how to redeem inactive time
Time management is a bit of a hot topic. We have scant, limited lives that seem to pass by in the blink of an eye, and we are constantly looking for ways to manage this limited time so that we make the most out of it. Countless books promise ways to “do more in less time” or “how to be more productive.” Self-help gurus peddle time management as the answer to our desire to try everything. And the truth is, we want to be the kind of people who make meals from scratch, travel the world, have clean houses, spend time with friends and family, crochet sweaters, paint watercolor masterpieces, exercise every day, and read seven books per week. We want to do it all!
I am not here to advocate for doing more. We are limited people and try as we might, we will never be able to do everything that we want to. We must choose what to pour our limited time into based on what is truly valuable to us because we cannot invest meaningfully into 67 different pursuits. We are finite and so is the time available to us.
However, I am here to advocate for finding pockets of inactive time and redeeming it for better purposes! By definition, inactive time is whenever you’re doing something that doesn’t fully engage your brain. It’s a repetitive activity that takes up a lot of time but doesn’t necessarily refresh you.
Inactive time is when you are performing mindless, repetitive tasks via muscle memory, and your brain is not engaged in your activity.
Some examples of inactive time include most cleaning (e.g. folding laundry, cooking, sweeping, etc.), showering, driving (hopefully your mind is at least partially engaged!), waiting for something (e.g. an appointment, a ride, etc.), brushing your teeth, and using the toilet. Inactive time is mainly comprised of almost mindless tasks that you complete via muscle memory. The crazy part about inactive time is how much time it really takes up! For example, in the average lifetime, most people spend approximately 4 years driving, 39 days brushing their teeth, 5 months showering, and 6 months waiting in line!
THAT IS A LOT.
So how are we to go about redeeming these pockets throughout our day? Here are 5 easy ways!
01. Call someone
If you find that you have a moment in your day where you are folding laundry or driving home from work (definitely use a hands-free method!), you can call someone you love to say hi, catch up, and pray for one another. I work a late shift on Wednesday nights, and one of the highlights of my entire week is my phone call on the drive home with my sweet sister Bekah. It changes the drive home from late-night misery to a lovely blessing and encouragement!
And it doesn’t have to be a long call to be a good call. A nine-minute phone call can be a tremendous blessing to both parties, one that you wouldn’t have had if you decided that nine minutes was too short to even bother with.
02. Listen to a podcast or audiobook
Whenever Lars and I are doing our Sunday Reset, we listen to something, whether it’s music, an audiobook, or an encouraging podcast. That way, we are learning something fun together while cleaning. It distracts our minds from the mindlessness of cleaning! If you need a place to start, some good podcasts to check out are The Bible Project and Revive Our Hearts.
03. Memorize scripture passages
Last year, I challenged myself and the youth kids to memorize a passage from Romans, and I have exclusively been memorizing it while I shower. I learned this tip from Glenna Marshall, a speaker and author. She puts the passage she’s memorizing into a Ziploc bag and affixes it to the wall of her shower so she can memorize verses while washing her hair! It’s honestly a genius system, and reminds me regularly to memorize because the verses are literally on my shower wall!
You could also have verses across from your toilet so whenever you’re answering nature’s call you can be memorizing scripture instead of scrolling on your phone!
04. Pray for people
When I first started driving myself to work back in 2020, my car quickly became a sanctuary for me to meet with God. I would pray out loud to God, sing worship songs, and listen to sermons while I drove. Praying for people is a beautiful way to redeem inactive time because it is a blessing to yourself to be in God’s presence and it is so cool to see how God works in and through your prayers!
05. Just be
Sometimes it’s healthy to leave space to pause and reflect. To just be in God’s presence and not try to fill up all of your time with efficiency and productivity. You are a human, not a machine. You are limited and finite, and sometimes it’s good to let your mind rest, too. Instead of scrolling while you’re on the toilet, leave your phone in another room. Instead of listening to music on your morning drive to work, sit in silence with God and ask Him to show you what He wants you to do for the day.
What are some ways you have found to redeem inactive time? How are you going to be implementing new ways into your routine?
♪ - listen to Time by Hans Zimmer.
