Productivity-Celebrating Small Wins

“I’ve found that small wins, small projects, small differences often make huge differences.” ~ Rosabeth Moss Kanter

At some point or another, we all employ distorted reasoning. Distorted reasoning refers to instances when we entertain a line of thought or make decisions based on minimal evidence, or without considering all the evidence. I’m sure, like me, you can attest to the fact that there are various kinds of distortions we can employ in our day-to-day reasoning, and one of the most common is “all or nothing” thinking. This type of thinking refers to extremes such as we are either a success or a failure, our performance was either totally good or totally bad or if we are not perfect, then we are a failure. There are no in-betweens with this way of thinking and unfortunately, it can be the reason we are affected by negative evaluations of ourselves and others.

I tend to think this way often and because of it, I find it difficult to identify, let alone celebrate small wins. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this about yourself but we are not perfect, and because we are not perfect, we will almost always have to contend with a less-than-perfect score. This being our reality, learning to see the wins even in that, is crucial to our continued pursuit of purpose and legacy in all we put our hands to do.

What does this have to do with productivity and abiding in Christ as we stay faithful to the work He allows us to do? Well, everything we do begins with our thought life. If our thinking is distorted, chances are our productivity will also sustain injury. If we can get to the root of our distorted thinking and replace it with accurate thoughts, God’s thoughts, then our output and our perception of the output will also receive redemption.

“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes.” ~ Romans 12:2 (TPT)

“We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5 TPT

It’s easy to think of these verses of scripture applying to only selected parts of our lives but not necessarily to our productivity in everyday tasks or chores. The Bible is and should be applicable to all areas of our lives. Most of us spend the majority of our waking hours working or studying for future work. Why then do we go without applying God’s Word to this massive portion of our lives? If we say we are believers, what we believe should be evident in everything that we do and everywhere we do it.

It’s one thing to think the distorted thought that we have absolutely failed just because we didn’t hit 100%. It’s another thing to replace that thought with the truth of God’s Word and facts about the reality of the situation. After that, what next? God says in His Word that faith without works is dead and that we are not to be hearers of His Word only, but doers also. Action must follow. A change in our thoughts coupled with the application of God’s Word must then be complemented by a change in our attitude and conduct.

Most of us find it very easy to write down some version of a to-do list at the beginning of our day or week to help us keep track of what tasks are a priority for that time frame. At the end of the day or the week, we assess those lists with cross marks reflecting just how productive we were, and our subsequent attitude or conduct is usually based on our thoughts about the outcome. My challenge to you concerning celebrating the wins is to get aggressive about finding the small win, no matter how small. At the end of every day or every week, purposefully list the wins; big, medium or small, and celebrate them. If you’re like me and you struggle with this, you may need to rope in reinforcements. Call a friend, a sibling or a workmate and make a big deal out of the small things. This will help retrain your brain and eventually increase your productivity because winning will become your new normal. You will be expecting to win no matter the task or challenge.

“I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.” ~ Philippians 4:12-13 (TPT)

This should be our attitude with whatever we face in our everyday life. There are days when productivity is low; we should be content and look to God for our security and strength to persevere on such days. Then there are days when productivity is sky high, and even on such days, we should abide and remember that our identity stems from our Father and not our achievements. 

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” ~ Romans 12:15 (ESV)

As a final thought, I’ve come to understand this scripture from a much broader context than just birthdays and funerals. For instance, as an employer, I’ve learned that my teams almost always follow my lead as they rejoice or mourn at the end of a project or event. Listen, there are certainly times when it’s been botched and tears will need to be shed at the evaluation of the failed attempt at whatever. However, in all things, there is something to rejoice over, even if it’s a unified commitment that you will never do that particular activity again. Honestly, it could have been worse. Worse still, everyone else could think they did a great job when as the supervisor you can see they didn’t. Now that’s a nightmare. Either way, coaching your teams or children through wins and losses, will be greatly dependent on how well you process the situation and your feelings about the situation. You see, purpose. Legacy.

I hope you can see how much God cares about your world. Your whole world, not just the parts you show Him with ease, but all the parts, as you do all the things. As the achiever in you continues to speak you need to know that God is OK with that side of you having a say. He made you that way, but when it’s all said and done, let the abider have the final say.