10 Quotes from What's Best Next

This book was not perfect, but I did enjoy it and learned from it. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book. Most of these are in the first two sections, which I found to be the most helpful. All formatting is the author's unless otherwise noted.

While efficiency is important, it works only when we make it secondary, not primary. It doesn't matter how efficient you are if you are doing the wrong things in the first place. More important than efficiency is effectiveness-getting the right things done. In other words, productivity is not first about getting more things done faster. It's about getting the the right things done. 

Simply speeding up doesn't help if you aren't going in the right direction in the first place.

The quest for efficiency often undermines the true source of effectiveness in any organization-the people.

To be productive, in fact, glorifies God because when we are productive we are not only obeying him but imitating him.

Knowing how to get things done-how to be personally effective, leading and managing ourselves well-is indeed biblical, spiritual, and honoring to the Lord. It is not unspiritual to think about the concrete details of how things get done; rather this is a significant component of Christian wisdom. 

To be productive is to be fruitful in good works...What is a good work? Anything that does good and is done in faith.

We can not only say that the gospel makes us productive, but we can also go a step further: the gospel makes us eager to be productive.

It is of the essence of Christlike character to always be thinking of others-which...is the guiding principle of our productivity.

Here is the core principle of productivity: know what is most important and put it first.

One of the biggest obstacles to doing first things first is what I call "the trap of the small stuff." We easily fall prey to the idea that before we can get to the big things, we need to get these small things clamoring for our attention out of the way. Resist this inclination; it's a trick.

Myths About Productivity

I am enjoying Matt Perman's book, Whats Best Next.  It has some of the typical drawbacks of this type of book. But I am at a place in my life where I want to be more effective in the vocation God has called me to, as well as in my family life.  I think this book is going to be helpful in my quest.

Perman begins by stating twelve myths about productivity and then puts the truth underneath it. I thought I would pass on these twelve myths about productivity. Not all of these impacted me equally, but I found #1, 2, and 9 to make me think carefully about my approach to productivity.

Myth #1: Productivity is about getting more done faster.
Truth: Productivity is about effectiveness first, not efficiency.

Myth #2: The way to be productive is to have the right techniques and tools. 
Truth: Productivity comes first from character, not techniques.

Myth #3: It is not essential to give consideration to what God has to say about productivity.
Truth: We cannot be truly productive unless all our activity stems from love for God and the acknowledgment that he is sovereign over all our plans.

Myth #4: It is not essential to make the gospel central in our view of productivity.  
Truth: The only way to be productive is to realize you don't have to be productive. [What Perman means is that we need to realize that we are fully accepted in Christ.]

Myth #5: The only way to be productive is to tightly manage yourself (and others!). 
Truth: Productivity comes from engagement, not tight control; when we are motivated, we don't need to tightly control ourselves (or others).

Myth #6: The aim of time management should be our peace of mind. 
Truth: Productivity is first about doing good for others to the glory of God.

Myth #7: The way to succeed is to put yourself first. 
Truth: We become most productive by putting others first, not ourselves.

Myth #8: We will have peace of mind if we can get everything under control.
Truth: Basing our peace of mind on our ability to control everything will never work.

Myth #9: To-do lists are enough. 
Truth: Time is like space, and we need to see lists as support material for our activity zones, not as sufficient in themselves to keep track of what we have to do.

Myth #10: Productivity is best defined by tangible outcomes. 
Truth: The greatest evidence of productivity come from intangibles, not tangibles. [By intangibles he means relationships developed, connections made, and things learned.]

Myth #11: The time we spend at work is a good measure of our productivity. 
Truth: We need to measure productivity by results, not by time spent working.

Myth #12: Having to work really hard or even suffer in our work means our priorities are screwed up or we are doing something wrong. 
Truth: We will (sometimes) suffer from our work, and it is not sin.

Dangers of Being a Man Pleaser

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as

menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God. (Colossians 3:22, KJV)

Paul warns us in this passage to make sure we serve God in our vocations and not just our employers.  When a man first gets a job he usually has a great desire to impress his boss. Of course, this is good. But Paul tells us this is insufficient. What are the dangers of “eyeservice” and “menpleasing?” (By the way, the ESV version says, “people pleasers.” That is lame.) Before we note the dangers let’s be clear on what Paul is saying.  He is not saying we should aim to displease our “masters according to the flesh.” All employees should seek to honor their bosses.  But Paul is saying that our ultimate allegiance should be to God.  Notice that Paul closes this verse by focusing on our hearts. We are to have a singleness of heart, which means a whole-hearted devotion to God. We are to fear God. So we are to obey our masters, but our hearts are to be completely devoted to our Lord. Here are the dangers of man’s approval being our ultimate goal instead of God’s.

First, if we are seeking to please men alone we will be tempted to only do the right thing if our employer is going to notice. There are many tasks in a man’s work day that the boss will never see or know about.  There are duties that should be done even if they are done in obscurity. But if we are only seeking man’s approval these good works will be left undone.

Second, we will be tempted to do the wrong thing if it pleases our employer. Often, especially in today’s work environment, employers or managers can require their employees to do things that violate our Christian faith. This could mean doctoring the books. It could mean joining in sexual harassment or making fun of someone at work. It could mean shading the truth over the phone.  If our employer approves of some sinful behavior and our eyes are not on the Lord then we could falter in order to please our boss.

Third, we will only work hard enough to please our boss.  Some bosses are very demanding. But some are not. You can slouch through your day and still come out ahead in the end. You can do just enough to not get fired. For a Christian, this is unthinkable.  Paul follows Colossians 3:22 by saying, “And whatever you do, do your work heartily as to the Lord and not to men.” If our goal is to please the Lord then half-hearted effort will not do. Each day we will seek to do our best. We will strive to improve at our vocations.  We will see our daily labor at the office, in the field, or in the hospital as a vital part of sanctification. 

Finally, if we are aiming to please only our employer then we will glorify ourselves instead of God. When we are men-pleasers we put ourselves forward. We shine a spotlight on our work so our bosses will see us and reward us. We want to be noticed by men. However, when we remember that God is the one who rewards us (Colossians 3:24) we do not glorify ourselves. We are not constantly climbing the ladder seeking recognition. If our work goes unnoticed we are fine with that. We work hard and trust that God will reward us in his time.  If our employers notice our hard labor then we are grateful and give glory to God. If our eyes are on God, who sees all, then self-promotion has no place.