23 articles
When people ask me for the number 1 book I recommend (apart from the Bible), in any context: business, leadership, productivity, ministry, etc…, immediately my answer is What’s Best Next by Matt Perman. This is not simply because Matt is a friend and I’m a fan. This book is absolutely crucial in our current knowledge-work […]
I had a conversation today with my coworkers about what to do when you feel like you are stuck in a rut and actually need to get a lot of things done. I realized looking back that my two biggest productivity hacks are prayer with journaling, and naps. Most of the time when I am […]
The following eight steps will help you overcome e-mail overload. 1. Set up an auto-responder, kindly thanking them for their email, and setting reasonable expectations about a reply timeframe. Thanks for your e-mail. I have received it and will respond as soon as possible. In an effort to provide better customer service and higher quality […]
Today I spoke at the Faithwalkers Midwest Conference on “Technology and the Glory of God”. The following is a compiled list of links and resources for further study and implementation.
Matt Perman’s new book has me re-examining my time and task management systems. I have seen some questions floating around about optimal OmniFocus setup, so I thought I’d share mine. I don’t know that it’s optimal, but perhaps this will be helpful, and if anyone has any insights to optimizing, that would be great!
If you read only one book this year*, it should be What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman. Yes I mean that. The aim of the book is “to reshape the way you think about productivity and then present a practical approach to help you become […]
Do your daily tasks include handling a large amount of incoming information that you are expected to process, act on, and keep track of? Â Do you feel like you are constantly getting busier, with more responsibilities, with no end in sight, and cannot currently handle it all? Would you like to boost your effectiveness at […]
Implementing David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology has changed my life in terms of being able to accomplish tasks and especially having the creative head-space to think and dream, and execute on those dreams.  By no means have  I perfected this, and I still let a lot of things drop (something about the way I’m […]
My friend and colleague Matt Perman was interviewed by Collin Hansen for The Gospel Coalition on the doctrine of vocation. On the off chance that you read this blog and not the
Great post on the Harvard Business Review about Five Things You Should Stop Doing in 2012. I think you should stop doing them immediately. 1. Responding Like A Trained Monkey – (compulsively checking your email) 2. Mindless Traditions – Slavery to unnecessary tasks for the task’s sake. (Though I think some traditions are worth keeping, […]
Watch this excellent presentation on productivity myths and truths by Tony Schwartz, a productivity and performance consultant, over at the 99percent blog (note, this is a popular creativity site, nothing to do with occupy wall street, sort of its antithesis…)
Even with an iPad, I still use a physical journal to capture most things. I haven’t yet found an app (or perhaps I’m not practiced enough with the tool) to quickly capture thought on paper, including sketches, doodles, and other free-form type text that helps me put my brain on paper. My favorite journal, like […]