Categories
Books

A Christian framework for achieving greater productivity

Does God have anything to say about productivity? Yes he does, and we need to develop a distinctly Christian understanding of how to get things done, according to Matt Perman in his book What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done. We believe that the gospel changes everything about our home life, work life, church life and community life, but there is little reflection on how the gospel changes the way we get things done.

The author advocates a new kind of GDP: gospel-driven productivity, arguing that “getting things done” is essential to Christian discipleship, and that we need to be God-centred in our productivity, putting others first and realising that justification by faith alone sets us free to be more productive with good works. After discussing the theological implications, the author sets out a recommended framework for achieving greater productivity:

  • Define: Working out your mission, finding your calling and clarifying your roles
  • Architect: Creating flexible routines and structures
  • Reduce: Freeing up time by delegating, eliminating, automating and deferring
  • Execute: Planning, managing email, managing actions, and daily disciplines

The book’s productivity tips are largely based on the secular writings of Stephen Covey, David Allen, Peter Drucker and Scott Belsky, and the Christian writings of Jonathan Edwards. Some of the chapters are better than others; I found the chapter on mission statements somewhat confusing, and was rather surprised to see the seventy resolutions of Jonathan Edwards described as “an example from the best mission statement in the history of the world”.

The book is about 50 percent longer than a typical book, and could probably have been improved by a more rigorous application of the Reduce principle advocated by the author. Nonetheless, this book is a good place to start if you are a Christian who is feeling overly busy but insufficiently effective.