Ploductivity: A Practical Theology of Tools & Wealth

by Douglas Wilson, Rebekah Merkle (Foreword)

Plod, don't sprint. Be fruitful like a tree, not efficient like a machine.

In this book, Douglas Wilson both considers the theology behind technology, work, and mission and advice on how to be productive—and to think about productivity—in the digital age.

We should not rush to buy each and every new iPhone or fancy new gadget, but neither neither should we reject the new technology out of nostalgia for the good ol' days when people worked with their hands or starved. Instead, we are called to see modern technology as wealth and tools that we can use, whether for good or for ill. The key is wisdom and the ability to create the right habits and the regular discipline to use what we have been given.

Ploductivity: n, 1) the practice of plodding away at a pile of work, instead of frantically trying to sprint through it all
2) being stable and graceful, like a buffalo upon the plains, not frantic, like a prairie dog or roadrunner

Genres: Theology, Productivity, Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Christianity, Personal Development

122 pages, Paperback

First published January 3, 2020

About the author

I write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Plod, don't sprint. Be fruitful like a tree, not efficient like a machine.” The first half of this book is good; the second half is really good.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to have read Pastor Wilson's book on "productivity" which is heavy with practical Theology. If Jesus is Lord of all, and He is, then all our efforts to be fruitful in this life should not begin with having the right planner, the right habit tracker, and the right productivity app, but with a right understanding of what the Bible says about the means (wealth) we have been given to be productive and fruitful.

I was heavily convicted to use all the mini pockets of time through my day to advance the Kingdom of God and bear much fruit where God has planted me. We know we don't have a life to waste, but what do we do with the 10 mins of wait in the post office line? The 10 minutes in the coffee shop waiting for our friend to arrive? In the commutes we have? Are we wasting our lives in pockets of time of 10 minutes each?

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply wonderful and very encouraging. Highly recommend this to everyone! Fruitfulness.

Read again, February 2023. Absolutely wonderful!!!!

[Jacob Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful. You can read it in a couple of hours. If you're looking for help knowing "which" tools to use, don't read this. Pastor Doug is more concerned that you know what tools are *for* and that you approach them with the kind of heart that God will multiply, thirty, sixty and a hundred-fold. If you can become the ploductive person, the ploductive tools reveal themselves. Along this vein, Tim Chailles has a helpful productivity book where he gives an overview of some of the best modern tools.

Read it in conjunction with Wordsmithy if you're looking for more applications of how to become a ploductive person in the realm of knowledge, reading, and writing.

[Alexis Kirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the person that he calls out specifically in this book for saying “Well, I can’t give this thing an hour so there is no point in doing it at all.” I very much appreciated that he spoke to that and talked about how just doing a little bit of something a few minutes at a time can complete a task slowly but surely. The whole book was such a good reminder that everything we have is a tool, it is not what it is but how we use it that determines whether or not it will be a blessing or a hindrance to us and our calling.

[John Rimmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025: no bells, no whistles, no side effects, no wasted pages. I love this book.

2020: Really enjoyed this book, and it delivered on everything it promised from the beginning. It is not a how-to guide to being more of anything. The how is summed up in the first four words of the title...PLOD along. I like that the book gets into the why and who questions that almost all other productivity guru books out there ignore or plead the fifth on.

Regarding why...it integrates the concept of productivity into the midst of an entire worldview, deriving the motivations for your work in everything from your origin, your anthropology, your ethics, your purpose, and your ultimate destiny. The other mechanistic how-to experts wouldn't know how to connect these dots even if they were color coded and numbered inside of a Disney Princess Activity Book. Pragmatism gets no quarter in this book, and it shouldn't. If all that mattered was what works, then how come nothing they are selling...works? And another thing that's great about all that deep diving perspective is that Wilson barely needs 100 pages to do it. Quick and easy and now its time to get plodding along. Nice!

Now regarding the who...most productivity books are all about being a better you by being a busier and more techno-savvy cyborg. But Ploductivity focuses its emphasis on making a person fruitful in life rather than merely productive. It would seem to be an irrelevant shift in the metaphor, but in it is a world of difference...both in what it says about who you are and about what you should expect. And since the book is so short, I'll leave it to the interested reader to go figure out the world of difference for him or herself.

At the outset of the book the author states that his hope is for the reader to have a simple reminder to refer back to from time to time with this book. I think that is exactly what it will be for me. Highly recommended.

[raffaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and practical.

