Weekly Email: February 23, 2025
It’s hard to believe we’re already heading into the fourth week of the Spring 1 term! I hope your classes are going well.
Each week, these emails are meant to bridge the gap between studying from a distance and being part of the Southern Seminary community. If you ever have questions or just need to talk, feel free to reply, I love connecting with our students, even if it’s just to point you in the right direction.
Student Tip: Productivity Rain Dances
I was listening to Cal Newport’s Deep Questions podcast this past week, and he talked about something he calls “productivity rain dances.” These are rituals that feel productive but don’t actually lead to meaningful outcomes. While he was talking about work, the same principle applies to studying.
Many of us (myself included) are drawn to productivity systems and study optimizations, constantly asking, What’s the best method? Am I using the right tool? Is there a better way to organize my research?We convince ourselves that if we get everything just right, we’ll be more productive. But often, this focus on systems becomes a distraction from the actual work of learning.
As I was thinking about it for students, here are some productivity rain dances that I think could apply. As you read these, think about your own life and see if there’s anything else you would add:
Overorganizing study materials instead of reviewing them.
Reading without a purpose, especially if its tied to an assignment.
Creating elaborate study schedules but not following them.
“Studying” by passively watching lectures or taking notes without engaging on a deeper level.
Mindless going through vocab or other study materials without setting up a better system for actually retaining the material.
At the end of the podcast, Newport offers five practical frameworks for breaking the cycle of fake productivity:
Focus on output, not input. Too often, we mistake busyness for productivity. True progress is measured by what we accomplish, not how long we spend working on something. For studying, this means focusing on retention, application, and understanding, not just time spent with the material.
Use tools with a clear purpose. Productivity systems should serve your learning, not the other way around. If a tool or method helps you focus and engage, keep it. If it’s just making you feelproductive, simplify.
Prioritize deep work. Protect your study time. Turn off notifications, remove distractions, and give yourself the space to truly focus.
The final two points focus more on work but I’ll go ahead and include them here:
Simplify communication. If emails, group chats, or notifications keep interrupting your study time, set specific times to check them rather than letting them control your schedule.
Structure your work, but don’t over-engineer it. Systems like time blocking can help, but don’t fall into the trap of over-planning at the expense of actually doing the work.
Productivity isn’t about feeling busy, it’s about making meaningful progress. What’s one way you can shift from optimizing your study habits to actually learning today?
Program News: Experiential Modular
Today marks the start of our Spring 1 Experiential Modular! Many students are traveling, while others arrived Sunday night, and they’ll be on campus through Wednesday. During this time, they’ll connect with fellow online students, engage with professors, and hopefully form the beginnings of some lasting friendships.
If you’re interested in joining us for the Spring 2 Experiential Modular, registration is still open! Spots are filling quickly, but a few remain. Let me know if you’d like more details.
Faculty Devotional: Dr. Hershael York
This week’s faculty devotional is from Dr. Hershael York, Victor and Louise Lester Professor of Christian Preaching and the Dean of the School of Theology.
One of the major themes in Luke’s gospel is “reversal.” From Marry’s song in chapter one and throughout the book, Luke demonstrates that in the coming of Jesus, the world is turned upside down.
It’s a world where
a virgin gives birth,
the poor are enriched,
the powerful are deposed,
the last are made first,
the first are made last,
the blind recover their sight,
the hungry are satisfied,
the dead are made alive,
the servant is the greatest.
God empties himself to fill others with himself,
one is three and three are one,
where the Savior is fully and completely human but no less divine,
where sinners are made holy before they do anything holy,
where the wisdom of man is the foolishness of God,
where submission is the ultimate power,
where leadership is servanthood,
where the eternal God enters time,
where the immortal deity dies on a cross,
where the Father punishes His son for what the other children did,
where death has no sting,
where heaven comes to earth,
where the bad go to heaven!
and the good go to hell
and where the baby in a manger, the cursed man on the cross, becomes the firstborn of the dead to give everlasting life!
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading and check in next Monday. You can find an archive of each week’s email here. If you’re looking for information on courses such as textbooks, course description, and what we have to offer online, check out the Course Snapshots!
