Productivity for Pastors
Lloyd-Jones on Productivity
The first great rule is that he must be very careful to maintain a general discipline in his life. There are many dangers in the life of a minister. Unlike men in professions and in business he is not tied of necessity by office hours and other conventions, or with conditions determined outside himself … One of these is the danger of just frittering away your time, particularly in the morning…If he has the right motive and the right objective, if he is truly called, he will be so anxious to do all he has to do in the most effective manner that he will take the trouble to find out how best to order and organise himself and his day. (Preaching and Preachers, 178-181)
Productivity Resources
Some helpful tools:
With the countless distractions that come from every corner of modern life, it’s amazing that we’re ever able to accomplish anything. The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary — freeing you from everyday clutter and allowing you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better.What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done (forthcoming) — What’s Best Next will first look at productivity in a theological context—showing how the Gospel transforms our understanding of productivity, giving us a new way to look at productivity and new reasons to care about productivity. Then, on this foundation, it will outline a practical approach for improving our own productivity. As a result, What’s Best Next will show us how to increase our productivity in a way that truly increases our joy—that is, how to grow in productivity so that we can have the thrill of making life better for others (with, perhaps, the added benefit of being able to use cool tools to do it). Note: This is more of a prediction since the book isn’t out yet, but if it’s anything like the author’s blog, this will be a helpful book.
18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done — Based upon his weekly Harvard Business Review columns, 18 MINUTES clearly shows how busy people can cut through all the daily clutter and distractions and find a way to focus on those key items which are truly the top priorities in our lives.
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way — Kaizen is the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady increments.
Any resources you’ve found helpful? I’d love to hear about them.