Main points:
- We are created by God to do good works; therefore we should work diligently and strive to master our work.
- Technology is a form of wealth and a blessing from God that we should use to advance His kingdom.
- Wealth can also be a snare for us (Deuteronomy 8) that we must combat with gratitude and dependence on God.
- Ambition and progress are good things if they are guided by the Lord and within His design, and bad if they are not.
- Plodding, or working on something a little bit over a long time, reaps a huge harvest in the end even if it's hard to see the results day-to-day.

[Jim Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and to the point! Just like we need it. Loved it. I need to read it again. Here is one gem from the book: "...productive work requires a rhythm, a metronome. Long distant runners settle into a pace." Mr Wilson is talking about plodding. Read for 10 minutes a day and many pages will be read by the end of the year. Very good advice. Read it.

[Father Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful

Practical guide for a Christian view of technology, wealth, and productivity. Enjoyed thinking through technophile vs. technophobe discussions and the “Servants in your pocket.”

[Jeremy]

Video promo here.

[Ethan Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening. Fun.

"Do you want to be efficient like a machine, or fruitful like a tree?" (8).

It's fair to say that I literally plodded my way through this book. I read it on my way to class, when waiting for the tea to brew, in the restroom, and when waiting waiting for the food to get out of the microwave and in a matter of a little over a week I finished the book.

Douglas Wilson is probably the best living expression of a jovial warrior that I know of and it shows in this book.

Full of great wisdom and insight. The first half covers a theology of work and the second half works as a sort of application. His primary thesis is that technology is a form of wealth. The Bible does not have much to say on technology. But it has alot to say about wealth. Thus, Wilson uses this framework to write about tools, media, productivity (or rather, ploductivity), eschatology, blessings, and every else you would expect over a book that covers a theology of work.

Good sections from the book:

"Adam could not exercise dominion over a hedge without tools, and God told him to exercise dominion over the whole globe and all the animals in it. To exercise dominion over the fish of the sea, I am pretty sure a boat would have been needed." (27).

"In order to evaluate a tool, we have to account for the telos, the end, the purpose. Hammers are used to build both brothels and barns." (28).

"When we make tools, whether plows and shovels, smoke signals or iPhones, we are not violating our essential humanity. Rather we are expressing it." (40).

"So my responsibility is, so to speak, whatever is in front of me, there on my workbench or desk or counter. I should do a first-rate job with that, and other things will fall into place. And as they fall into place, it will not be the impersonal doing of Adam Smith’s invisible hand. Every blessing a Christian ever receives is from a pierced hand." (49).

"In the long run, pragmatism doesn’t work. Focusing on the GDP alone is bad for the GDP. It does not profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul, and there is an additional sting when he then loses the world too. Whatever you worship in place of God is another thing you lose. Whatever you surrender gladly to Him is returned to you, pressed down, shaken, and running over." (61).

There are many, many others but I'll leave it up to you to read this book.

My first Doug Wilson book done! Definitely will not be my last.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding book. I did not necessarily read anything new or that I had not heard before. Instead, this was a poignant reminder that all of life and the work we do while we are here is an opportunity to grow as a Christian and glorify God.
If I had to choose a “newish” lesson it would be about how being a productive worker applies not just to projects around the house or writing a book or planting a garden. It also applies to what I do for a living.
Anytime I consider or reconsider a mindset that encourages me to growth and I can immediately see ways to implement it, it makes me excited.
I commend this book to anyone who is afraid of technology and sees it as evil. I also commend this book to anyone who thinks that working for work’s sake is somehow not enough.

[Ben Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rock solid, and very encouraging. First half of the book was my favorite as Wilson sets out a very straightforward and practical theology of work, wealth, tools, tech, ethic...etc. In a nutshell: it is the human heart that is the problem no matter what epoch of time one finds himself, and the solution has always been Christ. Therefore, work hard and diligently as unto Him. The second half is an exhortation to pursue whatever your goal is in smaller but consistent time chunks. Appreciated the forward by his daughter, as she shares memories of Wilson living out his methods as a father, husband, pastor...etc.

[Robert Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a theology of work, much less about how to do it. The main idea of do daily what you can sustain consistently over time is common sense, but necessary to read anyway. An interesting connection he makes is that our tools and our time are wealth, and as such the Bible has much to say about how we use them. And that God gives wealth as a gift, but Satan gives us pride and the illusion of self-sufficiency shortly thereafter, which is where we go wrong.

[Gloriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read; helpful; quite convicting.

[Peter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tremendously helpful book that focuses on basic principles instead of some of the specific ways of managing your day or a project. It helps you shape how you think about wealth and time management. One of the main things I was reminded of was that minutes matter. Don't waste 10 minutes here or 15 minutes there. Use it wisely and over time those minutes add up. Also he does a good job of seeing wealth of all kinds as a good, but something that is corrupted by our sinful hearts. Our hearts are the issue not the tech.

