Time is more valuable than money: How to make more of it

I am forever fascinated with the idea of mastering the clock, but I don’t think I’m alone.

We all want more of it time in our day, and we all want more of it now. More time to get that work project done, more time with our kids, more time to relax…. Regardless of our lifestyle or life phase, a little bit more time could go a long way. Am I right? 

During some anecdotal research, I casually asked my coworker, “if you had an extra hour in your day, what would you do with it?” She immediately blurted out, “SLEEP!!” in between gulps of coffee during our morning meeting, which made me laugh.
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While reflecting back on her answer, I simply couldn’t decide. Was her commitment to an hour more of sleep in this alternative reality a symptom of her squeezing the most out of her days, or was it a sign that she wasn’t making the best use of her time?
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Or could it be both?

We’ve all heard it before: time is money. The hours on our clock and dollars in our pocket are commodities that we trade for something that we want.
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We spend money on our housing, food, entertainment. We then spend our time in the same way: maintaining our house, eating our food, and enjoying our entertainment. Much of what we spend our money on, we also spend our time on, but money and time are not one in the same.

There’s a huge distinction between the two. Money can be made and multiplied, as well as spent. Time can only be spent. It can’t regenerate; therefore, it’s much more valuable. 

So I’ll ask you this. Are you more careful with your money than your time? or your time than your money? And why?

In a perfect world, we would all budget, save, and spend our time as if we’re on a really tight budget, because we kind of are! And then, we would splurge on the really important stuff: connecting with family, building a new business or strengthening our body.

We would “splurge” on the activities or habits that breed the most results in our lives.

By “splurging” I don’t necessarily mean spending an excessive amount of time doing that thing. Instead, I mean having the kind of intent that a really good budgeter would have before buying a fancy car or purchasing the newest gadget.

Intent is the key here.

I’ve come across the phrase “Time Famine” quite a few times. Successful entrepreneurs and writers, such as Arianna Huffington and Tim Ferris, talk about this epidemic that is plaguing our society. We’re all starving for more time and value having more time over just about anything else.

But is “time famine” more of a problem today than it was 100 years ago? Many people would argue yes.

With technology at our finger tips, we simply have too many options. Too many options on what to read, watch, listen to, and do with our time. With so much information and resources available to us, we naturally want to take advantage of it all.

But we can’t. We can’t do it all, and that is difficult for many us.

So what’s the solution? How do we gain more time and stop this perpetual famine?

We stop, and ask ourselves these questions:

1. WHERE AM I WASTING MY TIME? (eliminate these)

>> What do I do regularly that doesn’t bring me joy or contribute to my goals?

>> What am I saying yes to, that is taking time away from something that’s more of a priority?

>> What activity drains me of my energy?

2. HOW CAN I ACCELERATE THE LITTLE TASKS? (be more strategic with these) 

>> What tasks can I accomplish quicker? How?

>> What’s something I can do today, that will give me more time in the future? (ie. automate my bills, organize my wardrobe, etc.)

>> What can I delegate to someone else?

>> If I could focus on only 1 priority each day, what would it be?

>> What time of day do I feel the most productive and creative? Am I taking advantage of that time?

>> What can I learn today, that will make me more effective in the future?