Summary
Tools are a form of wealth and we are meant to be good stewards over them. A rigorously blunt book on managing wealth and time, and using both to the glory of God. Strongly recommended to anyone looking for a 'productivity' handbook that does not only teach speed but also how to maintain right heading.
About
There's a certain stigma around productivity books that has made me steer well clear. Mostly the focus on self and becoming a production machine.
The first half of Ploductivity goes to explaining that efficiency applied to the wrong things is still not productive. There are many good pointers in the rest of the book from a man who has lots of experience at working hard, but I would say the key takaway is learning to maintain a pace that plods faithfully and constantly in a direction that pleases God.
“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.“ – Peter Drucker.
Key Takeaways
I've tried to keep together some of the thoughts that struck me. I hope it will help give you an impression of what the books about, or give you a refresher if you've read it before.
Setting things straight
- We live in a physical world, and, though we are more than the physical, we are called to dutifully work do things with what we’re given (work). Work has been given to us before the Fall.
- We should do that work as well as we can.
- Tools (and therefore technology) are there to better help us do that work.
- Tools are a type of wealth.
- 'Media' is an extension of tools — including our bodies, communication, travel, infrastructure, and so on. The substance which we use to interact with the world or ‘there where others are’.
- By loving God and interacting through ‘media’, we spread the Kingdom. Notice that media (or ‘interaction tools’) are required for this.
- We should not try to control the future, but work diligently with what is before us. Jesus controls the future.
- Receiving a gift and running away with it without being thankful, and rejecting the gift entirely, are both grotesque responses to God’s goodness.
- We should be living in the presence of God — aware that He sees all our work (or lack of it).
- Setting ambitious goals is a good thing, but determining whether or not we are desiring something sinful, or desiring it sinfully, is heart work
Using All We're Given
- Wealth is ability to tap into man hours — and we have an embarrassing large amount of it today with our technology and huge population.
- Do a little bit every day consistently — use up the wasted bits of time
- Work at a pace you can maintain
- The world is going with Jesus takes it, and we must make sure that we are thanking God for all his good (modern, technologic) gifts.
- Jesus is already on the throne. We should be right there with the people, talking about him.
