Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity

Working from home sounds like the greatest thing ever when you don’t work from home. And don’t get me wrong, it is great. There’s nothing like waking up and walking down two flights of stairs (in your PJS no less) to get to the office. I especially appreciate it because I know what it’s like to drive an hour to work. I’m not complaining.But working from home isn’t all sunshine and unicorns. And it isn’t for everyone. People who work from home have to be self-motivated. They have to be able to manage their time well. They need to have priorities. They need a plan.Unfortunately, none of that describes me.I’m an easy-going, take-it-as-it-comes, wait-until-the-last minute kind of guy. You may know someone like me. Or, you may be someone like me.Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t like the idea of productivity. I love the idea. I’ve just never been any good at turning the idea into anything other than an idea.Until now.Tim Challies has written the perfect book for people like me. If you make your own schedule (whether you work from home or not) and feel like you could be more productive, don’t waste your time reading this review. Just buy the book. Don’t waste your time reading what I have to say. Instead, just start reading the book. You can thank me later.Now, for those of you that aren’t fully convinced, let me explain what makes this book so good…One of the things I love about this book – and you may completely disagree with me here – is the fact that Challies grounds his ideas in a biblical theology of productivity. If you aren’t a Christian, you may be turned off by this fact but I’d encourage you to take the time to listen (the book isn’t all that long anyway). According to Challies, “productivity is not what will bring purpose to your life, but what will enable you to excel in living out your existing purpose.”And what is our purpose? According to scripture, it’s to glorify God through good works. Challies examines this idea and, in so doing, reminds the reader that we are not our productivity. Whether I get 2 things done today, or 200 things, I still bear God’s image. My identity is not so bound up in what I do that I have to become a workaholic in order to truly be human.With that said, what I do does matter. I just need to have the right perspective. As Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).And whether you’re a Christian or not, this truth is helpful. Life isn’t about putting checkmarks in boxes. It’s about doing the most good.When we approach productivity from this perspective, it’s freeing. We don't have to look at it as a chore – a list of things to ‘get done.’ Instead, we’re free to focus on building something – a better family, a better career, a better life.Challies’ perspective reminds me of John Wesley’s encouragement to “do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”But does it work?As I’ve already said, I’m not a very productive person. If I’m left alone, entropy sets in. And entropy usually looks like a combination of Facebook, YouTube, and news websites. But Challies is so specific and his instructions are so simple that productivity becomes natural – even for someone like me.And the system works. Or, it has been working for the past couple of weeks. And that’s really something for me. Normally, I find something new, do it for three days, and promptly return to my old ways. Old habits, as they say, die hard.But Challies' system makes sense. And it’s easy. And the only necessary tools are free to anyone with an e-mail account and internet access. There’s no need to buy expensive planners or file folders. Challies’ whole system can be done with three apps: Google Calendar, ToDoist, and Evernote (I added Trello to my own personal mix of productivity apps for certain information).Basically, this book brings the old adage ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ to bear on how we work. Google Calendar is for events. ToDoist is for tasks. Evernote is for information. But Challies doesn’t just say “download these apps and use them.” That would make for a very short book.Instead, he guides you through the process of setting these apps up for maximum efficiency and of maintaining the system in the long term. One review I read described Challies as a ‘shepherd’ of productivity. I couldn’t agree more.Reading this book is like sitting down with a close friend – a friend who has discovered the secret to being productive – and letting him explain his methods.And his methods work.As I’ve already made clear (at least twice), I’m one of the least productive people I know when left to my own devices. But I’m genuinely getting more done now than I ever have in the past. I’m writing sermons earlier, praying more often, and reading scripture with greater intensity. And I don’t say all that to brag on myself. Hardly! I say it because I want you to know that if you’ve ever struggled with being productive, there is an answer.And its name is 'Do More Better.'Now stop reading this and go buy it.P.S. - Definitely read the chapter on e-mail. It's so worth it.

