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Take 52 Days Off This Year & Get More Done Dr. Garland Vance
Take 52 Days Off This
Year & Get More Done
Dr. Garland Vance
© Copyright, Garland Vance, 2016
Introduction
Introduction
How do you respond when someone asks how you are doing? If you’relike most people, you say, “I’m so busy.” The person nods his head inagreement that he, too, is “so busy.” We live in a time in which people have: More discretionary time than ever before More comforts that make life easier Machines that wash and dry our clothes and dishes Access to more caffeinated beverages that can keep us awake longer Software that keeps track of more projects, tasks, contacts, andnotes than we can imagine. We can dream more, accomplish more, plan more, and experiencemore than ever before. But if you are like most people, some or all of these statements are trueof you (note which ones apply): • You feel busy all the time. • You regularly feel overwhelmed by the amount of things you have todo. • You have more projects than you can keep up with. • You would like to build relationships with people but don’t feel like youhave time to do it. • You don’t get as much sleep as you would like. • You work hard but don’t feel very accomplished at the end of the day. • You have little time to do energizing activities that you enjoy.• When you can’t accomplish everything on your list, you respond bypushing yourself harder and working longer.
Because you can do more, you do more. This is precisely why you feel sobusy. The problem of busyness today stems from the problem of choosingto do too much. You have said yes to too many things — most of whichare good opportunities. But when you say yes to too many good things, you actually becomeless productive. You stop focusing on what God has called you to do andfill your time with a variety of commitments. This makes you less
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productive and more overwhelmed. My wife recently asked an acquaintance how she was doing, and theperson responded, “I’m psychotically busy! But it’s a good busy!” Since whenare activities that drive us to psychosis considered a good thing?
Busyness creates a terrible cycle:
As you take on more responsibilities and commitments, youexperience busyness. Busyness produces speed. The busier you are, thefaster you move. The faster you move, the more anxiety affects yourbody, mind, and emotions. The more anxious you feel, the harder you work. In an attempt todecrease anxiety, you increase intensity to finish all your commitmentsand projects. The harder you work, the busier you make yourself andthe faster you move. The faster you move, the more anxious you become.This is a vicious cycle.
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The Busyness Cycle Backfires
The problem with the busyness cycle is that it never ends. You try tomeet all the demands of busyness by moving faster and working harder,but these two responses only drive you to more busyness. You try to bemore productive, but in the end you fail. The busyness cycle always backfiresbecause it tries to meet the demands of busyness by driving you further into busyness.
The Way Out of the Busyness Cycle
What if I told you that the solution to break the busyness cycle iscounter-intuitive? What if I told you that the secret is not to work harderor even manage your time better? What if I told you that the secret tobecoming more productive and less overwhelmed is taking 52 days off thisyear? I have experienced in my own life that taking 52 days off in ayear, not only makes me more rested and less overwhelmed butalso more productive than ever before. The secret to taking 52 days off this year and getting more done is foundin the first chapter of the Bible. The secret is Sabbath.
My Seminary Secret Weapon
My Sabbath journey began during my first year in seminary. My wife,knowing my obsession with learning, asked if Sundays could be a daywithout homework. I did not receive her request with great enthusiasm. I had a goal ofearning a 3.75 GPA to increase my chances of getting into a doctoralprogram. I had hundreds of pages to read every week in addition to papersto write and languages to learn. I could not fathom that taking a day offfrom school would help me accomplish my goal. But I said yes to my wife. (Though, like Adam in the Garden, I was readyto blame “the woman” if my grades dropped!) I expected that Mondaythrough Saturday would exhaust me as I crammed 7 days of courseworkinto 6.
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To my shock, however, something very different happened. I did well,and I enjoyed school. On Monday mornings, many of my classmateswould tell me how tired they were after their weekend-long study sessions. But I found myself energized and excited to begineach week. Many classmates lost momentum as the semester dragged on. Othersburned out and quit altogether. But I felt like I gained momentum each week, and my grades stayedhigh. I didn’t get a 3.75 GPA; I graduated with a 3.96. Even moreimportantly, my intimacy with the Lord grew during these years—which is not true of many seminarians. Instead of blaming my wife, I thanked her for her wisdom. Taking oneday off from school was the secret weapon of seminary.
