The last two weeks I’ve posted reflections about resolutions for the new year (Controlling Social Media, and Spiritual Disciplines). This week I want to offer one final reflection about something I need to work on in 2017: Time Management. The thoughts in this post are not intended to be a universal list for all people. Please don’t read these reflections as if they came from a Pharisee who expects you do adopt all of my suggested “resolutions.” These thoughts are intended to be a honest reflection of a few ways I need to manage my time better in 2017. As you read them, I hope you’re challenged to think about the biggest “time wasters” in your life.

Here are the three biggest time wasters in my life, and a few thoughts about how I want to better manage my time in 2017:

1. Checking social media throughout the day. Hopping on social media in the middle of a work day is a productivity killer. I’ve read different numbers about how much time is wasted each time you check social media, and honestly I don’t know which numbers are accurate. I do know that checking social media throughout the day does not contribute to my productivity. For me, the answer isn’t swearing off social media. Rather, the answer is controlling social media instead of letting it control me.
2. Watching too much Netflix, sports, news. I think this is an area where I’ve improved over the years, but I know my tendencies. I can easily get sucked into a TV series on Netflix, and ease of access easily leads to binge watching. I have a few sports teams I really follow, but I can veg out and watch just about any sport on TV. I love keeping up with the news, but being informed can easily result in an inability to unplug from the 24-hour news cycle. Again, I need to be disciplined in this area.
3. Focusing on tasks more than focusing on people. I’m task oriented to the max. On the surface, this seems like something that would be a help to time management and productivity. However, a large part of my job as a pastor involves people, not just tasks. For me to be truly productive, eternally productive, I have to be intentional about focusing on people instead of tasks. Productivity in my line of work might mean getting less done on paper, but investing in more lives for eternity.

Originally published December 19, 2016 on landoncoleman.com.