Looking back over the last few months of 2020, I think it's safe to say that the trajectory of this year has caught everyone off guard. From pandemic, to politics, to racial justice, it’s been a wild roller coaster ride, and I don’t know about you...but I’m tired! Who knew that right after setting our New Year's resolutions and celebrating all of our hopes for the future, that the entire world would be flipped upside down indefinitely. Crazy right? This unprecedented time in our history has forced us all to reckon with issues surrounding our sense of value, our beliefs, our habits, and the ways that we see ourselves and others. It’s been eye opening to say the least. However, if I’m completely honest, I think that it has also exposed some deep rooted issues in the nature of how our society operates as a whole, specifically in the area of work culture and productivity. I say this because not long after the pandemic hit, I began to notice an influx of productivity centered content flooding into my social media timelines. It seemed as though it wasn’t enough that we as a collective were processing overwhelming amounts of loss and set back on both personal and external levels. On top of that, we still needed to find ways to do more work too. This obsession with work and productivity is a learned behavior that we are taught from a young age, and while we are often rewarded for it, it is not always healthy or sustainable. So in this post I want to talk about it, and prayerfully offer you a different perspective on the concept of productivity that will help you to slow down and steward your life in a more meaningful way.

The Perils of Hustle Culture

I would like to begin by saying that there is nothing inherently wrong with work and working hard. After all, hard work is what helps us to produce some of the greatest fruit in our lives, and it’s a necessary rhythm to maintain. However, the issue begins when we start to idolize work and gain our sense of value and worth from it. It’s no secret that our society glamorizes being busy as an indicator of status. The more work you have, the more important you must be, and the more busy you are, the more exciting your life must be. This is what we are taught, which then sparks the vicious cycle of hustling, bustling, and exerting all of our energy to reach some figment of the top that we’ve concocted in our imaginations. Trying to maintain a lifestyle like this is mentally exhausting, but the worst part about it is that many of us don’t want to admit it. I think it's because there is a subtle guilt that emerges when we choose to slow down, which is something that I’ve witnessed at times in my own life too. Though I’m not completely sure why this is, my hunch is that it has something to do with comparison and our tendency to over-identify ourselves with what we do. So, when we are “productive” we feel like we are keeping up with the status quo of life and maintaining our positions in the world, which in turn makes us feel good even if it means losing our sanity.

A Life of Stewardship

The truth is that none of our lives are our own. They are borrowed experiences that will one day cease to exist when we transition on. So our goal in this lifetime should simply be to steward it well with open hands. As stewards, we understand that our time, opportunities, and resources are gifts that should be invested wisely into the areas of life that really matter not just for ourselves, but for others too. So we aren’t working aimlessly, or getting caught up in the minutiae of life, and striving to reach goals out of selfish ambition. Instead, we are living our lives day by day with intentionality, flexibility, and purpose. In this way, productivity can take on a freeing new meaning because the focus is not just on how frequently or efficiently we can produce something, but on the quality of whatever it is that we are putting our attention into.

Rhythms and Routines

For me, productivity isn’t just about working though a to-do list, or seeing how much I can accomplish in a day. Instead, it’s about implementing daily rhythms and routines that enable me to live more meaningfully throughout the day, and it encompasses more than just traditional work. Things like going for a walk outside, sitting in silence for a few minutes to think, cooking a homemade meal, doing acts of service for others, and learning a new hobby are all valid ways to be productive. In fact, I find that many of the truly inspiring moments in my life have happened while doing everyday mundane activities. Here are a few examples of daily rhythms that may be helpful to implement:

• Daily quiet time- As a believer, my quiet time often consists of a lot of prayer, bible reading, and reflection. However, even if you don’t identify with that, having a daily quiet time to just sit and be for an hour is so life giving. I personally like to do this as soon as I wake up in the morning before I check my phone because it keeps me from being distracted and it really helps to set the tone for the rest of my day.

• Walks outside- I’ve really found that getting outside on a regular basis does wonders for my mental health. So, I try to go on morning walks everyday to get some fresh air and a little exercise. This is a little harder to do now during quarantine, but I still do it when I can even if it’s just around my neighborhood.

• Full nights of sleep- Sleeping a full eight hours helps you to wake up the next day feeling refreshed and it also just helps to keep your body healthy. When you are rested, you are naturally able to perform any task better.

• Social media limits- Placing boundaries on your social media account is good for mental health and productivity. I recommend giving yourself 30 minutes to scroll and do whatever it is you need to do, and then logging out for the rest of the day. This is a practice that I use myself, and it does wonders.

• 20 minute mental breaks- Most of us spend our days looking at screens and consuming tons of information. So, taking 20 minute breaks to just do something that doesn’t require a screen or to just sit and breath is great for your mental health.

• Cooking homemade meals for yourself- cooking homemade meals can be very therapeutic and it's a lot healthier than eating out. Plus, it's the perfect way to wind down and treat yourself at the end of the day.

• Volunteering- Becoming a volunteer is a great way to do meaningful work that benefits your community, and it’s also a great way to build new relationships.

3  of My Favorite Non-toxic Productivity Resources

• The Focus Keeper App - This simple app implements the pomodoro method for productivity where you work for 25-30 minute increments and then take 5 minute breaks in between. I’ve found it to be a great way to work without becoming overwhelmed or distracted.

• The Read Scripture App - This app created by Bible Project has made reading the bible so much more accessible, and I’ve been able to read through the whole bible successfully in a year thanks to it. I love that it makes reading through the whole book exciting and less intimidating.

• Podcasts -  I’m a huge fan of podcasts because I love that I am able to multitask while listening to them. So, I’ll put one on while I’m in transit, or when I’m cleaning, or even when I’m just sitting because It’s a great way to keep learning even while you’re doing mundane things.

One of the pastors at my church loves to say that “the grace of Eden is the pace of Eden,” and I think that this motto perfectly describes how we should come to see the concept of productivity. While we aren’t in eden anymore, we can still carry the grace of eden with us throughout our daily lives, which means that we don’t have to strive, and reach all of the time to feel validated. In Genesis 1, God sets a wonderful example of what it means to work and rest. After spending six days creating the world, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Later on in the bible it also says that, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” In both of these verses, God doesn’t nit pick his work or stress over it. Instead, he creates it confidently in the best way possible and he says that it is good. Then he goes to rest. This is the type of rhythm that we should be living in - doing the work that we can in our own abilities and then trusting that God’s grace is sufficient to take care of the rest.