Nehemiah 2:13
And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
There is a difference between being productive and being busy. There are some people who stay busy and are unproductive, but there are others who are busy and produce. The latter group is the group every person should desire to be. I have seen people who fill their time with busy work, but they never produce anything, while I have seen a few people who fill their time finishing projects. Nehemiah was a man who not only stayed busy, but was also productive in his life. Let me share several secrets you will find productive people doing.
First, productive people have a vision. Nehemiah had a vision to rebuild the wall. He had the ability to see the wall rebuilt while it was in ruins. You will never be productive if you don't have a vision to do something great. If your only goal is to fill your day by staying busy, you will succeed at staying busy but fail at being productive. The first step in productivity is having a vision.
Second, productive people turn a vision into action. Nehemiah didn't just have a vision, but he started working toward the vision. Your vision will do you no good if you don't start working toward that vision. You must take action to make the vision become a reality if you are to be productive.
Third, productive people are self-motivators. No one had to make Nehemiah get busy; he motivated himself to get busy. The character to stir yourself is key to being productive. You cannot wait for others to stir you, but you must learn to get busy working toward your vision without anyone making you do it.
Fourth productive people work late hours. Nehemiah was out late at night looking at what needed to be done to rebuild the walls. You will never be productive if you only work eight hours a day. Productive people work late into the night, while the unproductive person plays late into the night.
Fifth, productive people finish something each day. Nehemiah could not have finished the rebuilding of the wall in the record time he did it if he did not have a task finished each day. Work is not defined by how busy you are, but by what you accomplish each day. You are not working if you don't accomplish something each day. At the end of the day, you need to have a project you have finished to be able to say that you have worked.
Sixth, productive people are motivated by obstacles. Nehemiah did not let the massiveness of work overwhelm him, but he used it to motivate him to get it done. You cannot be productive without facing obstacles. You must look at obstacles as a challenge instead of looking at them as an excuse as to why you can't get something done. Accept the challenge of obstacles and find a way to work through them so that you can be productive at the end of each day.
Seventh, productive people take time to pray. Nehemiah always found time to pray. When your back is against the wall, you must take time to pray. Prayer will help you to be more productive because you are getting God’s help to be more efficient in what you are doing, and you are gleaning His wisdom to help you do the task better.
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