Reviving Sabbath
When seminary ended, my Sabbath practice ceased along with it. Itwas a good idea for a short time, but I didn’t think it was necessary fornormal life outside of school. Over the next couple of years, I started leading a ministry and was responsible for an organizational rebranding and building a staff team. My family lived in a dorm and participated in life-on-life ministry with 130 college students. On many weeks, I worked 60-70 hours got way less sleep than I needed. My wife and I had three children in the span of five and a half years. I went back to school to earn a doctorate while still working. We took on weekly responsibilities as church volunteers. Our kids started participating in school and community activities. We developed new friendships and traveled to visit family.
Whenever someone asked me how we were doing, I would respond,“We are so busy.” All my other friends said the same thing — they were
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busy too. We all assumed that busy was how life was supposed to be. Truth be told, with all of the commitments we had, my wife and I werebarely keeping our heads above water. We would go to bed exhausted andwake up the same. We loved everything that we were doing,but, sometimes, I resented it all. All of these wonderfulactivities often felt so overwhelming that we couldn’t fullyengage or enjoy them. We just needed to survive them. That’s when we decided to break the busyness cycle by doingsomething completely counter-intuitive. We reinstituted Sabbath. One day each week. 24 hours. No work. Sabbath is counter-intuitive because it answers the problem of busynessby taking a day off. It seems like the very opposite of what youshould do. We often think the cure for busyness is more hours at workor less sleep. But our family responded to busyness by doing nothingproductive for 24 hours. Years later, I can tell you that Sabbath is the single most influentialdiscipline in my life. I actually get more done now than when I worked 7days each week. More importantly, I enjoy God, my family, my work, andmy life more today than before I started practicing it.
When you hear the word “Sabbath,” what comes to mind? For thepurpose of this book, we’re going to use a very simple definition ofSabbath: a 24-hour break from work. Before the Fall, God createdwork to be satisfying and fulfilling (Gen. 2:15). It still can be. But work hasalso been infected by the Fall. God established the thorns and thistles ofwork as part of the punishment for sin (Gen. 3:18).
Sabbath gives you a break from work. I define work as: • Anything you feel obligated to do, or • Anything that drains life from you.
When you define work this way, you gain clarity about what qualifies
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What is Sabbath?
as work and what you need to stop doing one day each week. Work onlyneeds to meet one of these characteristics for it to be considered work. These two characteristics intentionally leave room for some subjectiveinterpretation. For example, my friend Charles loves to mow the grassand trim the hedges in his yard. While I think of these activities as yardwork, he sees them as recreational. He does not mow the lawn because hefeels obligated. He mows the lawn because he enjoys it. Another friend, Samantha, cooks big meals on Sabbath. For her,cooking is neither an obligation nor is it energy-draining. Cooking helpsher express creativity. It is an act of freedom, not of slavery. Do youknow what she doesn’t do on Sabbath? Clean up the mess she made! Sabbath is a 24-hour break from work. To the best of your abilities,this means disengaging from anything that you feel obligated to do orthat is life-depleting. Your definition of work will be somewhat differentfrom those around you. What is important is that you know what that is. In the space below record your thoughts. What do you consider work? What do you need to take abreak from during a Sabbath? (record your answers below).
The purpose of this book is to help you start taking a Sabbathby the end of the week. There are two things that I won’t do much in this book: (1) I won’tspend much time building a biblical or theological case for Sabbath.There are some great works that already do this: The Rest of God by MarkBuchanan; Sabbath by Wayne Muller; Living the Sabbath by NormanWirzba; Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann. (2) I won’t spend time convincing you to take a Sabbath. MostChristians theoretically agree with taking one. But few actually do.
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The Purpose of This Book
Sabbath is an act of faith— just like the entire Christian life. It takesserious faith to believe that the best way to deal with thefeelings of busyness and desperation is to take one day off ofwork each week. It takes serious faith because it is so counter-intuitive. Instead of building a theological case or convincing you to take aSabbath, this book focuses on mobilizing you to take a Sabbath bythe end of the week. I want you to participate in Sabbath so that you canexperience the effects for yourself. I want you to experience gettingmore done by taking off one day each week. The book answers threebasic questions regarding Sabbath: (1) What am I supposed to do on Sabbath? (2) How can Sabbath make me more productive? (3) What steps do I take to have a Sabbath by the end of the week?
