Redeeming Productivity

No one wants to be called a quitter. But even good things need to come to an end eventually. What are the principles we can use to determine when it's time to say goodbye to a project, job, or opportunity?

Get 30-Days Free of Covenant Eyes with Promo Code "ROSE"  

Christian optimism isn’t just toxic positivity. In this episode, Reagan makes a biblical case that optimism is a feature of our faith and not a personality trait. He discusses the practical benefits of being optimistic, why it’s a helpful trait to cultivate, and what the Bible says about worry and anxiety.

Get 30-Days Free of Covenant Eyes with Promo Code "ROSE"  

In this episode, Reagan offers a reframing of delegation—not as a way to shuffle your responsibilities off onto others, but as a way to disciple them and help them grow.

We all want to squeeze more things into less time. But over-optimizing your life may cause you to miss out on divine appointments.

A review of five new practices and apps I'm using to help me focus and be more productive. In this episode we talk about Notion, Readwise Reader, limiting social media usage, not using my phone in the house, and planning my weekends in advance.

The gospel changes our eternal destiny, but the gospel also should reshape our view of life, purpose, work, and productivity.  

Why pastors, of all people, should concern themselves with personal productivity and time management.

Links

But when we do good to look good, we do wrong.

Links

Motivation isn't a mystery.

Links

Personal productivity provides a structure that enables both spiritual growth and fruitfulness for Christians.

Links

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with our smartphones. We enjoy using them, we know they can make us more productive. But at the same time, they tend to be the biggest source of distraction in our lives. How can we navigate the relationship with our phone with wisdom? In this second installment of our Smartphone Emancipation series, we look at several strategies you can take to have a healthier, more God-honoring relationship with your phone.

Links

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with our smartphones. We enjoy using them, we know they can make us more productive. But at the same time, they tend to be the biggest source of distraction in our lives. How can we navigate the relationship with our phone with wisdom? Or should we just cast our iPhones into the sea?

Links

I wrote three books in the past two years. In this episode, I break down the process I used to plan and write while working full time and raising a young family. Even if you're not an author or aspiring author, these principles apply to working on any large scale project.

Links

If you want to be growing spiritually you need to be in God's Word. Here's a roundup of 9 Bible reading plans that can help you stay on track this year even if you're short on time.

Links

The world says your life is your own, but the Bible says you were bought with a price. This changes everything about how we approach our work and life itself. This episode is an excerpt from the audio version of my new book, Redeeming Productivity: Getting More Done for the Glory of God.

Links

This is a recent sermon I gave on Psalm 90 and the brevity of life.

Links

This may be the missing ingredient in your Christian life.

Links

3 reminders for when you find yourself feeling envious, disappointed, or just plain discontent.

Links

Is planning a failure to trust God? Here's how the apostle Paul thought about planning and what we can learn from him.

Links

Ask ten Christians what they think about video games, and you're likely to get ten opinions. This episode is a discussion between Reagan Rose and Patrick Miller about how Christians should think about the place of video games in their lives. Patrick is a pastor as The Crossing Church in Columbia, Missouri, and co-host of the podcast Truth Over Tribe.

Episode Links

In this episode, I talk with David Kaywood, Senior Associate Pastor of Eastside Community Church and the creator of Gospel Relevance. David is a fellow Christian productivity aficionado and in our conversation, we discuss what makes Christian productivity unique and trace the history of the movement that’s redefining how believers get things done for the glory of God.

Guest Links

How do we plan for the future without falling in love with money? How can believers view retirement as a stewardship instead of just some kind of permanent vacation? In this episode, I speak with Chris Cagle, of Retirement Stewardship, about the principles Christians can use to be wise and intentional about retirement and honor God in the process.

Guest Links

In this episode, I talk with Dustin Benge about how Christians can utilize social media in a God-honoring way, not get sucked into the outrage mob, and operate online with integrity. Believers often decry social media as a waste of time, but in just a few short years Dustin has accrued over 75,000 followers on Twitter by just following the strategy of simply "posting truth." Dustin shares valuable insights into how he thinks about his social media presence as an extension of his ministry and a stewardship from God.

Dustin is the author of The Loveliest Place: The Beauty and Glory of the Church. He is also the Biblical Spirituality & Historical Theology Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he also serves as the Vice President of Communications. 

Guest Links

In this episode, we look at a guy who makes just $20k/year working 1-hour per week. Is that laziness or contentment? We also discuss whether or not financial freedom or time freedom are legitimate goals for a Christian to pursue.

Links

In this episode, I'm joined by Marci Ferrell, the creator of Thankful Homemaker. Marci provides truth-filled, gospel-driven encouragement to homemakers who amid their ordinary days desire to honor and glorify God in all things. In our conversation, we discuss Marci's testimony, the challenges full-time homemakers face, contentment, and—of course—being productive in the home.

Links

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Are you stewarding them well? In this episode, I talk about one of the most overlooked productivity advantages Christians have and how to utilize your unique giftings to get more done and bring God more glory with your life.

