Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'Productivity'

The good news of your God-given limits

I love productivity books. I’ve read all the big classics on the subject, from Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to Cal Newport’s Deep Work. I am a devotee of David Allen’s productivity ur-text, Getting Things Done. Continue Reading...

Does God hate Mondays?

Garfield became one of the most beloved cartoon characters of his time by saying what so many Americans felt: “I hate Mondays.” Indeed, there is biblical evidence that God did not view Mondays as “good” … and Jewish commentators say this has insights about our work, participating in God’s creation, and even our nation’s economic system. Continue Reading...

Arvo Pärt on the economy of wonder

Our society has grown increasingly transactional in its ways of thinking, whether about family, business, education, or politics. Everything we spend, steward, or invest — our money, time, and relationships — must somehow secure an immediate personal return or reward, lest it be cast aside as “wasteful.” Continue Reading...

The magic of the washing machine

What was the greatest invention of the industrial revolution? Hans Rosling makes the case for the washing machine. Rosling explains how the productivity gains of the washing machine—and similar labor-saving devices—lead to increases in education and economic growth in the developing world. Continue Reading...

Piper: ‘Work Is a Glorious Thing’

At Desiring God, John Piper explains how both the act and product of work are blessings, and that the God-designed essence of work is creativity — “not aimless, random doing, but creative, productive doing.” Continue Reading...

How the Quality of Marriages Affects a Country’s Economy

The quality of children and our future society, depends directly on the quality of the marriage of their parents, says Pat Fagan of the Family Research Council speaking at the recent World Congress of Families: Fagan notes that society is made up of five facets: the family, church, school, the marketplace and government. Continue Reading...

Innovation is a Moral Obligation

Innovation is an ethical matter through and through, says Chris MacDonald, because ethics is fundamentally concerned with anything that can promote or hinder human wellbeing. Innovation is generally a good thing, ethically, because it is aimed at allowing us to do new and desirable things. Continue Reading...

Christian Manufacturer Strives Toward Productivity and Grace

I recently wrote about Hobby Lobby’s billionaire CEO, who, in a recent Forbes profile, made it clear how deeply his Christian faith informs his economic decision-making. This week, in Christianity Today, HOPE International’s Chris Horst profiles another Christian business, Blender Products, whose owners Steve Hill and Jim Howey actively work to elevate the practices of the metal fabrication business and, above all, operate their business “unto the Lord.” Continue Reading...

Productivity Starts at Home

How much is a homemaker worth? Financial service company Investopedia recently added up what it would cost to hire someone to do cooking, cleaning, child care, driving, laundry, and lawn service equivalent to a full-time homemaker. Continue Reading...