Hey friends, how are you today? It’s another beautiful day in my neighborhood. The clouds have completely covered the skies.  It is a dull, dark, and dreary day. There is snow on the ground, and today’s temperature reflects the day’s outlook; it is cold.  But we are not without hope! The days are longer today than it was last week.  And today demands that life be lived purposefully and intentionally.  Today is beautiful day because I know the One, who seats on the throne.  What’s your day like in your neighborhood? Cold? Mild? Hot? Huh…reminds me of coffee… except who like warm coffee?  Not a thing…

In last Tuesday’s post, we began the journey to a more productive life, to becoming better versions of the people we are today.  Do you know today matters? Today’s activities play a part of the future for you and me.  How I tackle and respond to circumstances today will determine my footsteps not only today but also in the future.  

Here are ten steps to becoming more productive.

1. Spend time with the Lord.  I know… I know… you’ve heard it before, but it’s true.  Time with Lord prepares us for the unseen, for the trials, for the people, (you know the ones, I’m talking about).  Time with Lord helps us to prioritize correctly, reminds us to avoid stress and anxiousness.  Time with Lord is without a doubt the best way to be productive.  

• 2. Prepare a plan.  It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.  Throughout the past few years, I’ve always made plans, I’ve had plans for my plans and even plans for these plans.  Write the things you want to accomplish daily, even the small things, write it all down. It is worth the joy in crossing off the items on the list.  I guarantee it.

• 3. Don’t hold on to the plans too tightly.  Be flexible. Don’t hold on to the plans too tightly. If you’re anything like me, we can sometimes accomplish more than what’s just on our list.  But there are days when we will do less, and still other days when we will do nothing on the list.  It’s okay, remember that time we spent with the Lord should prepare us for days like these. The days when people must take precedence over the task.  Sometimes our health demands that the list stays on the table and we must remember today was always part of God’s plan, even if it wasn’t ours.  

• 4. Prepare a plan.  Yes, it is here again, because some days the interruption will last a bit longer than we intended and what I want to do is throw away all future plans.  But I’ve come to the conclusion that that’s a form of giving up.  It’s also a lack of trust in our God.  Continue planning out the days, commit them to the Lord, hold onto the plans loosely. Because we think we know better does not make it so. 

• 5. Thwart distractions. Now that’s a hard one for me because at times, the distractions look a lot like a necessary interruption.  I allow the interruption because what I have to do, I don’t want to do, and that, my friends, is life’s conundrum.  The Apostle Paul himself says he struggles with this.  Self-control is a behavior our God wants to cultivate in all of us.  We’ve got this… 

• 6. Prioritize.  Such a little word and yet carries with it the cure to stress and anxiousness.  There are twenty-four hours in a day.  Our Lord tells us in Genesis, He rested after He created the worlds.  Time is a privilege, let’s use it wisely.  We were not meant to do everything.  That may mean saying ‘no’.  That may mean sharing a little more explanation why ‘this’ is just not possible right now or ‘I can’t”.  What use are we to anyone if we are stressed over everything?  Let’s be wise with our time.  It matters.

• 7. Find your best time for your best work.  I am a morning person.  I love mornings. I work best, and I accomplish more at the start of each new day.  That’s my best time.  My husband on the other hand is a night owl, he does his best work during that time of the day.  What’s yours? Find it and use that time to accomplish most of your plans.  

• 8. Create an environment that promotes productivity.  I enjoy a clean space, but not necessarily a sparse space.  I like nice things around me, so my environment portrays that kind of space.  On the other hand, my husband is a minimalist, which I most certainly am not.  So, he has learned to compromise, yes, he is a good man.  

• 9. Perfection is a figment of our imagination.  Well is good, better is best but perfect isn’t possible.  I have found most of us who think we do perfectly well, expect such perfection in others too.  Lower the standard, my friend.  We will accomplish much more if we realize that our best is what we’ve been called to perform and leave the rest to the Lord. 

• 10. Ask for help.  Need I say more? Ask for help.  Here… I will say it again… ask for help.   With that said, accept the help when it’s offered. The Lord in His infinite wisdom created us for fellowship, for forming relationships, whether that’s through our blood or bond family or the family of God.   We strengthen bonds, we foster friendships when we work together toward a common goal.  We can encourage and admonish and teach and train as we go about life.  We are not proficient at everything for a reason. 

These are a few of the ideas I plan to adhere to this year.   I am determined to become a better me but in order to do so, there is ‘work’ I have to complete and that begins with my time with the Lord.  How are you doing? What are a few of your plans for 2024? How are your plans to be successful? 

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