6 Ways to Make Better Use of Your Time

6 Ways to Make Better Use of Your Time

Many of us struggle to have enough time throughout the day because we are not using our time wisely. Due to the Internet, social media, and constant distractions, it can be hard to use our time for the glory of God. The Apostle Paul gives us this caution, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). 

As Paul says in this passage, we need to be careful with our time and to live wisely. We are called to make the most of every opportunity because the days are full of evil and darkness. Rather than being foolish and engaging in the sinful nature, we need to understand what the Lord’s will is. The Lord’s will is for us to live holy, honorable, and godly lives to the glory of Him. 

If you are trying to instigate a change in your life to make better use of your time, you have come to the right place. Here are six ways to make better use of your time. 

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/PeopleImages 

  • Person reading the Bible

    1. Take Time to Read the Bible

    If we are going to use our time wisely and make the most of our time, we need to take time to read the Bible. The Bible contains everything we need to know in order to live holy and godly lives (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). By taking time to read the Bible, we will automatically be making better use of our time. Even if we only spend 15-20 minutes in the Bible, we are practicing using our time wisely. 

    The Bible is the source of all of our knowledge of God. If we neglect reading the Bible, the rest of our lives will suffer. By not making time for God, we will be more prone to use our time to our own detriment. Without the Bible, we will not know what God calls us to do nor will we ever hear from Him. The Bible is the main way we hear from God, therefore, it is not surprising our lives will begin to suffer when we don’t read the Bible.

    If we, as Christians, truly want to make better use of our time, we need to read the Bible each day. With time, we can work up to doing devotionals and Bible studies too. By taking time to be with God each day in His Word, our quality of life will improve. We will make better use of our time and we will also develop a stronger relationship with God.

    Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/RyanJLane 

  • Praying

    2. Be Active in Prayer

    Making better use of our time can also be done through the form of being active in prayer. Prayer is our direct line to God. Whenever we pray, we can rest in the sure knowledge that God hears our prayers. The Apostle John tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). With this promise in our hearts, we need to be going to Him everyday in prayer. 

    There is no better way to spend our time than by spending time with the Lord. By taking time to go to the Lord in prayer each day, we will start using our time wisely. We always need to ensure time with the Lord is a priority in our lives. Jesus deserves all of our time because of the great things He has done for us. Making better use of our time will be best realized through going to the Lord in prayer, listening to Him, and living our lives in obedience to Him.

    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Jacob Wackerhausen 

  • woman holding a phone, California county tracked church members during COVID with cell phone data

    3. Steer Clear of Distractions

    In addition to spending time in the Bible and in prayer, we can also make better use of our time by steering clear of distractions. There are many distractions in our lives, such as social media, endless text messages, or nonstop scrolling on the Internet. All of these things need to be put aside. They are a waste of time and impact our lives negatively. Not many of us feel very good after we spend three hours scrolling on social media. 

    Rather than using our time in this way, we need to take time to do things we enjoy. While we don’t have to be productive all the time, it is important that we don’t waste our time. Our time on earth is limited. We are a vapor that appears for a while and then we are gone (James 4:14). This should motivate us to live each day like it’s our last. Our lives are true gifts from God and we need to start seeing them this way.  

    Think about the distractions that are in your life currently. After you have thought of these distractions, I want you to think about how much more time you will have if you give up these distractions. For most of us, we will gain at least an hour or two by steering clear of distractions. With this extra time, we can start doing things we actually enjoy and things that benefit our wellbeing.

    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tim Robberts 

  • 4. Prioritize Your Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health

    4. Prioritize Your Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health

    We can also make better use of our time by prioritizing our physical, mental, and spiritual health. By taking time to feed into our wellbeing each day, it will help our lives to become more happier and healthier. Prioritizing our physical health looks like taking time to prepare healthy meals, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, and getting in exercise at least five days a week. Once we do this, we will see our wellbeing begin to improve because we are using our time wisely. 

    Taking time for our mental health means we go to therapy if we need to as well as we set aside time to do things we enjoy. This could be taking time to read, make artwork, or spend time with loved ones. Spiritual health can be prioritized by spending time with God in Bible reading and prayer. Prioritizing our physical, mental, and spiritual health will ensure we make better use of our time.

    Instead of struggling with our physical, mental, and spiritual health, we will begin to thrive. Whenever we are losing motivation to take care of ourselves, we need to remember how good we feel when we use our time wisely compared to how bad we feel when we use our time unwisely. These feelings alone can help us to be focused to make better use of our time each day. Our lives are not meant to be used unwisely, rather, we are called to make the most of every moment.

    Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Natali_Mis 

  • woman holding up hand to indicate "no," why people reject christianity

    5. Practice Saying “No”

    For many of us, saying “no” is extremely difficult. By saying “no” to others, we are establishing a boundary with them. Sometimes friends, coworkers, and family members will want us to do things with them, but we have to practice saying “no” to the things that are not a good use of our time. We also need to learn to say “no” to bad habits or decisions that friends can lead us into. If our friends are trying to persuade us to go to bars or clubs with them, we need to learn how to say “no.”

    “No” is a complete statement, and true friends will respect our decisions. Even for tasks when it comes to work, we need to learn how to say “no.” If our boss is trying to make us take on more work than we can handle, we need to politely decline their offer for extra work. In the same way, if a family member is trying to get us to come out for a night on the town when we are drained, we need to know how to say “no.”

    Practicing saying “no” will be difficult, yet it is something that must be done. We don’t need to overwhelm ourselves or stretch ourselves too thin. By saying “no” to things that we don’t need or can’t handle, it will help us make better use of our time. Instead of spending our time doing things we don’t want to do, we will automatically have more time to do things we want to do by simply saying “no.”

    Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Motortion 

  • A woman sitting on her bed looking out her window

    6. Start a Routine

    A final way to make better use of our time is to start a routine. Starting a routine can help us organize our time better and use it more wisely. By having a routine and sticking with it, our days will become much more predictable and controlled. Rather than doing things on the spur of the moment, we will start outlining time in our day to do specific tasks. This will help us to have more control over our day and feel more organized. 

    Setting a routine will include having a set wake-up time, a set bedtime, set meal times, set work times, set family time, set health time, etc. As we are creating our routines, we need to share them with our family members in order for them to also know the new routine. While it might take time for everyone to get used to a routine, it is important that we start having a routine to make better use of our time, spend our time wisely, and start focusing on the things that truly matter.

    Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Sorajack 


    Vivian BrickerVivian Bricker loves Jesus, studying the Word of God, and helping others in their walk with Christ. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master's degree in Christian Ministry with a deep academic emphasis in theology. Her favorite things to do are spending time with her family and friends, reading, and spending time outside. When she is not writing, she is embarking on other adventures.