[Gordon Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable, convicting, and practical book. A must read for anyone who wants to be faithful with the time, skills, and gifts God has given them.

[Ivy. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine stuff.
It’s really interesting how Wilson connects his Postmill eschatology to Productivity.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first part is a chiropractic adjustment on how to think about work/tools/the universe. The second part is the "tip" part. A lot of valuable, original thinking.

[Noah Hosking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more theoretical than I thought, but I appreciated how he built his practical argument from a very strong theological foundation.

[Lara Ryd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely helpful. No hot takes or hacks, just a look at what the Bible has to say about tools, work, and wealth. I particularly appreciate the connection Wilson makes between technology and wealth. His point is that technology is a kind of wealth, and thus what Scripture says about wealth can be applied to technology: it’s a blessing, but one which can be misused and thus one we need to be careful with. There’s no need for faithful Christians to be Luddites (something I need to hear!)—instead, Christians should seek wisdom and use the tools at their disposal to do good work for the Kingdom.

Also helps explain how DW is able publish a book a month.

[Mason Sherrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely a highly recommended read! I was so blessed by Doug’s theology of technology/tools, it’s relationship to his optimistic view of future history and man’s responsibility in that redemptive work. I also appreciated how he gives “legs” to his theology through his explanation and examples of how to “plod” away at our work just like leaven in the Kingdom.
My favorite take away from the book was his exhortation to be a well planted tree that exponentially produces fruit rather than a maxed out machine!

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another helpful book here by Wilson. Large changes are brought about by small changes. You don’t start reading 200 books a year overnight, but you can begin by reading one chapter of a book a day. The goal is not be overwhelmed by the weight of your duty - often there are multiple pathways to success. Some things require immediate action and chimp-like energy, in cases of emergencies and deadlines. But most things in life, specifically the types of things that require the formation of habits, require steady, consistent, plodding activity- or plodactivity.

What Wilson gives us here in this book has been a message he has been teaching for years. Others have written on the same topic (see Atomic Habits), but Wilson ties this all together by bringing in both the duty and the telos of man. We don’t want to simply become Christians who happen to have good habits. We want to form good habits because we are Christians. Well worth your time.

[Kofi Opoku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book from perhaps the one of the most qualified persons to write on such matters. Doug has been extremely prolific for years, so I truly appreciate his insight. His basic thesis is that if you chip away at things bit by bit, you would eventually get done. Not a novel idea, but one needs explaining from a Christian perspective over and over again. He also does a good job seeing all of our technological resources as wealth that can be used for the glory of God. Highly recommended.

[Evan Templeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book on slow and meaningful effectiveness from a man who has accomplished an exceptional amount in his life, including the writing of many books, and the founding of several successful organizations. Inspiring, challenging, encouraging, and immediately helpful. In the author’s words, “…hopefully the last productivity book you will ever have to read.”

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for this book all my life. I recently described myself as the duck paddling like hell below the surface, but a friend corrected me: "You're a duck upside down, paddling like hell above the surface for all the world to see." This is true. And Doug's book is an fantastic escape from that lust of efficiency. I'm rather pleased to say I didn't exactly sprint through it, but chipped away at it throughout a busy day at work, reading a chapter whenever I got 5 minutes.

A few golden one-liners:

"Do you want to be efficient like a machine, or fruitful like a tree?" (8)

"Two words that do not go together are control and future." (48)

"Every blessing a Christian ever receives is from a pierced hand." (50)

"Whatever you worship in place of God is another thing you lose." (62)

"If my body is a living sacrifice, this means that everything it rests upon is an altar." (67)

"Finitude is one of our glories." (71)

"The only way our work can be large enough is if it is submitted entirely to the will of God." (73)

"With regard to starting things, the trick here is to act like you know what you're doing, make the decision to go for it, and then God sends capable people to help you implement the vision." (109)

"The central work you should want [God] to bless is your labor as a father." (112)

[Logan]

I read this book because I received it free from my job. Usually, I’m all for “death of the author” in terms of separating an author’s character/morality from their work—but, in this case, because the author is unfortunately not dead, I regret that he’ll make money off people buying this.

[Jared Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book on work, wealth, and productivity. As Christians living coram deo, we should strive for good quality work, and seek to be wise with the wealth we create by our hard work. He who is wise in little will be wise in much.

[Joshua Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this book, and am filled with motivation, plans, and love for Jesus. A book on productivity with a hot shot of Christ-exalting Postmillennialism is just what the Doctor ordered. Important reading for the building of the next Christendom.

[Joel Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and sound.