The Most Important Reason for Sabbath Answering these three questions will help you accomplish more.More importantly, though, Sabbath will help you be with God. BecauseGod is omnipresent, you cannot NOT be with God! But you choose whetheryou pay attention to him. Sabbath helps you pay attention to God’s presence. The Psalmistswrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psa. 46:10). Sabbath actively chooses to be still — to stop work in order to knowthat God is God. Sabbath willingly ignores the self-imposed, false need to accomplishmore tasks. Sabbath makes you aware that you are in the presence of the one whohas accomplished everything on our behalf (John 19:30). The end goal of Sabbath is to be with God. Greater productivityis an added benefit.
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The most frequently asked question when it comes to Sabbath is“What am I supposed to do?” The assumption behind that question is, “IfI cannot work, I have nothing to do.” This is not the case! Rememberthat God created Adam and Eve on the 6th day and almost immediatelygave them a day off (Gen. 2:2-3). There are 4 activities that have beenpracticed since that first Sabbath: worship, rest, recreation, andrelationships.
1. Worship
Sabbath traditionally includes a time of communal “worship” sincemost people will take a Sabbath on the day their church meets. But the word worship means far more than simply the communalgathering to sing and hear from the Bible. Worship is anything that wedo to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Certainly Adam and Eve spent theirfirst Sabbath doing everything to the glory of God, and it probably didnot include hearing a sermon. To say that you “worship” on Sabbath means that you intentionally doeverything to the glory of God. Be aware of his presence, and invite himinto every breath and action. Get dressed to the glory of God. Eat breakfast to the glory of God. Take a nap to the glory of God. How will you worship this Sabbath?
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1. Worship
2. Rest
Since God’s original creation of Sabbath, rest has been involved (Gen.2:2-3). Rest doesn’t just involve the cessation of work, but it also includesactively choosing restful activities. Sleep in. Sit on your back porch. Play with your kids. The pace at which you do activities will also make them restful. Do notrush. Do not yell at your kids to get out the door. Do not drive too quickly(even when you’re late). Do not plan too many activities. (If you plan toomuch, you will wind up more tired than rested!) Not only do theactivities need to be restful, but also the pace at which you do them.
What restful activities will you participate in this Sabbath?
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3. Recreation
Recreation is any activity that gives you life and “fills your bucket.”(Notice the breakdown of the word: re-creation.) Participate in activities that give you energy: Play baseball with yourkids. Read a novel. Go on a hike. Swing in a hammock. Do you remember my friend Charles who did yard work? It’srecreation for him. If you volunteer at a church on Sabbath, I encourage you to volunteerfor activities that give you life — not ones that drain you. One friend ofmine, Amanda, volunteers every week for the children’s ministry. But itdrains her. She does it out of a sense of obligation rather than a sensethat God has called her to it. At the very least, don’t volunteer for life-draining activities every week. Volunteer for church activities that bringyou life. If it brings life to you, chances are better that your service willbring life to others! If you volunteer heavily or work for a church, remember: Sabbathdoesn’t have to be on a Sunday! You can select a different day of theweek in which to practice Sabbath. Many ministry leaders practice theirSabbath on Friday. What activities will you practice this Sabbath to give youenergy?
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1. Worship
4. Relationships
In the original creation, Adam and Eve would have spent the firstSabbath building their relationship with each other. They had just metand been created the day before! Their first Sabbath gave them theopportunity to get to know each other better. (God did command themto be fruitful and multiply!) Relationships are one of the first casualties ofbusyness. Sabbath creates space to concentrate on our most importantrelationships. Have lunch with friends. Have a meaningful conversationwith your spouse. Tell your kids stories from your childhood. Invitepeople to come over to your house (but don’t clean up if cleaning feelslike work). How will you engage in relationships this Sabbath?
