Do You Worship at the Altar of Productivity?

It might be time to smash your idols

There’s a joke in my family that goes something like this:

“Don’t put your fork down when you eat at Sue’s house because she’ll whisk your plate away!”

This refers to my sister’s Martha-ish way of housekeeping. She’s fastidious and likes to clean things up, finish something, wrap it up, move on, get it all done.

I am Martha-ish too and I’ve been guilty of moving from one task to the next, not allowing myself to linger or be fully present. The power of productivity had a strong grip on my life for many years. Checklists, planners, to-do lists, and color-coded calendars were all the markers of a productive life. I loved to get things done and walk away from the day reciting in my head all that I had accomplished.

Much like Martha’s personality as seen in Luke chapter 10 of the New Testament, I was driven to complete things and not stop to enjoy life around me

As a perfectionist, my self-worth was rooted in the belief that enough was never enough. When my husband was resting on the couch I was often found sweeping the kitchen floor or tidying up in the other room. Mine was always a mindset of when I finish just one more task, then I can relax. While others could sit down and put things off until tomorrow, I was restless and anxious if things were undone. Because something is always undone in our imperfect world, I was restless and anxious a lot.

Planning works well when deadlines need to be met and productivity is a mark of excellence when one works an assembly line but for a creative child of God, a homemaker or church leader, productivity can be an idol. This occurred to me one day as I had been transitioning from a full-time high-stress job to a work-from-home writer and blogger but was having a difficult time quantifying a productive day.

When planning stops working

Planning was second nature to me, so as the experts suggest, I attempted to lay out a yearly, quarterly, and monthly plan from which I could structure my weeks and days down to the very last to-do. This process was fraught with anxiety, restlessness, and tension to the point of wanting to throw my planner and colored pens out the window.

Why, I wondered, was this such a struggle?

I had always prided myself on the ability to work productively, structure my days, break large tasks into smaller chunks, and meet deadlines. What had happened to my brain?

After attempting this a couple of times I came to the realization that I should not plan that far ahead. I would plan monthly and then weekly to keep things manageable. Still no go. Anxiety welled up in my chest and the familiar roiling of being overwhelmed replaced the peace and rest I had found in my new way of life.

My third attempt at planning took the form of a new, simplified planner. This will be the ticket, I thought. Still, I was unable to plan even a week at a time without growing anxious and cranky. The sensations I encountered reminded me of my high school days willing myself to sit until I understood Algebra II. Failure and frustration.

Isn’t it interesting how long it can take us to match our actions to our emotions and bodily responses? If what I was doing resulted in stress and anxiety, shouldn’t I have made the connection right away that my heart was telling me something my mind wasn’t used to hearing? It was not good for me to plan this way. There was something else I needed to allow to shape and form my days and weeks.

I sat with my discomfort long enough until the Holy Spirit revealed the connection

When I plan, I make productivity an idol. I measure my success against a self-imposed baseline of what a productive day or week looks like. I take credit for the successes and beat myself up over the ineffective, seemingly barren days. And more importantly, when I plan I leave no room for God’s Spirit to intervene and guide.

It was hard to accept that this could be God’s direction for me, and being the stubborn perfectionist that I am, I tried one more time to get my life organized in that pretty pink planner. And once again, anxiety made me want to crawl out of my skin. I took my concerns back to God and surrendered my will to His. He directed me to Matthew 11, verses 28–30, which read in part,

“Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (MSG).

I imagined a grin on Jesus’ face as he seemed to be saying to me, “Oh you’re going to work, Mary, but it’s not going to be in the way you are used to.”

How did Jesus plan to be productive?

When I think of how Jesus worked, I can’t help but notice he was busy but never hurried. I doubt that he had a day planner or that when he met with his disciples in the morning before setting out for the day’s ministry that they went over their agenda.

9:00 Catch boat to Gerasenes

10:15 Cast out demons from the possessed man

11:30 Head back across the lake to heal the woman with the issue of blood

1:00 Raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead

3:30 Prepare for the next day’s commission and sermon at Bethsaida

(adapted from Luke 8)

And I doubt they had checklists either.

• We’re gonna need a boat, can somebody arrange that?
• Remember to book that mountainside for Wednesday’s sermon
• Check in with Peter’s mother-in-law to make sure the healing has held
• Can somebody order lunch for tomorrow? I’m kind of tired of bread and fish

And yet, Jesus certainly had productive days, led by the Spirit of God as he taught, encouraged, connected, created, and touched lives. If my agenda was my own planning would work but I had vowed to give my talents, gifts, time, and work to God. Therefore, didn’t it make sense that my agenda needed to shift to His? And if what was needed was to be responsive to the Holy Spirit and allow for His interruptions in my day, I would need to leave that planner in the desk drawer because my personality is such that if it is written, I must do it.

“My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted until I discovered the interruptions were my work.” Henri Nouwen

Often what we see as detours or distractors in our day, the messes, defeats, interruptions, mistakes, are God’s purpose and real presence in our lives — the real work and real life. Jesus knew His purpose but walking every day toward that purpose didn’t require a detailed calendar and agenda, it required obedience.

I’ve learned that I cannot implement the same strategies that worked for me in the world’s work system.

God had to break me of my old way of doing things. We can’t jump from chaos to trust by implementing the same lifestyle, choices, and habits that we used to when we were in the world.

God’s ways are always to bring us to a place of more trust in Him. Learning to leave my planning behind is an act of obedience and trust on my part. As I trade my form of productivity for His, He maximizes my effort and I am able to enter into an almost carefree lifestyle. He’s not interested in empowering me to do more but chooses to stop me in my tracks so I have less to do and He can be more for me.

If it seems hard to unplan, or to allow margin its due place in your life, there’s a chance that productivity has become an idol for you

If God is asking you to let some things go and it feels hard, ponder the words of Teresa of Avila who said, “Obedience usually lessens the difficulty of things that seem impossible.”

When we let God plan our day, the measuring stick of success looks less like productivity and more like obedience.

Hi, I’m Mary. I love to simplify so I have time in my life for what’s important to me. Creating a simple, full life didn’t just happen. It took courage, vision, and some strategic planning. It wasn’t always easy but I found my way through the clutter and distractions to find an authentic life of faith.

You can become a part of a growing community of women who are saying “no” to hustle and stress and “yes” to a lifestyle of freedom and rest. I’d love to walk this journey with you in a private Facebook group where we focus on less doing and more being.

This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family and fun.

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