Links

In this episode, we talk about the real temptation to let work and productivity consume your life. If we aren’t careful we can become disconnected from creation, our relationships, and even God. But if we approach productivity correctly, it can be a vehicle for greater faithfulness.

Links

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Kelly Kapic. Dr. Kapic is the author of You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News. We talk about how often our thinking about productivity does not take our finitude into account, how love is one of the most inefficient things you can do, and why our expectations for what we can get done in a day are so out of whack.

Notable Quotes

“I'm not here denying the reality of sin, but I am here deeply concerned that we have misunderstood what it means to be a creature.”

“God is calling us to be human, not superhuman. The Christian life is not superhuman life. It's just human life.”

“Probably one of the most inefficient things you can ever do is love. Anything that you love requires your time, your attention, your energy, and it makes demands on you. And so when productivity and efficiency become our highest value, often what's happening is we're trying to gain control of our environments. And the way you do that is by putting anything that will make demands on you at a distance. And that makes love hard, if not impossible.”

“Part of the goodness of creation is we were made to be dependent on God, on our neighbor, and on the earth. That is not a result of sin. Dependence isn't a result of sin. Sin just distorts those dependencies.”

Links

What do Jordan Peterson, Rachel Hollis, and Dave Ramsey all have in common? According to one writer, these three represent the inroads that secular self-help has made into the church. But why have these gurus have become so influential in our churches? Is there an area of Christian living that the church has been deficient in addressing? I think so.

Links

In this episode, I celebrate the milestone of doing Redeeming Productivity for one full year full time. And I share some of the lessons I've learned about productivity, entrepreneurship, and just trying all kinds of different things to make RP sustainable. 

Links

The Puritans were serious about living lives that count for God's glory. In this episode, I speak with pastor and Jonathan Edwards scholar, Matthew Everhard. We talk about what modern Christians can learn from Edwards's 70 resolutions. We also talk about the value of weekly routines and what Matthew has learned from taking notes using the same systems Edwards did.

It can be tempting to believe that because we are just spiritual people our physical environments don’t affect us. But they do. And often the best thing you can do to become more disciplined is not to rely on willpower, but instead, curate an environment that fosters the kind of habits you want to grow. 

Get my new book, A Student’s Guide to Gaming

In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Martin who is the author of the new book Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media. We discuss how social media is affecting us and how Christians should think about engaging online.

In November I switched from an iPhone to a dumb phone to promote focus and more engagement with real life. I thought I knew what I was getting into. I thought the change would be permanent. But I gave up after just a month and went crawling back to my smug little iPhone. In this episode, I’ll share the thinking process that led me to pursue a low-tech solution, what I learned from the experiment, and the steps I’ve taken since switching back to dumb down my iPhone.

In this episode, Dr. Peter Sammons and I discuss the process of writing a book. How do you go from idea to written final version? We also talk about our experience navigating the world of publishing. And most importantly, whether you’re writing a book or just doing some other side project, we talk about how you can make progress on long-term projects while still balancing the rest of life’s responsibilities.

In this episode, we talk about the unhelpful ways Christians often discuss gaming, why video games are so stinking fun, and how Christians should approach gaming. I also share a reading from my brand new book A Student’s Guide to Gaming which comes out this week.

Buy my new book, A Student’s Guide to Gaming

In this final episode of the year, I share some of the productivity techniques and habits I tried in 2021 and what I learned from them. I talk about my experience using a dumb phone, why I’m quitting Roam Research, and some of the habits and goals I’ve set for the new year.

Links

The Industrial Revolution brought untold financial prosperity to the West. It also forms the philosophical foundation for the modern personal productivity movement. In this episode, I discuss some of what was lost in our work, our homes, and our understanding of both time and productivity because of how the Industrial Revolution reshaped our thinking. 

More from Redeeming Productivity

How should Christians think about exercise and fitness? In this episode, Reagan talks with Don LaTorre, creator of Layman's Fitness, a ministry that helps Christian men connect both the theology and practice of physical fitness for the glory of God.

Links Mentioned

It seems like everyone is talking about Bitcoin these days. But how should Christians think about this digital money? Is it a scam, a get-rich scheme, or something worthy of a closer look? In this episode, Reagan talks to the trio behind Bitcoin & the Bible, a podcast that seeks to examine Bitcoin in light of God's Word.

Links Mentioned

Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, is a modern productivity classic. How can Christians take and apply the principles of deep work to rise above the distractions that surround us, live more God-glorifying lives, and better serve others? 

Links Mentioned

We've all known that hopeless feeling of having more to do than you could possibly hope to accomplish. Why is it that we overcommit? How does productivity actually make the problem worse? And how do we break free from an addiction to overdoing it?

Links Mentioned

Reagan chats with Jordan Raynor about his new book Redeeming Your Time, saying no generously, how the life of Jesus is a model of unhurried busyness, and Jordan's most effective strategy for turning down the noise in your life so you can focus on what matters most.

Links Mentioned

In the age of remote work, the best way to be the light of Christ to your coworkers is by having a reputation for integrity. In this episode, I share a few tips on how to make sure you're not cutting corners working from home and actually being a blessing to your employer.