You’ll notice that many of the activities you can do will overlap eachother. If you play soccer with your kids, you’ve engaged in bothrecreation and relationships. If you’re doing it to the glory of God, thenit’s worship. If you attend a small group at your church, you’ve engagedin worship and relationships. What is important is that you engage in all4 activities during your Sabbath.
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If you’re like most people I talk to, you have a hard time believing thatyou can be more productive by stopping work for 24 hours. Thecomments that I hear most often are: • “I can’t possibly take a day off! When will I do the laundry?” • “If I take a Sabbath, the kids will destroy the house!” • “I love the idea of taking a Sabbath, but I’m over-committed. I’ll dothat once I have less on my plate.” Let me tell you a secret: even though I’ve practiced Sabbath for severalyears, I still wrestle with these thoughts almost every week. As the timeto start Sabbath gets closer, I question whether I can really take aSabbath. I have so much to do. I have more writing to do. The dishes arestill dirty. I’m behind on my email. The list of excuses goes on and on. But by the end of Sabbath, I am once again convinced that Sabbathmakes me more productive. Here are four ways that Sabbath will makeyou more productive.
1. Sabbath reenergizes you.
Earlier, I defined work as: • Anything you feel obligated to do, or • Anything that drains life from you. Sabbath allows you to take a break from things that drain you andgives you permission to engage in rest and recreation. If you chooserestful and recreational activities, Sabbath gives you energy. It fills yourlife with more life! I find that by the end of Sabbath, I am reenergized and replenished,ready to encounter 6 days of productivity. At the end of Sabbath, youwill be able to accomplish more because your energy has beenreplenished.
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2. Sabbath provides
perspective. When your life is overwhelmingly busy or consumed with work, youlose perspective. When you lose perspective, work feels oppressive. • You forget what is most important. • You feel like you’ll never complete your projects. • You don’t enjoy your work and may even dread it. • You think that work is a punishment from God. • You resent people who ask for help because you already have toomuch to do. • You lose sight of God’s goodness and sovereignty. Sabbath provides perspective. This 24-hour stretch reminds you whatis truly important. • You recognize your priorities. • You see that incomplete projects are part of life. • You enjoy your work and look forward to it even though all workwill have “thorns and thistles” (Gen. 3:17-19). • You realize that relationships are more important than projects. • You become aware that you are with God and that he loves youinfinitely. • You are reminded of the call of God on your life as a With GodLeader and the important work he has for you to do. You accomplish more with Sabbath by gaining the perspective ofwhat is most important and spending your time doing those priorities.
3. Sabbath helps you discern
God's voice. As you slow down and pay attention to God’s presence duringSabbath, you learn to hear his voice. Not only is God with you, but hespeaks to you. We often move so quickly that we cannot hear his voice.
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My wife used to own a Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible. It was oldenough that the soft-top would not latch as tightly as it originally did. Ifwe drove slowly, the loose latches didn’t matter. But as we drove faster,the noise of the wind whipping through the soft-top grew louder. If wedrove over 70 miles per hour, we couldn’t engage in conversation oreven hear the stereo at full volume. All we could hear was the sound ofthe wind whipping through the loose soft-top.
4. Sabbath makes it easier to
say “yes” to the best
opportunities and “no” to all
others.
As a kid, did you ever play a game of tag that had no boundaries? Youwould chase your friends, but they could run into the neighbor’syard…or the next town. Nobody wanted to be “it” if you didn’t haveboundaries. The lack of boundaries made it impossible to catch anyone(except your baby brother).
He guides you to what he wants you to do — and what he doesn’t wantyou to do. You become far less busy when you learn to discern God’s voice aboutthe commitments he wants you to make. You become far moreproductive as you commit to doing only what God has called you to do.
The same is true for God’svoice. Busyness causes you tomove so quickly that you cannothear God speaking. But Sabbath slows you down. As you move more slowly, youare able to hear the Lord. He reminds you who you are.
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Sabbath provides a boundary. You put a fence around your week tosay, “This day is off-limits to work.” This boundary makes it easier foryou to say “yes” and “no” in three ways:
1) Sabbath helps you realize that you have limited time andenergy for your “yeses.” As a result, you become more intentional with the things to which yousay “yes.” And more willing to say “no” to things that you do not feelcalled by God to do. If you acknowledge that your time is limited, then you aremore likely to limit your commitments.
