It’s from a few years ago, but it remains very solid stuff. This is a quick, excellent summary of what good management is.
Archives for August 2015
Crowdfunding Project #3: Short Ebook on Gospel-Driven Productivity
For the last few days, I’ve been taking you back into the kitchen of our GoFundMe campaign. So far we’ve looked at the first two projects this is helping support: an online course on gospel-driven productivity, and the online build-out of the resource library.
The third project is a short ebook on gospel-driven productivity — that is, on how to get things done, with less friction and frustration, but in a gospel-centered way (which most current resources on productivity completely leave out).
My book What’s Best Next gives the comprehensive perspective on this. But people have also asked for a shorter, quick hit version of those concepts so they can get going quickly. That’s what this ebook will aim to do. It will be about 25-40 pages, giving an overview of what it means to understand productivity in a biblical way, and then outlining the simple systems you can put in place to keep your focus on the most important things and get them done.
If you have already given to the campaign, thank you! And if you’re still thinking about it or just hearing about it now for the first time, your involvement would be a huge help. You can be involved by giving at the GoFundMe page and/or sharing it by email, twitter, or Facebook. Thank you so much!
Crowdfunding Project #2: The Online Resource Library
Thank you to everyone who has been giving to and sharing our online funding campaign. Please keep it up! Even a simple tweet or Facebook share makes a big difference.
Yesterday I took you back into the kitchen with the online course. Today I want to do the same with a second project, the online resources.
Expanding the Resource Library
You may have noticed the “resource library” section in the global navigation for this site. That is where I post more detailed and long-term articles, as opposed to the general blog posts which are more front-burner and timely (for the most part).
You may also have noticed that there are more categories than there are resources. That’s because this section is under construction. I have between 600 – 1,000 articles I want to post. These articles are on all aspects of theology, leadership, productivity, and management, from a biblical point of view. Once we get them up, the site will hopefully be able to serve you as a large on-going resource site on these subjects, similar to how Desiring God is such a helpful resource site on theology.
What Kinds of Articles?
Someone recently asked me, “how can you possibly have 1,000 unpublished articles?” The answer is threefold.
First, I used to answer theological correspondence for John Piper. I kept many of the more substantial responses I wrote for people on important subjects in theology and Christian living. That totals about 300-400 I think. (Since some of these are short, I don’t always include them in the full count of articles, hence I usually am thinking in terms of 600 articles; but there are about 1,000 units.) These emails were written before this blog, which is why they are not up yet.
Second, in college I wrote a bunch of articles on all aspects of Christian theology and apologetics as I was learning those subjects. I put those articles on the website Justin Taylor and I started together in college, way back in the early days of the Internet. They have been there ever since, and my plan is to move them over here so that everything is in one spot.
Third, over the last 8 years or so I’ve written many articles on leadership and management from a biblical viewpoint, as I have been developing my thinking on the subjects. These articles outline biblical leadership philosophies that also utilize the best of secular research (such as Jim Collins and others), and also develop systems for implementing these principles in your organization (performance management, hiring, meetings that are better than movies, and many other things).
You can see an example of what I’m doing in the “web strategy” category, where I’ve already posted most of my resources on that subject.
I’m also posting the audio and video of my messages over the years, whenever I have it, so this will be multimedia as well.
A Comprehensive Tool for Free
My plan is to get all of these resources posted so that this site can be a comprehensive tool for you, serving you both with fresh content through the blog and a large amount of ongoing foundational content through the resource library. And I want all of this available to you for free.
To make it available for free, of course, costs time and money on my side, getting things posted and set up. Which is a big reason for the financial appeal. If this vision is exciting and compelling to you, would you consider a gift?
Crowdfunding Project #1: The Online Video Course
Yesterday I announced this funding campaign to invite your help in supporting these three projects:
- An online productivity course helping individuals and teams who learn best through audio/video content
- A new, short ebook on Gospel-Driven Productivity that will be more accessible than What’s Best Next
- The posting of over 600 articles on theology, leadership, and productivity to this site
Today I’m going to bring you into the kitchen and share about the online course. Tomorrow I’ll tell you more about the book.
The Basic Concept
People have a variety of learning styles, and many learn best when they can interact with the content in multiple ways. The online course will be designed with this in mind.
In the course, I’ll walk through everything you need to know to reduce stress and increase productivity in a session-by-session format. I’m excited to be able to incorporate a lot of principles and practical content that I couldn’t fit into the book.
Each lesson will accent application; it will be designed to help you absorb and integrate the content as effectively as possible. And, I’m designing it (of course!) to be able to fit into your busy schedules. So you’ll learn more, in an efficient way, and get a jumpstart in applying it in your life.
Think of it like a training program for your job, except you don’t have to take an extensive amount of time away and can do it at your own pace. Plus, it will be a lot of fun! I don’t like boring things, so I’m going to work hard to make this course engaging and interesting.
Productivity is More than Tips and Tools
A central feature of the course is that productivity is about way more than tips and tools. Those things are important, and I will teach many of them, but productivity is actually first a result of worldview. It needs to be on a biblical foundation and pursued with consistent biblical principles. The course will provide those biblical worldview foundations so that you can be truly productive, as well as give you the tips and tricks and tactics that can really help you get moving.
Free Access for a Gift of $100
Your financial support is an essential part to helping me produce this content swiftly. So if you can, check out the GoFundMe page to learn more about the campaign and how you can support.
Any gift over $25 will get you a free copy of the book (more on this tomorrow), and gifts of $100 or more will trigger free access to the online course when it’s ready (estimated value of $250).
