Measuring your productivity by your income is a bad idea. Not all productive activities can be (or should be) measured in monetary terms. Thinking about your productivity in terms of how much money you make might pervert your creative energy. You will lose your sense of beauty, truth and craftsmanship. Maintaining a sense of what is good, beautiful and true is important. The money and riches mean nothing when the soul is corrupted. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37 ESV)
Having said that, productivity should be quantifiable and measurable in some way. You must keep track of your productivity. To provide you with a sense of progress and growth. So you can look back and determine whether you are progressing in your life’s mission or not. In the beginning, God blessed mankind and declared that we would be fruitful. Jesus desires that we live fruitful lives. What constitutes fruitfulness (productivity) varies by tree. An orange tree that bears apples cannot be called fruitful. You must be clear on the exact kind of productivity that your Lord expects from you.
So, what level of productivity does the Lord demand from you this season? What is the unit of measurement for your productivity? What will you choose to count? An author publishes books. An architect designs buildings. A teacher teaches. We should count books for authors, classes for a teacher and buildings for an architect. A bountiful harvest awaits the hardworking farmer who is focused on productivity. If you do your best work that glorifies God, the income and money will take care of themselves. However, if you continue to put money ahead of true productivity, you will lose your way.