2) Sabbath helps you evaluate the “yeses” you have alreadymade. There have been multiple times during a Sabbath when I have reflectedon some of the work I’m doing (my “yeses”) and realized that I didn’tneed to do that work. We tend to overfill our lives with commitments, thinking that we canfit in one more thing. Sabbath allows you to take stock of yourcommitments and determine if you suffer from the excess of yes. It givesyou permission to purge, which makes you more productive.
3) Sabbath enables you to say “no” more intentionally duringthe rest of the week. Sabbath says “no” to work for an entire day. There are a thousand goodjobs to do on Sabbath, but you say “no” to all those that involve work. As you practice saying “no” on this one day, it becomes easier to say it on the other6! Sabbath increases your productivity by helping you learn to say no andlimiting your “yeses” to only the commitments that you know God hascalled you to do. Even though it seems counter-intuitive, Sabbath makes you moreproductive as you replenish energy, gain perspective, discern God’svoice, and learn to say “yes” and “no” more intentionally. Sabbath is the unexpected secret to accomplishing more!
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Question 3: What steps
do I take to have a
Sabbath by the end of
the week?
My goal for this book is to mobilize you to take a Sabbath by the end ofthe week. While it may sound daunting to celebrate a Sabbath, it’s quitesimple to get started. In fact, if you make it too elaborate, you willsabotage Sabbath — you’ll spend so much work creating Sabbath that itbecomes a chore. Here are the steps to start taking a Sabbath this week.
1. Prepare for Sabbath
If possible, lead your family in getting ready for Sabbath before it startsby doing some preparatory chores. Taking out the garbage or picking uparound the house before Sabbath can make it more enjoyable. Somepeople spend the whole day before Sabbath preparing for it by cleaningthe house and making meals. Personally, I don't enjoy household chores.But they become far more tolerable when I do them together with myfamily and with the desire to prepare for Sabbath. Chores can even be anact of worship! I hate walking by a sink full of dirty dishes on Sabbath. Dirty dishesmake it more difficult for me to rest on Sabbath. So I try to clean and putaway the dishes before Sabbath starts. We use only paper productsduring Sabbath, so we don’t have to wash dishes. Of course, you can’t always prepare for Sabbath as much as you’d like.This will happen regularly. As one of my friends, Dr. Craig Carr, says,“The mantra of Sabbath is ‘Ready or not, here I stop!’” Even though Ihate leaving dirty dishes in the sink, sometimes I can’t get to the dishesbefore Sabbath starts. I have to put off cleaning the dishes for 24 hours.Every time I pass the dishes, I remind myself that neither my peace normy identity comes from clean dishes. One of the effects of Sabbath is that itteaches us that God does not accept us because of what we do for him. He accepts useven when we fail to get everything done. What are the preparations that you would prefer to finishprior to Sabbath?
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2. Determine when Sabbath
will begin and end. You need to determine a general time that your 24-hour Sabbath willstart. Note that the time and the day may change during different seasonsof life. I recommend having a 30 minute window. During this season inlife, my family starts on Saturday evening between 6:00 - 6:30. Thewindow of time gives you the opportunity to feel less pressure aboutstarting.
I highly recommend beginning in the late afternoon or evening. First,this is the biblical model of the day: “evening and morning.” Second, itfeels better to start the Sabbath before you go to bed instead of right whenyou wake up. When you start at night you: • End your day with rest, relationships, worship and recreationbefore you go to bed. • Give yourself permission to sleep in the next morning withouthaving the pressure to start Sabbath. • It also allows you to clean up after the close of Sabbath (a must foranyone with children). If you do not have a consistent schedule, your Sabbath day and starttime may need to vary from week to week. After each Sabbath ends,decide when next week’s Sabbath will begin. When will you begin and end the Sabbath?
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4. Gather together and review
what you will do. At the pre-determined start time, gather everyone in your house. Ifyou have guests with you, gather them as well. Bring out the physicalreminder and have a simple ceremony. Remind everyone that: • Sabbath is starting; • You will do no work on the Sabbath; and • You will engage in worship, rest, recreation, and relationships. Then pray for awareness of God. If you have kids, this can be a special time for your family. Involve thechildren by letting them light the candle or lay out the bread. Ask themquestions: What do we not do on Sabbath? What can we do on Sabbath?