I want to do more—better. Don’t you?The problem, however, is that my ambition often leaves me feeling like King Solomon described in Psalm 127: with vanity-ach. Rising early, going to bed late, eating the bread of anxious toil—it’s no way to live. Solomon writes, in contrast to this, God “gives to his beloved sleep” (v. 2).And it’s here that Tim Challies begins Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity, with the encouragement that if a man as busy as King Solomon could figure out how to live a productive but not anxious life then by the grace of God, so can you.For those who don’t know, Challies is a husband, father, pastor, author, and has about a half dozen other important roles, such as co-founder of a publishing company (Cruciform Press) and host of a very popular Christian blog (Challies.com). And when I say “popular,” that’s an understatement. His blog had just under 16 million pageviews in 2015. For comparison, mine had less than 16 thousand.Yet for all this, Challies maintains that he’s no productivity guru.That’s okay by me, though. He’s certainly a practitioner, and his aim in Do More Better, as he writes, is to “open up [his] life and to let you in a little bit” (7). In other words, Do More Better is decidedly not a bloated textbook of source material with footnotes. Rather, as the subtitle says, it’s a practical (and we might add “personal”) guide to productivity.Do More Better has ten short chapters, and begins by stressing the importance of knowing your purpose; you can’t be truly productive without it. Then, Challies talks about how to find your particular purpose and mission, that is, how to find the sphere of responsibility that God has called you to be productive in. The book concludes by exploring tools for collecting your tasks, planning your calendar, and gathering your information. There are two bonus chapters, one on taming your emails and another with 20 tips for increasing your productivity.What is Productivity?Let’s talk for a moment about definitions. Challies defines productivity in this way:Effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God.When defined in this way, Challies underscores that productivity is first a theological issue. Thus, productivity is not merely a good thing that Type-A personalities kick-start in the early morning hours. Rather, because productivity is about “stewarding your gifts . . . for the good of others and the glory of God,” then to be unproductive is a sin of omission that must be forgiven and forsaken. In short, every Christian, not just go-getters, must strive for productivity.Drop and Give Me 20Speaking of striving, be aware that Challies isn’t writing to simply relay information. Get ready to work. To see what I’m talking about, consider how the opening paragraph to Chapter 4 ends: “And that means you are ready for your next assignment” (35).Assignment? Wait—what?The assignment he’s talking about is related to identifying your specific purpose and mission, and the responsibilities associated with it. He’ll metaphorically hold your hand through the process, of course, but in this way Challies is more personal trainer than author.Just as it will do an athlete little good to know the proper form on squats (inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up; flat back; eyes up; and keep your knees from extending beyond your toes—by the way), so it will do the reader little good to burn through this short book without application. Remember, it’s not receiving good coaching that matters. It’s good coaching followed that matters. And by way of encouragement, I can say that I was helped as I completed the assignments.Small Book, Big StrengthsThere are many things I appreciated about Do More Better. Here are a few of them.First, I appreciated the simplicity. For example, if you have ever found yourself staring at a “To do list,” remember, you can only do four things with each task: delete it, do it, defer it, or delegate it (p. 59).Second, I loved the bonus chapters, especially the one on taming your email. My approach to my inbox didn’t seem so silly until Challies proposed this: “Imagine if you treated your actual, physical mailbox like you treat your email” (p. 109). If every time you received a letter or piece of junk mail you just peaked at it and stuffed it back in the mailbox, the result would be both humorous and sad.Finally, my favorite aspect was the distinctively Christian approach to productivity. For example, note this comment about delegating tasks to others.Most productivity gurus will encourage you to be as selfish as you need to be, to get rid of anything that doesn’t interest or excite you. But as a Christian you can do things that do not perfectly fit your mission but still do them out of love for God and with a desire to glorify him. (p. 42)Here, as throughout, the book is in stark relief to a selfish, secular approach to productivity. Every aspect of our lives, including our productivity, is to be bounded by godliness. For, what profit is it to us if we achieve massive levels of productivity without glorifying God? Any attainment in God-dishonoring productivity is like running the race backwards—really, really, really fast. Ultimately, you won’t win; instead, you’re productively running in the wrong direction.If there had been more space, I would have liked to see a little more discussion of Sabbath and contentment. God has appointed limits to our productivity, limits for our good. Also, more critique of the idols of achievement would have further highlighted a distinctively Christian view. The book, however, is purposefully short. I appreciated this, and I think you will too.I highly recommend Do More Better. It will help you discover God’s purposes for your life and move productively towards them.

I read this a year ago in a moment of my life in which I was drowning in work and ministry. I've been following Tim Challies ministry for a while and when I found out that he had written a book about God glorifying productivity I didn't think twice to buy it. It drastically changed the way I go through my day and how I prioritize my work, I used to be behind schedule most of the time and now it's the opposite. I'd dare to say that understandig, that the use of my time also glorifies God and using the tips that are in this book, I increased my productivity three-fold.

Tim Challies gibt sehr viele, reiche und praktische Tipps, die dein Leben organisierter gestalten und aus diesem Grund produktiv macht. Allerdings geht er eher auf ein produktives Leben ein, welches großen Nutzen an digitalen Medien macht. Obwohl altmodische Menschen auch vom Buch profitieren, ist es besser für digitale Nutzer geeignet.

I really enjoyed every moment of reading this book. It's only short, but if you take the time to actually implement what is described in it as you go, then you will find it takes longer.The biggest benefit to my life is the task management tool described in the book. It has literally revolutionised the way I do things. I get more things done in less time simply by not having to constantly recall what it is that I have to do. Also that guilty, nagging feeling that I've forgotten something no longer exists! I know where to find everything now!Thanks, Tim, for writing this book. It ministered to me in a way the Christian books usually don't. Bless you.

Quick to read, easy to implement. Practical tips how to organize yourself through software - with some Bible-Verses in between. I am giving "Todoist" a try that was THE discovery for me. Money well spend.

We often find that books give us great theory, but are light on practical applications. 'Do More Better' is not one of those! Quite the opposite, it provides a step by step approach to being more productive in life, your mission. This book is recommended for busy people who need help in getting more out of their day.