Achieve More by Doing Less

What if everything we believe about productivity is wrong?

Most of us equate busyness with productivity... what if busyness is killing your productivity?

Cal Newport, the author of Slow Productivity, thinks so. Cal points out that, for many of us, social media has forced us into a constant state of urgency. It forces us to play the dangerous game of comparison in what productivity looks like in the workplace AND in how we live our lives.

It’s nearly impossible to scroll through social media without seeing someone whose social media followers are greater than ours or a church event that is more ‘epic’ than ours. So, we put in significant effort to live up to the standards of other churches and the ideals that the world encourages us to embrace as individuals. It’s super easy to start playing the comparison game. We get it from both sides, as church leaders and as humans living in the digital age. We have friends and neighbors finding great success in their lives, and at the same time, we see churches across social media doing amazing things in ministry.

If you start down the road of comparison, it will always lead you to a path you were never meant to travel. If you are anything like me, comparison can become a dangerous fuel that often leads to doing more while not necessarily accomplishing more. Despite knowing that this "do more" kind of productivity isn't sustainable, we often feel like we should have done more, making us disappointed with our performance—and, at times, ourselves.

I've been there, overloaded and burning out despite seeing our church growing week after week. Like many church staff members, I felt constant pressure to “do more”, only leading to more burnout and greater dissatisfaction. I was restless, but this book helped to highlight a more sustainable path forward. Since I know I'm not alone when it comes to feeling pressure to "hustle" more, I want to share 4 of the biggest takeaways I gleaned from Cal's book in today's edition of ‘The Fold.’

4 Takeaways from Cal Newport's Slow Productivity

1. Do Fewer Things

As church leaders, we often feel immense pressure to move fast and take on everything that comes our way, but this scattered focus is counterproductive. Here’s why:

• Every task adds administrative overhead.

• The more tasks you have, the more admin time you spend on task management.

• The more time spent on managing tasks, the less time there is for working on the projects that matter—despite working more.

Newport argues that the real drain isn't executing small tasks; it's the cognitive load required to keep everything organized. This load tends to carry over into other tasks, preventing you from staying focused on just one thing. So, he proposes you work only on one project per day.

To begin adding structure to your week, simplify tasks down to one project per day and define daily practices. This is where you set aside regular times to work on specific tasks. When you set a proper routine, it helps to reduce your mental overhead. Here are some ideas you can steal to become more productive:

• Schedule all your meetings on the same day each week.

• Do your most important deep work at the same time each morning.

• Reply to emails and messages during pre-set office hours. (I still have issues keeping myself accountable for this.)

When activities become routines, you barely need to think about them. Your brain adapts, and things start to become frictionless. It’s easier to get into flow states, allowing for deep work. You likely will find you get more done in less time, with less stress.

2. Work at a Natural Pace

In the race to get everything done, it's easy to treat ourselves like machines—to push relentlessly and ignore our human need for rest. But we aren't machines. We are more like athletes. Like athletes, we must treat rest and nutrition not as chores but as a part of our performance. Athletes also don’t train ‘all out’ all the time. It’s just not sustainable. They train hard, and then they rest hard.

The best productivity hack is Sabbath (rest). Scripture focuses so much on this; in fact, it’s a commandment. The Lord knows we need rest. We must make time to focus on rest. Not just physical rest but rest for your mind as well. I know I struggle with resting my mind. I can put on Netflix and veg out, but my mind keeps working away. This isn’t Sabbath rest. We must also lay our task list before the Lord, knowing it’s His job to build the church, not ours. That being said, we must be good stewards of our time and resources.

So, here’s the productivity hack. To work at your natural pace, implement a pull-based task management system:

• Keep two lists—a "backlog" for all tasks and an "active" list limited to 3-5 items.

• Only ‘pull’ new tasks into "active" as you complete the current ones.

• Let go of the rest until you have the capacity.

• Clean the list once a week.

Focus is a key factor in this productivity hack. If you focus on the wrong or nonessential things, you will spend countless hours working with little impact to show for it. So, pushing harder won’t work either. You will eventually end up in a state of burnout. Look to embrace a healthy pace and rhythm. Pull tasks as you find more time in your day. Find a proper balance, and you will achieve more with less stress.

3. Obsess Over Quality

In the world, the mantra is often "quantity over quality." Do more. One phrase I love is “Done is better than perfect." But while there's value to that approach, it's easy to forget that not all work is equal—you need more quality work.

Newport makes a simple point: "Obsess over the quality of what you produce, even if this means missing opportunities in the short term. Leverage the value of these results to gain more and more freedom in your efforts over the long term." He says there's immense value in being in the top 0.1% at one thing. Quality takes time, and the process is slow, but the compounding benefits of becoming world-class at your craft are undeniable. Measure your productivity by quality instead of quantity. You're productive if you get just 1% better at what you do.

There is a caveat to this. Quality is super important, but knowing when to be done and to move on to the next thing presents a challenge for us perfectionists. Craig Groeschel breaks it down like this. “As a leader, you want to find that sweet spot where you get the greatest level of return for the investment you make in time, money, and resources. The key is GETMO—Good Enough to Move On.”

So, keep this thought in mind as you pursue creating world-class experiences, content, etc., for your congregants. For those perfectionists out there, it’s okay if it’s not perfect. You will need to release it to the world at a point in time. So, do your best to GETMO and move on to the next task. Remember, "Perfect is the enemy of good”—Voltaire.
​
​

4. Surround Yourself with the Best

Newport said one of the best ways to elevate anything that you do is to be surrounded by like-minded people. As church leaders, we tend to insulate and not reach across our cities to connect with other church leaders. I think sometimes we worry about people leaving our communities and choosing to attend that new, up-and-coming church around the corner. Let’s not fall into the fear mindset. Iron sharpens Iron. We know that the body of Christ is not a zero-sum game. When you gather with like-minded individuals:

• You are exposed to new perspectives and ideas.

• Camaraderie pushes you to elevate your own ‘game’.

• You learn you are not alone.

If you need some community, contact the local churches around you. Find ways to impact the body of Christ outside the four walls of your church. If you are looking to connect with a broader community, reach out to us at info@threefold.solutions. We have a large community of churches that would love to connect with you to support and encourage you in everything you want to accomplish at your church.

Michael Visser

P.S. Here’s how we can further assist you:

#1: Looking for more tips and tricks? Check out our blog.

#2: Check out our YouTube Channel for all things Planning Center.

#3: Contact us directly at info@threefold.solutions if you have questions or want us to write on a particular topic.