Time, Your Most Precious Resource, Effectively Investing and Spending

SHOW NOTES: 

 

On this show…..we are talking about time, not wasting or squandering but investing and spending wisely. When it comes down to it, time is our most precious resource and the only thing we don’t have enough of. So who rushes the weekend, watches the clock, or looks for mind-numbing time-wasters? Ouch - let’s take another look at the effectiveness and these practices so we can explore more self-benefiting strategies. What if boredom or overextending yourself were not really the issues here but a need for balance?  A healthy balance of wants, needs, and desires reimagined will bring value to time spent.

 

I heard this sentiment, “the only thing we don’t have enough of is time”, in an advertisement video for Viking Cruise lines. Isn’t it odd how some things just stick with you? The older gentleman is on a ship stirring what looks to be a big copper cauldron and the boat is rocking a bit and he has this soothing European accent. The words are so true, the meaning so deep, it’s haunting.

We can all relate to vast experiences with time at different phases in our lives. Of course, when you are younger it seems to drag on forever, “when will I get bigger and be able to make all my own decisions?” That seems like a world away. The 20’s felt like forever! When I think of all the things I did and accomplished in my 20’s it makes my head spin. Forty came too quick and now the days, weeks, months, and years steem to fly by. By the time you are ready for it to slow down...you slow down and you are back to watching time creep by. 

We all need something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. Where are you short? When we think about effectively investing and spending, balancing your deficit is a great place to start.

We cover some staggering statistics to back up this theory:

The first set comes from Hugh Culver on his blog in an article titled: Thirteen Shocking Facts About How We Waste Time.

For example…

2.34 hours checking email (30% are neither urgent nor important.) (Carleton University)

35 minutes deciding what to eat (New York Post)

The next list comes from Jeanine Skowronski in her article: How much time Americans waste on the daily grind each year, on policygenius.com 

Here are just a few we cover…

Commuting: 9.4 days The average American commutes 52 minutes per day or 225 hours a year.

Working: 120 days The average employed American works 7.9 hours a day or 2,883 hours a year.

Cleaning house: 27.4 days The average American spends 1.8 hours a day or 657 hours a year doing household chores.

Eye-opening statistics can really put things in perspective. To be in the driver’s seat of your own life you have to be aware of what’s going on around you and your own contribution to the stats. 

Let’s break it down even further: how much “time” are we really talking about here?

Jozef Kutka gives us another perspective on time in his article: How much time do you actually waste in a day? Found on meetfox.com

Time is the only thing you always want more of, but you only seem to have less and less of it. And it doesn’t really matter what you do, father time will always work against you. 

So how much time is there?

Let’s start with the basics: There are 24 hours in a day. Let’s assume that you have normal sleeping habits and you sleep an average 8 hours per night. We’re already down to 16 hours.

After a normal day in a working American’s life, we are left with approximately 4 hours and 25 minutes of free time. WOW….Listen to the show to see how we got to that calculation! 

Oh boy - another thing to stress over, the management of extra time. Right? Isn’t that what you’re thinking? Being intentional does take a little work but the payoff seems to be much more worth it. Remember those phases or stages of life...yeah one or more of those including a little coasting. Coasting through life would seem more freeform and unintentional. 

Want to reduce stress, release joy, and add more happiness? You will need to exercise your intentional muscle. 

Leo Babauta walks us through: The Zen Habits Guide to Spending Your Time Intentionally found on zenhabits.net

 

This article covers some of these questions: How do we stop from just going through it on autopilot, just running to distractions and busy work all the time, just getting through things? How do we keep from feeling overwhelmed and lost at sea? How do we change our habit of being too busy, never having time for the things we want to spend our life on?

Expanding these strategies to build intentional days and the joy of letting go!

Have you ever stopped to think about your ROI - Return on investment? I joked about that after empty-nesting 24 years of raising kids….can I get a phone call?? Geeesh.

But really….being intentional might include making smart investments.

MARELISA shares her thoughts on Time Investment: Invest Your Time Instead of Spending It, on her blog daringtolivefully.com

We cover some thought-provoking perspectives like:

Are you spending your time in a relationship you’re unhappy with because you’re afraid to leave, or are you investing your time in creating a stronger bond with someone you cherish?

Are you spending your time working at a job that pays the bills, or are you investing your time in a vocation that will allow you to create a legacy?

This show is packed...hope you enjoy!

CHALLENGE: Stop the clock and take a realistic look at how and where you spend your time. Invest in love, friendship, experiences, and joy to maximize your investments. Be intentional with your time to build measurable value in our life. 

I Know YOU Can Do It!