Back in January, after my wife and I got married, we began looking at our budget. As we sat there trying to figure out how we could save more money, one area stuck out: cable. After crunching the numbers, we realized that by cutting cable, we could save $100 per month or $1200 per year. It seemed like a no-brainer. Then we couldn’t help but ask the question, “How can we live without it?”

I’m glad to say that we made the decision to cut cable and have been living without it for the past 9 months. While the decision was valuable for the money we saved, we didn’t anticipate the hidden value: we saved time.

Instead of wasting time surfing around endless channels trying to find something to watch, we spent our time communicating, reading books, setting up our family budget and more. Who would have thought that removing this simple distraction from our lives, would allow us to save more, learn more, accomplish more and get to know each other more?

Now, many of you may be thinking to yourself, “So cable television is holding me back?” Nope. It’s not cable. The #1 thing holding you back from being a better Youth Minister or Core Member is (drum roll please) … distractions.

As I travel around and talk with Youth Ministers and Core Members, one of the most common phrases I hear is, “I wish I had more time to (insert meaningful activity).”

This phrase is valid. But perhaps if you examine your life, you’ll find you have more time than you think. Take a look at your day. Did you have time today to surf around Facebook? For how long? Did you have time today to go through your iPhone and see everyone’s twitter updates? For how long? Did you have time to watch TV shows that don’t really matter or that you don’t really care about? For how long? What does this look like on a weekly basis?

If you’re really honest with yourself, you probably have more time in your days and weeks than you think. Imagine if you took that time you spend each day mindlessly surfing your TV or the Internet and used it to do relational ministry, plan more creative Life Nights or connect with fellow staff members. How would that change the way your life and your ministry looks?

Cutting cable wasn’t easy, especially for this sports-loving, ESPN-addicted man. But believe it or not, I’ve managed to live without it, and it’s transformed my life. So, what distractions do you need to get rid of? Share them below.