I'm busy. I know many people who are busy as well. Once the calendar is setup, everything is pretty much off to the races and it can be pretty difficult to stop.

Here's the question I ask myself on Monday mornings: am I being productive?

There's so much information out there that it won't require much research to learn that we're so busy and we (Americans) take less time off than others, sleep less than the average person, and are operating at fight/flight modes around the clock.

I'm no expert, but what's definitely worth our thoughts is the difference between being busy and being productive.

Here are three quick snapshots of the busy life verse three snapshots of being productive.

THE BUSY LIFE

1. Overwhelmed and Unending
When you're busy, the tasks never seem to get finished and everything seems to fall behind; whether it's taking care of things at home or your responsibilities in your career, it never ends.

2. Procrastination
Procrastination apart of the busy life? Yeap.

When people procrastinate, they're all of the sudden busy and stressed as a result of laziness. Technically, you're on the grind and you're busy, but you're not productive. You're just running late.

3. Saying "Yes" to Everything
When you're busy, the answer is always "yes." And this can come as a result of people pleasing, pride, control, and many other motivations. Whatever you're reason, you'll be running on fumes in no time.

BEING PRODUCTIVE

1. Prioritze
This is three fold, but I think it'll help:
• Write everything down that needs to happen for the day or week;
• Prioritize each task, meeting, or objective;
• Do ONE thing at a time--you cannot move to number 2 on your list unless you've finished number 1.

Check it: only 2% of the world's population can multi-task and I'm pretty sure that's not you. It's definitely not me.

When you knock out one thing at a time, you'll increase your productivity by over 50%. Trust me, the list will be there tomorrow--finish one thing at a time

2. Say "No."
You can't be everywhere and you can't do all the things which means you're going to have to say "no" to things. Think of it this way, if you're always saying "yes" to something then that means you're saying "no" to something or someone else.

If I say "yes" to a ministry opportunity or meeting, I'm saying "no" to spending time with my wife and son. Keep this in check.

3. Time Off
Some of the most productive people schedule frequent time off in order to recalibrate and rejuvenate. And I understand that not everyone can take off due to their careers, so the key is to schedule (prioritize) weekly rhythms of rest so that when you are able to get time off, it'll be a little easier to disconnect.

Weekly rhythms will look different for everyone so play with it and see what works for you. Maybe it's a full day or two off during the week or you stop working at 6:00 p.m. everyday and put your phone away. Whatever it is, weekly rhythms help you be present and help you when it's time to disconnect.

THE GOSPEL
Being productive means being a good steward of your time and resources. It also means that our focus is on the work that's actually finished--on the cross, Jesus took our debt and credited His righteousness to us.

We are first defined by who we are and that helps to determine what we do. If it's the other way around, then we're simply slaves.

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