There is a �ne line between productivity and busy.

I used to ‘work’ 16-hour days, 7 days a week. My home was a wreck! Laundry was stacked high, dishes were dirty, fast food was our regular meal and my children barely saw me. Somehow I had convinced myself that this was the sacri�ce that must be made to progress when really I was just spinning my wheels. My extra hours at the o�ce weren’t last minute projects but poor time management and attraction to approval. Meanwhile, my children were growing right in front of my face and I really didn’t know them at all. And kids know when you are really paying them attention. I was simply out of order.

Time gets away from us all. We look up and it’s 4pm and we are asking what did I get done today. The business world has addressed this issue in many forms, Franklin Covey system of daily planning, count-less articles encouraging us to answer emails only twice a day, avoid our smartphones on the weekend. These things are important and if used consistently can make a di�erence but what if we look a little deeper at this mind set.

page one www.assignedtoencourage.com by: Kira McConico

We can be busy gossiping, worrying and trying to please others and waste a whole day having produced nothing. Being productive means you are producing a product, an end to a means, a tangible change that cannot be denied.

In fact, God requires us to be accountable for our time and what we do with it. He is a Creator that focuses on seed, time and harvest. We naturally should be driven to produce everyday. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. We have the best intentions but may only get half way there or not at all.

Jesus left us here to go back to Heaven. He loaned us time to get our work done on earth. That work is the assignments that He has given to each of us. Some of us have big assignments, some of us have medium assignments and others have small assignments. In Matthew 25, Jesus explains about the master who left a charge with three of his servants. He gave them each an assignment. Two of them used their time multiplying what they were given, the other did nothing out of FEAR and was named lazy and evil. Our time is borrowed and we are expected to be productive!

page two www.assignedtoencourage.com by: Kira McConico

Are the things you’re spending time on making a positive di�erence in your life and in the lives of others? Take a moment and think about what your 2011 resolutions were. Did you make the resolve? Do you even remember what they were?

Here is a gauge that I frequently use when it comes to activities. I attempt to follow one of the three “P”s. PRODUCE, PROPEL OR PROVOKE. If you are seeking real change in 2012; let’s see how these steps can help you!

Produce: Before you sign up for a new class or as you evaluate your current schedule; ask your-

self, what is the expected outcome; what kind of end will it produce. At the beginning

of your month, write down what you expect to produce. Be sure to check back when

you are finished and measure it’s outcome. If it is not productive, avoid those kinds

activities. Participate in things that can be measured.

Be Encouraged!Most things in our lives are unproductive so don’t feel defeated when you begin to

your evaluation. God does want us to rest and have fun! Rest is needed in order for

productivity to be successful. You must have a balance. Be sure you are tipping the

scale either way.

“The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”

Proverbs 13:4 NIV

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CONTINUEDPropel: Taking steps, even small ones, with your time will send you forward. Try to concentrate

on the where you want to be in 30 days. Surround yourself with resources that propel

your mentally and socially to end up at your destination. Be proactive with learning

new things. You don’t have to take a college course to learn new information, the

library is free and the Internet is at your fingertips. When we know better, we can do

better. Check out at least one reading materials this week that will propel you forward.

Be Encouraged!There are so many things that keep in the past or stuck in our current situation. You

have the power to change that and it all starts with how you think. Fill your thoughts

with knowledge about how you want things to be and this will be a springboard for

where you are going.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

Psalm 37:23

Provoke: Provoke means to stir up purposely. You must be productive on purpose. Everything

that produces is done on purpose. This means you have to go out of your way to make

it happen. We are all told; anything worth having is worth working for. This is true and

your actions should be provoking not only to your but also in the lives of others.

Be Encouraged!We all have a list of things that need to be done on purpose in 2012. You can start with

the smallest things and mix them with some bigger things. In end we will all be better,

happier and more able to extend ourselves to others in need. Remember we after real

change in 2012!

“For with God nothing shall be impossible”. Luke 1: 37

III.

Be Encouraged is a publication of Assigned to Encourage!™Design and layout provided courtesy of Integrity Designs

All written materials are the original work of the author. Copyright restricted. All rights reserved. Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible -

various versions.

Kira McConico’s universal assignment is to deliver encouragement to the hopeless through her Assigned To Encourage! ™

Words are powerful and can be spoken into dark times and bring light to life's situations.

In addition, Kira is an inspirational speaker. Her target audience is young women ages 17-30. She frequently speaks at area schools, domestic violence shelters and other organizations to encourage young women to pursue their dreams no matter their past.

While her target audience is young women, the message of encouragement is for everyone!

For booking information visit: www.assignedtoencourage.com.