Todo list in notebookI recently found these steps to be very practical however obvious they may seem at a glance. They are especially helpful when I feel stuck.

#1 Trust God Completely

Distractions are the enemy of productivity. But why do we accept distractions? Why do we seek them out? It’s because we’re anxious about other things. We worry about a relationship, about finances, about a promotion, about being good enough, about thirteen other responsibilities, etc.

Worry leads us to distractions because they seem more pleasant than doing the actual work or dealing with the anxiety.

Every care, desire, or worry must be given to God. He can take care of them. When those anxieties are out of the way, the distractions we use to medicate the pain go with them. Suddenly, we gain focus.

#2 Do the Work

You can’t escape doing the work. You may feel overwhelmed. You may not have everything figured out. That’s normal. Start with what you do know. What is one thing you can do to move things forward?

Do it and enjoy it!

Don’t wait until you have it all figured out. Just start doing and you will make progress. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Eventually you will have one less thing to do and things will feel better. So once you’ve found focus from #1, make the most of it by doing the work you know to do now.

#3 Pray and Give Thanks

Everything is grace. So take breaks and give thanks to God for helping you every step of the way. Give thanks for being able to enjoy your work.

All your future efforts and outcomes are also in God’s hands. Ask God to bless your plans and efforts. Ask God to reward the work of your hands.

And that’s it! This post is short because it’s simply meant to help you and me get a bias for action. Leave a comment if you’d like to share more thoughts on getting things done!

 

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on…But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

(Matthew 6:25a, 33-34 ESV)