Issue #147

Your weekly roundup of insights and resources to help you get more done for the glory of God.

​Read on the Web​

In Today’s Issue:

• Why I Quit Social Media
• Pastor, It's Time to Reevaluate Your Schedule
• Apple Reminders Is Really Good
• The Opportunity of Early Mornings

Dear steward,

Long-time readers of this newsletter probably saw this coming from a mile away, as I've wrestled publically with social media's place in my life over the past several years.

But I've finally decided to leave social media.

Over the years, I've vacillated between emphasizing the great opportunity the connected internet presents for Christians and warning about the downsides it presents for us. And for the longest time, I've stood squarely in the camp of "let's utilize the good and try to limit the downsides."

But even as I've sought to do the former by using social media to edify the church through my profiles, I've consistently found being on these platforms to be personally harmful to my walk with Christ.

So about six months ago, I went silent on social media.

I spent that time seriously evaluating whether I wanted to continue using Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, specifically. And I've concluded that no, I don't.

And last month, I permanently deleted all of my social profiles.

The Cliff's Notes version of my reasoning is that I quit because social media was a hindrance to my:

• Focus
• Joy
• Worship
• Holiness
• Eternal-mindedness

I took some time this week to write my thoughts out in full in ​I Changed My Mind About Social Media: Why I Decided to Quit​.

I also created a video and podcast version, which can all be found at that link.

What does this mean for Redeeming Productivity?

Not much, really. We're just not on social media anymore. This decision may limit the reach of this ministry, but I leave that in the Lord's hands. To be candid, I'm actually very excited about the chance to focus my full efforts on writing this newsletter, books, articles, podcasts, and videos and spending more time serving RPA members.

Some have asked if this means we're leaving YouTube. The answer is no. I have little interest in quibbling about "what counts as social media." All I know is I simply haven't found YouTube to be a hindrance in the same way other platforms were.

Lastly, I just want to emphasize one thing. As I state in the article, I'm not trying to bind anyone's conscience here. I am in no way suggesting this is something every believer needs to do. But if you find yourself at a similar crossroads with regard to social media, I hope and pray my experience might be helpful to you.

And with that, let's jump into the roundup portion of this week's newsletter.

Time management from an eternal perspective. Redeeming Productivity Academy is our membership program that equips believers with the plans, tools, and support they need to get more done for the glory of God. As a member, you get access to: Our private community of like-minded believers Live workshops with Reagan & expert guests Our complete course library Quarterly goal challenges Christian Productivity Planner for Notion Productivity book club Join 250+ believers who are becoming more organized, consistent, and productive in 2024. This week only: Get a free signed copy of my book, Redeeming Productivity, when you sign up for an annual plan (US addresses only). Become a Member ​Interested in sponsoring the newsletter?​

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​Pastor, It's Time to Reevaluate Your Schedule (A 3-Step Plan) (5 mins)

Reagan Rose / Focus on the Family

In my latest for The Focused Pastor, I present an easy-to-follow plan for pastors who want to re-tool their schedules for a new year.

I would also draw your attention to the new Pastor's Productivity Toolkit linked to in that article. It's just a collection of tools and resources I've put together specifically for those in vocational ministry.

​The iPhone Reminders App Is More Powerful Than You Think (18 mins)

Proper Honest Tech / YouTube

There are plenty of great to-do list apps out there. Todoist, Things, and Omnifocus come immediately to mind. But don't sleep on the default Reminders app if you're an iPhone user.

This video shows 14 tips and tricks for using the Reminders app, and as someone who hasn’t opened it in years, I was honestly shocked at all of the stuff you can do now in this app now.

​Leaders Rise for the Occasion: The Opportunity of Early Mornings (6 mins)

Andrew Ballard / Desiring God

You really do see this pattern throughout the Bible, leaders rise early to obey. This is a cool study of Joshua rising early and what we might learn from his example.

​I Changed My Mind About Social Media: Why I Decided to Quit (14 mins)

Social media was proving to be a hindrance to my faithfulness as a Christian, so I permanently deleted my social media accounts.

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That's all for this week. If you want to chat about anything in this newsletter or just want to say hi, you can just hit reply.

Until next week!

Reagan Rose

P.S. This week has been a blast in the Academy as we kicked off our quarterly goal challenge. You can learn more about our quarterly goal-setting process here if you're interested.

Reagan Rose

I talk about personal productivity from a Christian perspective. Creator of ​Redeeming Productivity​.

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