Do More and Do It Better: A Practical Guide to Increasing Productivity

Ted Escano: This is a no-fluff, realistic, and biblically sound book that both answers the how and why of productivity. The writer has been using the tools recommended and are actually easy to follow. Highly recommend this book!

Canada on Jan 09, 2022

C.C.I.FennC.C.I.Fenn: Working from home sounds like the greatest thing ever when you don’t work from home. And don’t get me wrong, it is great. There’s nothing like waking up and walking down two flights of stairs (in your PJS no less) to get to the office. I especially appreciate it because I know what it’s like to drive an hour to work. I’m not complaining.

But working from home isn’t all sunshine and unicorns. And it isn’t for everyone. People who work from home have to be self-motivated. They have to be able to manage their time well. They need to have priorities. They need a plan.

Unfortunately, none of that describes me.

I’m an easy-going, take-it-as-it-comes, wait-until-the-last minute kind of guy. You may know someone like me. Or, you may be someone like me.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t like the idea of productivity. I love the idea. I’ve just never been any good at turning the idea into anything other than an idea.

Until now.

Tim Challies has written the perfect book for people like me. If you make your own schedule (whether you work from home or not) and feel like you could be more productive, don’t waste your time...

United States on Jan 19, 2017

Corey: Challies says from the get go he wants to change your life, and he does a pretty darn good job at it.

I've read a decent amount of productivity literature and tried a variety of methods and tools and the like. I work for the Canadian branch of Campus Crusade for Christ (Power to Change - Students) and anyone who knows Crusade knows that they are a high energy, efficient strategy kind of organization. I've found the resources with them overwhelming at times and not always suitable to me (probably because of who I am, not because the methods are bad). Challies' principles and tips, however, worked beauty for me.

He starts with a couple chapters that are foundational to preparing you with a Christian understanding of productivity and a correct understanding of your personal context. These give you the right lenses to see your life & productivity through as well as get you organized. From these essential beginnings, your moved to some select key principles (both spiritual and organizational) and essential tools (calendar, task, and information tools) with appropriate "workflows" (how to use the said tools in the day to day) and some important daily/weekly review...

Canada on Mar 14, 2016

T Walker: I am steadily implementing the system for time management Tim Challies recommends. So far I've found it extremely helpful. Not only because the author clearly lays out a good system in an easy-to-follow way, but because he also sets out the theological basis for productivity so well: to glorify God and serve others with the limited time we receive. The system he recommends is based on selected task management, diary and information storage software. Once you have those in place and use them daily, you will begin to experience real improvements in the way you use your time. The author himself uses the system he's recommending and you can tell he's got it working for him using its full potential. He communicates it clearly.
One point to be aware of: the software recommended in this book may involve a financial cost, depending on which you choose to go with. Initially I questioned the necessity of paying out for this, but since getting the apps am glad I invested.
If you are like me and would like a fellow Christian who's wisely stewarding his time to come alongside you and show you how to do the same better, then you won't be disappointed with this book.

United Kingdom on Feb 08, 2016

Benjamin Vrbicek: I want to do more—better. Don’t you?
The problem, however, is that my ambition often leaves me feeling like King Solomon described in Psalm 127: with vanity-ach. Rising early, going to bed late, eating the bread of anxious toil—it’s no way to live. Solomon writes, in contrast to this, God “gives to his beloved sleep” (v. 2).

And it’s here that Tim Challies begins Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity, with the encouragement that if a man as busy as King Solomon could figure out how to live a productive but not anxious life then by the grace of God, so can you.

For those who don’t know, Challies is a husband, father, pastor, author, and has about a half dozen other important roles, such as co-founder of a publishing company (Cruciform Press) and host of a very popular Christian blog (Challies.com). And when I say “popular,” that’s an understatement. His blog had just under 16 million pageviews in 2015. For comparison, mine had less than 16 thousand.

Yet for all this, Challies maintains that he’s no productivity guru.

That’s okay by me, though. He’s certainly a practitioner, and his aim in Do More Better, as he...

United States on Jan 26, 2016

Jim G: This book was timely for me, lately tasks and demands have been piling up, I liked very much the practical advice on the use of various software tools to assist in organising and accomplishing tasks etc. It was easy to follow and I would recommend it to anyone trying to cope with a busy schedule. Some good theological reasoning for taking such an approach was also helpful to me. But there's no doubt that on a purely practical level anyone could make use of this organisational system. Since it is a short book I found this also an advantage as it could be read quickly and the steps applied quickly, and can easily be reread without demanding a lot of time.

United Kingdom on Dec 26, 2015

a reader: “Productivity is effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God.” - Tim Challies

I have read secular books on the subject of productivity, but I have to say this little book by Tim Challies trumps them all.

Starting with a ‘Productivity Catechism’, the author starts by discussing fundamental questions about why we are here and how we can glorify God in our everyday life. From there he goes on to look at our personal responsibilities and the tools we can use to maintain biblically productive lives.

This book is immensely practical and provides a simple, but comprehensive, system which you can put into place straight away. From start to finish, this book is a gem, and I’m already reaping the benefits of it.

United Kingdom on Dec 16, 2015