• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Jared Dees

Author. Speaker. Teacher.

  • About
    • Now
    • Projects
    • Speaking
    • Contact
  • Books
    • Beatitales
    • Tales of the Ten Commandments
    • Take and Eat
    • Do Not Be Afraid
    • Pray without Ceasing
    • Prepare the Way
    • Advent with the Angels
    • Take Up Your Cross
    • 15-Minute Stations of the Cross for Kids
  • Articles
  • Worksheets
  • Children’s Stories
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

Planning vs. Playing

By Jared Dees

When someone introduces you to a new board game for the first time, it can sometimes take ten or twenty excruciating minutes of explanation before actually start playing the game.

Finally, after what seems like forever, someone says, “Let’s just start playing. You’ll get the hang of it.”

I suppose planning for a new year is a lot like this.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks mapping out how I want to be more productive in 2018. I’ve been looking back at 2017 and trying to see how I can be more efficient. I’ve written a business plan, keeping it as simple as possible, so I can eliminate some distractions from my work.

Yet, I have found this process to be unfulfilling, unexciting, and so abstract that I can already tell that it will soon be forgotten once the new year is underway.

Once you start playing a game, you get the hang of it, and you’re able to make better decisions about how to win.

You don’t really know how to win until you start playing the game.

Bring it on 2018.

Let’s play.

December 31, 2017 Filed Under: On Entrepreneurship, Productivity

About Jared Dees

Jared Dees is passionate about sharing practical resources to teach faith. He is best known for his website The Religion Teacher and is the author of many books including 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Praying the Angelus, Christ in the Classroom, and Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children.

Previous Post: « A Brief Blog Review for 2017
Next Post: My 2018 Business Plan »

Primary Sidebar

Jared Dees

Author, Speaker, Teacher

📬 Tools to Teach Faith 📬

I send many weekly email newsletters every week with tools to pass on faith:

👨‍🏫 The Religion Teacher’s Sunday Planner 👨‍🏫

Lessons, activities, videos, and worksheets for religious educators.

Get teaching resources here >

📖 God’s Word Wednesday 📖

Bible stories for kids.

Get Bible stories for kids here >

🏰 Formative Fiction Friday 🏰

Short stories to help kids find confidence, character, and a relationship with Christ.

Get stories for kids here >

Jared’s Newest Books

  
    
 
 
   
 
 

Jared’s Popular Website for Religious Educators

Search the Site:

Footer

Connect with Jared Dees

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Jared Dees is passionate about sharing practical resources to teach faith. He is best known for his website The Religion Teacher and is the author of many books including 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Praying the Angelus, Christ in the Classroom, and Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children. See all of Jared's Books →

Stories for Children

Copyright © 2023 · Jared Dees