The Secrets To Working Smarter, Not Harder

 

You don’t have to work harder and do more to get better results. That might be the very thing hindering your results. Now, before you roll your eyes and think I am crazy, let me explain…

 

For so many years we have glorified “hard work” (which is important, and I believe in 100%) but, we have idolized it to an unhealthy point. We must define what “hard work” is. Hard work doesn’t mean 100+ hour weeks, working late into the night, and letting our health suffer for the sake of our careers. Hard work is meaningful work. It’s showing up and doing your best while having boundaries in place to protect your soul so that you can continue showing up and avoid burnout.

It’s found in rest. This works similarly to the tithing principle. Or the sabbath. By giving God the first fruits of what we make, 10% we are trusting that He can do more with 90% than He can with 100%. It goes against our human thinking, but the way of the kingdom always offends our human understanding. The sabbath principle is the same. We give God 1 out of 7 days, trusting that He can accomplish more in our lives through working 6 days a week, than 7.

 

This is all about faith. It takes trust in God to give Him our first fruits. It requires faith, to rest! 

Think about it, what’s the #1 reason that usually gets in the way of resting? Fear. It’s a lack of trust in God, by putting the trust in our efforts. 

 

Resting is not passive. Resting is in fact, very active. When we give him our jobs, our families, and our work, He can do so much more than we can do all on our own. 

 

Now on a practical note, the secret is this: distraction-free work.

Whether you work from home or an office, there’s no getting away from distractions. Our phones constantly buzzing, checking emails, jumping from task to task, all hinder our productivity by taking energy away from us by trying to focus on too many things at once. 

 

When you “show up for work” whatever that looks like for you, create a clean space, free of distractions. Put the phone away, close all your browsers, and focus on the task at hand. Then, once you’re finished with that, move on to the next thing on your list. This will free your mind to be able to fully engage with what’s in front of you.