Warning: this thought contains numerous analogies.  🙂

Some things are so obvious that we become blind to them.  Consider these famous sayings.  You can’t see the forest for the trees.  It is as plain as the nose on your face.  If it had been a snake, it would have bitten you.  We use quips like these to make a point that something is so obvious and yet, for some reason, we just don’t get it.

All of us would agree that a brick wall can’t hear you no matter how loud you yell at it.  Still, can you imagine convincing yourself that, if you yell louder, it may just respond?  You may not convince yourself of that, but you may have convinced yourself that you need to work longer hours in order to be effective.  It just isn’t true.  Your most effective work takes place when you are at your peak of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual clarity.

Let me challenge you to reevaluate how you approach the idea of a good day’s work.  The value of a good day’s work is not found in the amount of time you put into it.  It is found in accomplishing the goals and tasks for that day.  Some people have become convinced that it is necessary to work longer hours in order to be more successful.  In doing so, they quickly discover lack in many other areas of life.  Let me put it to you in another illustration.  Just because you decide to drive longer hours doesn’t mean you will get more miles to the gallon.  Eventually, your tank will run out of gas.  Take time to keep your tank full!

God has personally given us His example.  During creation, God tells us that, on the seventh day He rested.  Later, He gives us some healthy mandates to keep.  One of them is to take a Sabbath rest.  Even Christ demonstrated this principle.  Jesus knew the value of a good day’s work.  He knew when it was time to call it a day.  In Mark 11:11, we see Jesus go into the temple but then He leaves, calling it a day because it was late.

Good leadership understands the value of a day.  An effective leader knows when to stop for the day and refill the tank.  This seems as obvious as yelling at a brick wall, yet, there are many people who are proverbially losing their voices because they don’t see the obvious. So clear your throat, put your focus on accomplishing your goals during the peak of your energies, and know when to call it a day!