I was stuck on how to set up my day/week based on it.  Through Do More Better, Tim Challies took me from "stuck" to "doing".  I completely reorganized my Evernote, set up Todoist and downloaded Google Calendar.  Everything is so USEABLE when Tim explains it!  I am able to think about my responsibilities in a more organized way!  

As I write this review, I have been using the system for five months and it has made "doing good" smoother, more flexible, and more likely to get done.

--Jatina  :) 

What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman

★★★★★

(2014)

When I started What's Best Next I had never heard of the author, never heard of the book, and had no idea my life was about to be changed.  I simply chose it at random as an audio book to listen to in the car.  I did listen in the car, and the idea of gospel-driven productivity appealed to me so deeply that when the book ended, I immediately started it again.  Then I bought a physical copy of the book and poured over it with a highlighter.

Matt Perman clearly and logically uses scripture to show that

"there is no distinction between learning how to be productive and learning how to live the Christian life altogether, for both are about how we are to live in this world for the glory of God.  The way we go about handling our email, making appointments, running meetings, attending classes, and running the kids to where they need to go are not distinct from the everyday life of sanctification that God calls us to but are themselves a fundamental part of it.  We are to 'be wise' in them just as we are to be wise in the things that directly pertain to salvation; indeed the way we go about them is an expression of our Christlikeness and sanctification."

He explains how productivity is about getting the right things done and how good works are anything you do in faith, even tying your shoes.  I am just going to keep reading and keep listening to this book until these truths have soaked into my soul and start oozing out my actions.

--by Jatina  :)