Book Review: Make the Most of Your Productivity by Ana Avila

Make the Most of Your Productivity: A Guide to Honoring God with your Time by Ana Avila

Perhaps I can even be brave (this year’s word of the year) in scheduling and honoring the time that God has given me. Rather than doing as the wind blows, which seems the way many of my days move, I could settle into what is most pressing and important forsaking all distractions. Perhaps Ana Avila doesn’t use these words, but that is a bit of my takeaway from this book.

Overview

Translated from Spanish this year, this book marries many of today’s productivity principles with glorifying God in our work. The author sets out first to remind us of the importance of work as Christians glorifying God, then goes into several principles of how to do so, including practicalities. It is a book that I wish I had in paper form so I could thumb through to the right section as I engage in the practices mentioned.

Opinion

Avila draws on a wealth of scripture to understand meaning and achievement through a biblical lens to productivity and limitations. The overarching theme of each section leans toward loving God and serving others. As the foundation of her work, the author guides us in healthy application of current principles of productivity and reaching for the top of the pack in a biblical world view. This view includes the idea that productivity is both work and rest.

There are a few reflection questions and action points that follow each chapter. These are well thought out and highly relevant to applying the information from the chapter and moving toward internalizing the biblical idea of productivity that Avila presents.

Parts of the book in the discussions of the tools and habits that benefit us get repetitive in the biblical explanation of the usefulness. However, these are balanced by additional quotes which undergird the usefulness of the tools and habits. Many of these are quite practical and easy or inexpensive to implement, which is appreciated.

summary

In this day and age of productivity and sustainable work ethics, this is a much needed resource for the biblical view of these ideas. 5/5 stars

This book came available through the Crossway advance reader program for free. The ideas and thoughts expressed above are my own and I have not been compensated for my review.