If You’ve Benefitted from My Books or Blog, Here’s a Chance to Help Financially
A Special Message from Matt Perman
My mission in life is to build up Christians in the faith so they might point people to Christ, transform their communities, and do all the good they can to the glory of God.
The chief way I aim to do this is through public theology––leveraging the writing, teaching, and organizational gifts God’s given me through various media, speaking, and consulting opportunities. For 13 years this was expressed in different roles at Desiring God, including leading the web department, serving as director of strategy, and helping build the ministry for greater spreading.
Over the past few years, my two biggest projects have been publishing What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done and creating content for WhatsBestNext.com, a resource site focused on applying theology to leadership, management, and the world of work. I have also been doing a lot of speaking at churches, conferences, non-profits, and businesses.
Your Help: Why and Why Now?
With the humbling success of What’s Best Next and the passionate feedback I receive, one thing has become increasingly and compellingly clear: there is a deep hunger for more training in these areas––especially in the realms of gospel-empowered productivity and management.
Many Christians today are hungry to do work that matters, but they’re simply overwhelmed. They want to honor God and serve people in their work, but aren’t always sure how to do that with less friction and frustration.
I believe What’s Best Next has a role to play in meeting this need, but I keep hitting two major roadblocks:
- I can’t expand these ministry initiatives on my own
- Living expenses and family commitments prevent significant financial investment
In order to dedicate my full-time attention in this next season, I need help from a team of generous catalysts. I created this GoFundMe campaign to ask if you’d consider a gift of support to make the following strategic projects possible.
What Your Support Will Accomplish
Your generous support will enable the following:
- Producing an online training course in Gospel-Driven Productivity (GDP)
- Creating a much-requested book on GDP (more accessible than What’s Best Next)
- Editing, organization, and making available over 600 unpublished articles on theology, leadership, management, and the world of work––all from a gospel-centered perspective. These will be free on WhatsBestNext.com
- Start-up funds for building a WBN team
What Supporters Will Receive
If you’re able to support these efforts, I want to say thank-you in the following ways:
- For gifts over $25, you will receive a free digital copy of the GDP book (when finished)
- For gifts over $100, the book and free access to the online course (when finished, estimated $250 value).
- For gifts over $500, the book, the course, and a free coaching session in the realm of personal leadership and personal management that customizes GDP for you.
Thank You
Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this opportunity. I am deeply appreciative of your support.
In Christ our Savior,
Matt Perman
[Help Support Matt’s Ministry Projects]
If You’ve Benefitted from My Books or Blog, Here’s a Chance to Help Financially
A Special Message from Matt Perman
My mission in life is to build up Christians in the faith so they might point people to Christ, transform their communities, and do all the good they can to the glory of God.
The chief way I aim to do this is through public theology––leveraging the writing, teaching, and organizational gifts God’s given me through various media, speaking, and consulting opportunities. For 13 years this was expressed in different roles at Desiring God, including leading the web department, serving as director of strategy, and helping build the ministry for greater spreading.
Over the past few years, my two biggest projects have been publishing What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done and creating content for WhatsBestNext.com, a resource site focused on applying theology to leadership, management, and the world of work. I have also been doing a lot of speaking at churches, conferences, non-profits, and businesses.
Your Help: Why and Why Now?
With the humbling success of What’s Best Next and the passionate feedback I receive, one thing has become increasingly and compellingly clear: there is a deep hunger for more training in these areas––especially in the realms of gospel-empowered productivity and management.
Many Christians today are hungry to do work that matters, but they’re simply overwhelmed. They want to honor God and serve people in their work, but aren’t always sure how to do that with less friction and frustration.
I believe What’s Best Next has a role to play in meeting this need, but I keep hitting two major roadblocks:
- I can’t expand these ministry initiatives on my own
- Living expenses and family commitments prevent significant financial investment
In order to dedicate my full-time attention in this next season, I need help from a team of generous catalysts. I created this GoFundMe campaign to ask if you’d consider a gift of support to make the following strategic projects possible.
What Your Support Will Accomplish
Your generous support will enable the following:
- Producing an online training course in Gospel-Driven Productivity (GDP)
- Creating a much-requested book on GDP (more accessible than What’s Best Next)
- Editing, organization, and making available over 600 unpublished articles on theology, leadership, management, and the world of work––all from a gospel-centered perspective. These will be free on WhatsBestNext.com
- Start-up funds for building a WBN team
What Supporters Will Receive
If you’re able to support these efforts, I want to say thank-you in the following ways:
- For gifts over $25, you will receive a free digital copy of the GDP book (when finished)
- For gifts over $100, the book and free access to the online course (when finished, estimated $250 value).
- For gifts over $500, the book, the course, and a free coaching session in the realm of personal leadership and personal management that customizes GDP for you.
Thank You
Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this opportunity. I am deeply appreciative of your support.
In Christ our Savior,
Matt Perman
[Help Support Matt’s Ministry Projects]
The Three-Fold Method for Evaluating Daily Work
This is a post from a while ago that contains an important framework that is always helpful to keep in mind. I’ve found it helpful in a new way recently, and thought you might as well.
David Allen very helpfully defines three different types of “work” that we do when doing our work:
- Doing predefined work
- Doing work as it shows up
- Defining your work
Many people get caught up in number 2, and let 1 and 3 slide.
He then notes:
Your ability to deal with surprise is your competitive edge. But at a certain point, if you’re not catching up and getting things under control, staying busy with only the work at hand will undermine your effectiveness. In order to know whether you should stop doing something and start dong something else, you need to have a good sense of what your job requires and how that fits into the other contexts of your life.