When you start practicing Sabbath, it helps to have a special physicalreminder in a central location of your home. This reminder only comesout on Sabbath and helps you “remember the Sabbath” (Exo. 20:8). For years, my family used a battery-operated, luminated mini-fountain. We would put it on the dining room table in our home onSabbath. The light and the sound of the water served to constantlyremind us to enjoy worship, rest, relationships, and recreation. But you don’t have to purchase anything for the visual reminder. Findsomething that will help you remember the Sabbath all throughout theday. Other ideas could include the sound of meaningful backgroundmusic, a special bowl or chalice, a loaf of bread or matzah, or a Bible. What physical reminder will you use to signify the Sabbath?
3. Establish a physical
reminder for Sabbath.
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5. Enjoy the day!
Eventually, you may want to add a short devotion, but don’t expectattention spans to last long in young children. Avoid creating a ritual thatturns into a chore. The simplicity of the ceremony should reflect thesimplicity of the day.
Spend 24 hours becoming more aware of God’s presence as you do nowork.
6. Gather together and review
what you did.
As Sabbath comes to a close, gather everyone back together around thephysical reminder. Ask the same questions: What do we not do onSabbath? What do we do on Sabbath? Then ask everyone to give feedback on your Sabbath activities. This isnot the time to evaluate how you can better practice Sabbath next time.You can do that later! Instead, ask everyone what they did to practice thefour activities. • What did we do to worship? • What did we do to rest? • What did we do to participate in recreation? • What did we do to build relationships?
These questions help you celebrate a day without productivity. Oneadditional question can add significance to this experience: When wereyou most aware of God’s presence during Sabbath? This last question helps you reflect on God’s presence. But it doessomething else: it helps you discover how each personexperiences God’s presence differently. This leads you to buildmore of those activities into your life throughout the week. Finally, pray together. Give thanks to God for the Sabbath and dedicateyour week of work to the Lord.
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7. Clean up.
As Sabbath comes to a close, it helps to have a short time of cleaningup. Chances are, your house has gotten messier than normal because youhaven’t cleaned it up for 24 hours. Take a little bit of time to leada clean up.
BONUS:
Dealing with the End-of-Sabbath Blues
As you come to the close of Sabbath, don’t be surprised if you feel sad.This is normal. The sadness usually comes from the fact that you havespent the last 24 hours participating in life-giving activities andneglecting work.
It is normal to feel sad as you go back into work mode. You may evenfeel stress, tension, or anger as you go back to work.
There are two responses you can have at this point. (1) You can giveinto these feelings and close out Sabbath in a sour mood. Or (2) you canuse this as an opportunity for further worship.
Sabbath demonstrates the future rest that we will experience in theNew Heaven and New Earth (Heb. 4:9-11; Rev. 21:1-5). Sabbath partiallyparticipates in our eternal condition of with-God-rest. Allow the sadnessyou feel to awaken hope within you that there is coming a day whenthere will be no more death, poverty, disease, destruction, evil or pain.Let your sadness remind you that there is coming a day when work willbe redeemed, when there will be no more thorns or thistles, and whenyou will be fully alive and fully aware of the presence of God.
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Whenever I talk to people about Sabbath, questions emerge. Often,though, the questions are just an excuse to delay practicing Sabbath. I’venever met a single Christian who does not agree with the principle ofSabbath, but few practice it.
If you are feeling busy and overwhelmed, your first instinct will be towork harder, to stay up later, and to wake up earlier. You can certainly dothis for a few weeks — maybe even a few months. But the problem ofbusyness cannot be answered by creating more busyness. That’sthe equivalent of an alcoholic drinking wine in order to wean himselffrom whiskey.
Sabbath breaks the busyness cycle. Take a Sabbath. Every week. If youtake 52 days off this year, you will be more productive than ever.
About Garland Vance
For more from me, check out my website atgarlandvance.com. My goal is to empower and mobilizebusy Christian influencers to experience God and liveand lead with greater purpose, productivity and peace.You can also find me at @GarlandVance on Twitter
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