Are you building a microwave business or a crockpot business?
Most of us know the meals we throw into a microwave aren’t usually the healthiest, but they’re fast. They’re convenient. They scratch that itch for something “right now.” A crockpot, on the other hand, takes time. You set it, you leave it, and only later do you get something that actually nourishes you.
When Hustle Culture Starts To Cost Too Much
We live in an age where everything around us is screaming for speed.
Ship faster.
Grow bigger.
Scale now.
If we’re not careful, we start believing that if our business isn’t exploding overnight, something must be wrong with us.
I’ve felt that pressure myself. I’ve had seasons where I believed that if I just put in more hours, pushed a little harder, and sacrificed a little more, I could force the results I wanted. Faster. Bigger. Now.
But at some point I had to be honest: there didn’t seem to be a clear connection between the number of hours I worked and the kind of enduring success I actually wanted. What I did see was diminishing returns, rising exhaustion, and the slow erosion of other areas of life that God has called me to steward - my health, my family, my relationships.
That’s the danger of building a microwave business. It might heat up quickly, but it can cool off just as fast. If it can be built overnight, it can probably disappear just as quickly.
Trade the Microwave for the Crockpot
The alternative is crockpot thinking.
Crockpot thinking says:
- I’m willing to build something that takes longer but actually lasts.
- I care more about the health of the whole stew than how quickly I can smell dinner.
- I refuse to create a new idol out of my business and sacrifice everything else on that altar.
This doesn’t mean we coast or phone it in. I’m not anti-hard work. There are seasons where you leave it all on the field.
But there’s a big difference between working hard and worshiping hurry. One is obedience and stewardship. The other is idolatry dressed in productivity language.
A crockpot business grows one brick at a time. You’re not trying to throw up a cathedral overnight. You’re laying a foundation, then another course of bricks, then another, in a way that doesn’t collapse your family, your soul, or your integrity in the process.
Three Questions To Slow You Down in the Best Way
So what does this look like in practice?
It looks like slowing down long enough to ask a few uncomfortable questions:
What am I really trying to build?
Is it a quick story I can post online, or something that could actually outlast me?
Is all this busyness actually the best way to get there?
Am I chasing motion, or making progress that aligns with what God has actually asked me to steward?
Will my current approach build something that lasts, or something that burns hot and then burns out?
If my strategy “works,” but it costs my marriage, my health, or my walk with God, is that really success?
These questions slow us down just enough to be honest. They expose whether we’re quietly hoping for a microwave outcome while still telling ourselves we’re building a crockpot life.
When you choose the crockpot route, you start to make different decisions:
- You say no to opportunities that would grow you fast but hollow you out.
- You build rhythms that protect your energy, your faith, and your closest relationships.
- You measure success less by how “busy” you are and more by what’s actually being formed in you and through you.
Build Something That Outlasts You
At the end of the day, this isn’t really about business speed. It’s about the kind of person you’re becoming as you build.
You and I don’t need more pressure to hurry up and “make it.” We need the courage to build something that might take longer to show up on the surface, but has deep roots underneath. Something that could still be standing - and still be a blessing - long after we’re gone.
So here’s the simple invitation:
Take the slow route where it matters. Build your business like a crockpot. One brick at a time, one faithful decision at a time. Let God handle the timing of the results.
To thriving,
Zach
