Mar
5
Clarity
Filed Under Devotional
Anyone who has been part of commercial software development knows about crunch mode or the extreme cases known as death marches. These are the last few days and weeks of a project when the ship date is fixed and the amount of work is growing. The only solution is for the majority of the team to work longer and longer hours until the product is read to go.
The worst case of this that I experienced, by far, was a project for which I was the technical lead. So, on top of the pressure of getting the code finished, I had to worry about the rest of the engineers, too. On that project, crunch mode lasted roughly three months.
As the march progressed, I began to trim more and more out of my daily routine to maximize the work I could get done. I started by closing my door to avoid casual conversations. I would let calls other than my wife or my teammates go to voice mail. I eventually started ignoring non-project related emails.
My goal was to remove all possible distractions so that every moment I had at the office was spent improving the product and preparing it to ship. As much as I hated the schedule, I appreciated the efficiency I was able to achieve. I began to see how clearly I could think, problem-solve, and develop without dozens of other issues intruding on my brain.
I don’t aspire to recreate crunch mode, but I do look for opportunities to trim the fat from my daily routine. The distractions can paralyze you:
“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22
Notice that the man Jesus describes in this parable heard the Word. He understands the good news. But, even if he accepts Christ, he is unfruitful because of the worries of this life and the pursuit of wealth.
Don’t mistake busyness for fruitfulness. Work to achieve clarity in your relationship with Jesus.