I learned a lot in seminary. I studied the ancient languages of Greek and Hebrew; I learned how to exegete the text; I learned how to construct a sermon; I learned big words and ideas like “hypostatic union” and “Seballianism.” Yet, I failed to acquire one of the most important skills that a pastor should possess: a theology of productivity.
Like so many other believers, a lot of hard work and long hours go into my calling. I picked up What’s Best Next for one reason: I wanted to learn how to be more efficient. But the author, Matt Perman, reminded me that efficiency is not the same as effectiveness. Rather than just getting more things done, a good philosophy of productivity is intentional and grounded in the gospel.
In What’s Best Next Matt Perman shares how to get the best things done in the best possible way. Perman calls this “gospel-driven productivity” (GDP). Although the author draws his theology and practice from the Bible, he interacts liberally with thinkers such as Peter Drucker and Stephen Covey.
GDP consist of four steps, which create the acronym DARE: Define, Architect, Reduce, and Execute. Define focuses on the big picture of vision and mission. The second step, architect, builds a structure by which to carry out the vision. In reduce Perman calls his readers to weed out unnecessary distractions from the mission. Finally, the execute stage teaches how to best manage a schedule.
Like most books that I read, I think that this one could be considerably shorter. However, the strengths far outweigh this weakness. Perman does a fantastic job helping readers think through both the theological and practical side of productivity. For me personally, his ideas on scheduling alone are worth the price of the book.