Guest post by Rachel Poel

When I was a student, I would justify studying on Sunday by quoting Matthew 12:11-12: “He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” But many weekend afternoons, exhausted from a full week of classes, work, and studying, I would put off studying for a Monday morning test or drafting a paper due on Tuesday—effectively throwing that sheep into the pit myself.

Taking a Sabbath takes intentionality. Resting well is hard work.

There will be days when sheep are leaping into pits, when your kids all get the flu on a Sunday or your venue falls through days before a retreat. When these days come, do that work well. Your standing before God does not depend on how clear your Sunday schedule is.

But if you find yourself regularly planning projects for Sunday afternoon, consider the heart of Sabbath. God calls us to join Him in His rest. He gives us the Sabbath as a gift: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28).

How are we receiving this gift?

We don’t rest to maximize our productivity later.
We rest to remember that our worth does not hinge on our productivity.

Our struggle to let go of our to-do lists and inboxes for a day shows how much we really need this rest. We don’t rest to maximize our productivity later. We rest to remember that our worth does not hinge on our productivity. We rest because we are children and God is the Father. We rest because we are creatures and God is the Potter. We rest because we are saved and God is the Savior.

How will you plan this week to take time to know that God is God?

Rachel Poel recently graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in English Literature. Since graduating, she has been working on projects with Useful Group. Rachel lives in Aurora, Illinois with too many books and a very large puppy.

This is a great video of Tony Schwartz speaking at the 99U conference on the importance of managing energy, not just time, in order to be productive.

We often act like our digital devices — as though we can just work constantly without letup. And those who take a break to, for example, hit an art museum or play frisbee golf in the afternoon in an attempt to renew their energy are accused of being slackers.

But renewal is not slacking; it is the key to staying mentally alert and keeping our energy up. While he doesn’t use the examples of frisbee golf and art museums, in this video Tony Schwartz (author of The Power of Full Engagement) makes a great case on how we need to understand better how to manage our energy if we are going to increase our capacity to get things done.

(HT: Asian Efficiency)

Tony Schwartz: The Myths of the Overworked Creative from 99U on Vimeo.

Good thoughts from the Brazen Careerist blog.

Apparently, too much sleep can make you tired.

A few years ago I heard someone say: “Every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two, and every hour of work before noon is worth two.”

That’s a pretty good principle in general. It would need to be nuanced, of course, when it comes to those who are naturally most productive late at night. But as a general statement, it points to the high productive value of making the most of the morning.

Although maybe you could have the best of both worlds. If you went to bed at 9 pm, you’d have six hours of sleep by midnight and could then get up, ready to attack the day…

Great discussion on exercise habits in the previous post.

It sounds like most people exercise in the morning and that a lot of people are early risers. Which leads to another question that would be great to hear people’s thoughts on: How much sleep do you tend to get each night? In your opinion, what is the best time to get up in the morning and the best time to go to bed at night?