I would love to have a productive day – Every Single Day.
But, there are days when I literally feel like my feet are walking through quicksand. For some reason, everything takes way longer than usual. And, I can never seem to get anything done. On those days, I always run out of time.
How can I be in slow motion, but time seems to somehow speed up?
Days like those are super frustrating to me.
So, when my mom ended her goodbye with the word, Productive, unbeknownst to her, a gauntlet was thrown…
“Have a good, joyful, happy, productive day…”
This week, I’ve written about what the Bible says about Good, Joyful and Happy, and now I need to learn more about being Productive.
So, what is Productive?
Sadly, I feel there are days I can’t describe using ANY of those words.
Or, there are days where I feel productive in the house, but not with my blog, or in my relationships with friends and family.
Whether it be different projects I help out with at church or one of the kids’ schools, something that needs to be done around the house, different things that would help out Brad and the kids, or various personal tasks I need to do for me, at times, I feel pretty overwhelmed…
I know I’m not alone. If I looked at the to-do lists of others, I know they would have at least 20 different things waiting for them as well.
My list is waiting for me. I can be productive and tackle each task and cross it off the list, (one of my favorite things to do), or not.
When I look back at the definition, being productive is boiled down to achieving and producing.
Achieving – I’ve reached my goal. I have done what I set out to do.
This is rather hard to do with my feet stuck in that quicksand…
Producing – Making something.
This I feel a little better about. At least I can say that for the majority of days, I make dinner. Granted, some days are leftovers, but at least I have planned what we will eat and get it ready. I’m counting that as a small win…
But, as for really producing something? I’m not thinking dinner counts all that much.
How do you free your feet from quicksand and get productive?
Since I don’t seem to have the magic cure for the stall in my productivity, I thought I would check to see what the Bible had to say. Turns out, I’m not the only one with this problem. There are a lot of verses that show how God planned us all to be productive, along with encouragement to help keep us moving, and a warning for us if we don’t.
It all actually started in the Garden of Eden.
The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden as its gardener, to tend and care for it. Genesis 2:15
Man’s first job was to take care of the garden – not to just sit under a tree and take naps all day… I believe God planned for us to make the most of our time here on earth.
Don’t be fools; be wise; make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to. Ephesians 5:17
So many verses lead me back to Jeremiah 29:11. I know God has a plan for me. It is truly up to me to listen and follow through. If I don’t, then I’m just asking for trouble…
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. Proverbs 16:27
I heard this verse a number of times growing up, but I never thought about what it really meant. I always took it very literally, and couldn’t imagine doing anything bad. But, when I think about it now, I can definitely see how it is much easier to fall into temptations when I’m not busy. Whether it’s watching TV, or playing games on my iPad, or really anything else that distracts me from my tasks, I know I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m definitely not against relaxing, but there is a distinct difference between idleness and relaxation…
Finally, the most impactful verse to me was about why I need to pull me feet from the quicksand and get to work…
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
So, what is a Productive Day?
At the end of the day, it’s not about how much laundry I got done, or what I decided to make for dinner. It’s really about how hard I worked for God.
It’s not the standards of the world, or my own. If I am doing what I am supposed to be doing according to God’s will, then, I believe, I have had a Productive Day.
In order to help me remember that, I am going to listen to Paul as he was talking about how to better learn God’s will…
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
I truly believe that by learning more about what God wants, prioritizing what needs to be done during the day will become so much easier.
Maybe that’s the reason for the quicksand – I’ve been doing it all wrong this whole time…
Your thoughts?
What do you think? Have you ever felt like you just can’t get going and do anything productive? I know there are a lot more verses that could serve as encouragement to get out of that quicksand. I would love to hear what you have found. Can’t wait to hear from all of you!
