theDeluge

We all have habits. Good or bad, they comprise the framework for decisions we make in a given day. Spring up out of bed at the first crack of the alarm? Good one. Hitting the snooze a few times before getting up might not be. Whether you put your shoe on the left foot first or the right foot, researchers say it takes two and a half weeks to form a habit. Here's one key habit to work on the next two and a half weeks.

Time Management: There are 24 hours in a day. According to the U.S. department of labor, the average student is awake for 15.7 of those 24 hours. Not a whole lot of time to work, learn, eat, exercise, socialize, relax, read, travel, hit the snooze and hit the books. In view of this limited amount of time, Paul (author of much of the New Testament) gives us some sound instruction:

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil”
-Ephesians 5: 15-16

George Whitefield, the famous itinerant preacher, wrote that he “strove to pick up the very fragments of (his) time, that not a moment of it may be lost.” Whitefield must have read his Ephesians, because he realized how valuable his time was. As a result, Whitefield put himself in position to have a huge impact on the development of Christianity in the U.S. colonies.
Similarly, how can we “make the best use of the time,” and position ourselves to make a huge impact in our sphere of influence?

1) “Look carefully...how you walk” Take a step back and look at how you typically manage your time in a given day. Divide up the 24 hours and see how you spend them. A careful look will reveal things you can cut back on and where you can spend more time.

2) “Not as unwise, but wise” Use wisdom to make these decisions. Sacrificing health for productivity is never a “wise” option. There needs to be a healthy balance of personal time and work time, of rest and productivity (more on that in a later post).

3) Make the “best use of the time” Find the “fragments” during your day that end up being idle or non-productive. Try to find a way to redeem these times. Find someone to converse with during lunch instead of checking your e-mail. Listen to podcasts while commuting or at the gym.

4) “Because the days are evil.” Realize the world we live in will come to an end and through the lens of eternity life is a fleeting moment. None of us know when our time will come, but we can hope in an eternal future if we know God. The shortness of life and the vastness of eternity should inspire us to not waste a moment but strive to make the biggest impact on this world we can.

What are some ways you make the most of your time? Do you have any strategies for picking up those “fragments?”