Abundant Life and the Tyranny of Productivity

Post Author: Rev. Ashley Updegraff

It was an average Tuesday morning–reflective of all my mornings, lately: I’d gotten up early to go to the gym, but the timing of my class meant that by the time I got home, I had 45 minutes to get myself and my kiddo out the door. I jumped out of my car and into the house, sprinted up the stairs, took a very short, luke-warm shower, threw on some clothes and make-up, prettied up my ponytail, and hustled back down the stairs. I made sure my daughter had finished her breakfast while I ate my own–standing at the counter, simultaneously preparing my lunch. As I was scrambling to collect enough nutrients for my middle-aged-female-body, I shouted up the stairs no less than four times: “have you brushed your teeth?” Finally, with a few minutes to spare, I loaded a backpack on my first-grader’s shoulders, gave her a big hug and kiss, and watched her cross the street to the bus stop. Once I shut the door, I grabbed the laundry basket full of clean, folded clothes, hustled up the stairs, hurriedly put laundry away while brushing my own teeth, turned off bedroom lights that had been neglected, packed up my bag, and felt the rush of the morning catch up to me. I was moored to the floor, but spinning–dizzy, almost. I took a seat. I took a couple of deep breaths. I rolled my shoulders back and closed my eyes. I had almost achieved a moment of peace when the guilt rushed in, quick on its heels. I had to go! I was going to be late! I needed to get into the office!

Except… I don’t punch a clock. I don’t have to be in at a certain time. I didn’t have a meeting. And, I’m the boss. No one would scold me or question my late arrival, yet I felt this internal pressure to get there at a certain time. Why? So I could get enough done. So I could be as productive as possible. 

That morning, I realized that my existence could be summarized in one word: rushed. According to the New York Post, in a poll they conducted of 2000 American adults in 2022, 60 percent said they felt that there wasn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. Sixty percent of adults felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day to do all that they needed and wanted to do. This statistic might be my reality, too, but it’s not what I want for myself. It’s not how I want my relationship with time to feel. I don’t want to live in a scarcity-mindset when it comes to time, but an abundance mind-set. 

Isn’t that what God calls us to, after all? Doesn’t God call us to a different relationship with time? One in which time isn’t our adversary, but our friend? One in which time isn’t crammed full, so we are constantly rushing, but one in which there is space to breathe and to rest? Isn’t that what Sabbath is all about? 

In Scripture, God gives the people of Israel two different reasons for the commandment to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy. The first, given in Exodus, is that we are created in the image of God (Exodus 20:8-11). According to the creation account in the book of Genesis, God created all that there is in six days, and on the seventh day, God rested. If God can rest–if God can take a break–if God can say “it is good, and it is enough,” then as beings made in God’s image, we are called to do the same. To rest. To take a break. To say “it is good, and it is enough.” 

The second reason, given in the book of Deuteronomy, is tied to our freedom (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). God has freed the people of Israel, so they do not need to labor under the tyranny of Pharaoh anymore. They are free, so they do not need to constantly work and rush anymore. They are free, so what they can produce is not the most important thing anymore. God has freed them. God has freed them from the constant worry over productivity. God has freed them for rest. 

If God freed the people of Israel, freeing them from productivity and freeing them for rest–God has done the same for us. We, too, are created in God’s image, and we, too, are freed from the tyranny of constant work and struggle. We are free to re-imagine our relationship with time and efficiency and productivity, and we are free to create space in our lives for all the things that matter to us. 

As I think about the upcoming school year–the program year at church, the school year for my children, and a new start for me, too–I’m planning a little differently. I’m thinking about my time a little differently. Most importantly, I’m thinking about my productivity a little differently. 

This year, I am hoping to lean into something I’m calling “values-based productivity.” In this mindset, I start with what I value, not with what I have to achieve. I start with what’s important to me, not with what my to-do list demands. When I lean into this mindset, I take seriously the reality that my work is not the only thing that’s important. That my to-do list is not a tyrant. That I don’t have to feel guilty for carving out a little time in pursuit of the life that I want. 

When I think about “values-based productivity,” I acknowledge that I am  productive when I do the things I value, even if they don’t actually produce anything tangible. 

I value staying active and keeping my body healthy–so getting to the gym in the morning, or carving out time mid-day for a walk is productive. I value spending the mornings with my daughter, and being present to see her onto the bus–so I don’t have to feel guilty about showing up to work a little later. I value family dinners–so our kids are in fewer activities than their friends. I value moments of grounding and meditation–so closing my door in the afternoon and spending five minutes turning off the noise and reorienting my day isn’t a waste of time. And, of course, I value my work, and doing it well–so the things that need to get done always, eventually, get done. 

I acknowledge that, for some people, this is impossible. I have the luxury of a flexible work environment, and I do not take that for granted. Others have much less flexibility, or cannot afford to carve out time for their values beyond work. 

Those of us who have such freedom are called to create change so that everyone can experience such freedom.  

But even for those of us who can, it’s a hard shift to make. We are inundated by a culture that says we are only as valuable as what we can produce–that the only thing that matters is our productivity. The productivity market–apps, books, solutions–is a 7.9 billion dollar industry, as of August 2024, which is up from about 2 billion in 2017. But it’s still an important shift to make. It’s a shift that honors who we are as whole, complete, beloved children of God. It’s a shift that recognizes that what we do with our entire lives is to the glory of God–not just our work. It’s a shift that acknowledges that we were created in the image of our God, not just for productivity, but for rest. For full, abundant life. 

As you are making plans for a new program year or school year, what would it look like for you to live out a values-based productivity? What would it look like for you to give importance and time to the things you value as a whole person, not just as an employee? What freedom will you find if you give this a try? 

Because remember–you were created in the image of God, who rested. You were created in the image of God, who frees us from the tyranny of productivity and leads us into abundant life.