I was convicted when a friend reminded me that every time I say “yes” to one thing, I’m saying “no” to something else.

If I say “yes” to spending quality time with my family, spending time in the Word, or catching up with my friends in real life, I am saying “no” to other things that drain my time, energy, and focus. That is great news! But when I say “yes” to scrolling Facebook for an hour, binge-watching Netflix, or playing Candy Crush until my lives run out, I’m saying “no” to things that enrich my life and make me more productive. Yikes!

I was challenged to write down how I spend my time every day to see where my time is going. It was humbling. It makes it hard to complain about not having enough time in the day to do the things I know I should do when I have tracked my time and can see where I wasted it. It is also good accountability. I think twice about grabbing that remote if I know I’ll have to record “I watched an episode of Castle that I’ve seen at least 5 times before instead of writing my quota for the day.”

Working from home is very difficult. The distractions in our homes are endless. If there are no dishes to do, there is laundry to wash. If there is no laundry to wash (and when isn’t there), there is vacuuming to do. I will do chores I hate just to give me an excuse to procrastinate a little longer.

God has given each of us 24 hours in the day. James 4:14 reminds me that my life is a vapor. I need to use my time wisely to honor God, my family, and my ministry. This means spending time in God’s Word, nurturing my marriage, teaching my kids, serving my family, cultivating ministry, growing my reach, etc.

I doubt I will get to the end of my life and wish I had reached the next level of Candy Crush!

Have you done a time inventory lately?