5 Scripture-based things productive people do that you should do too!
By Empowering Everyday Women // Inspiration
Being productive doesn’t mean you’ll be the most famous, powerful or richest person. That may not be the will of God for you. Being productive is all about achieving the things you were placed on this earth to do at whatever level God’s grace allows you to do them.
It is the will of the Lord for you to be fruitful in the endeavors He has called you to, and if you do these 5 Scripture-based things that productive people do, you’ll be well on your way to maximum productivity too.
#1 They Listen: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15 ESV) Whether productive people are being mentored one-on-one or tuning in to stimulating podcasts, sermons, lectures, and audiobooks, they are eager to listen and learn. If you want to be better, build faster and achieve greater results, glean wisdom from teachers, leaders, authors, scholars and those who have been where you want to go. This will motivate, educate and equip you to thrive in your areas of interest.
#2 They Research: “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” (Proverbs 19:2) Many people have big dreams but don’t want to put in the long hours of reading and researching that are required to be productive. Desiring to have something and learning what it takes to get it are two different things. Those that enjoy enduring success are careful not to make sudden moves, spend money, or launch new ventures without understanding how to make things work. Research helps you avoid pitfalls. Therefore, study, study, and study some more.
#3 They Patiently Strategize: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5 ESV) As the saying goes, haste makes waste – which piggybacks on the previous principle. Productive people don’t rush into things and implement haphazard plans. They take time to pray, think things through, choose their strategy, and patiently wait for the right season to take action. Seeing things happen fast appeals to a lot of people, but there is no such thing as overnight success. Progress and lasting change always happen gradually.
#4 They Have Faith: “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17 NIV) True faith acts on what it believes. Productive people are faith-walkers, or, in other words, doers. After they have prayed, researched and planned, when the right moment comes, they take action. They don’t wait for someone to make a path; they carve out their own and trust God all the way. As we established, hastiness is not good; but neither is procrastination and inaction. Once you’ve spent enough time praying about it and thinking about, the next step is being about it. As Jesus said, “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49).
#5 They Embrace Failure. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 ESV) There is no failure in God, but there is plenty failure in people. Nobody wins 100 percent of the time. Everybody fails, even the most productive people in the world. And here’s the thing: Goal-oriented, successful, ambitious individuals are willing to take risks and accept failure as a part of the journey. They know that we all fall short sometimes, and that’s okay – as long as you get back up again, and keep trying. As the popular quote from author Samuel Beckett says, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Though there are no shortcuts to success or guaranteed tools and techniques to make everything go your way, these 5 actions will help you make the most of your time and put you in a better position to win.
