If Time is Money…

then why aren’t we more deliberate with how we spend it?

5 min readMar 8, 2023

dollar bills bursting out of a clock. a visual representation of time is money. — Time is Money

A UK study reports 80% of people do not have a formal time management system.

But if time is money, then why aren’t we spending our time as wisely as we spend our money — toward what we feel is worth it?

Now your answer might be… “well I don’t really have a choice because I have to work 8 hours a day to pay the bills, Kelly…”

and you might even be rolling your eyes when you say that. ;)

disheveled millennial clawing her hair out with a pick axe. representation of our need for play, not just work all day. — *when our schedule contains only obligations*

But let’s stay curious here and have an investigative look at this precious finite resource we call Time.

In fact, one could argue that time is even more scarce than money, as there is no way to “accrue” more time or earn a “time bonus” like we can with money.

detective investigating, wall of binary digits in the background. — investigating this illusive concept of time

We have exactly 24 hours in a day — no more, no less.

8 hours of it is spent sleeping,
8 hours is spent working a 9 to 5 job or engaging in some other money-making activity.

What we’re left with after this is the last chunk of 8 hours — that is, if we’re not burning the candle on both ends.

It’s Time to Reclaim Our Time

Our satisfaction in life boils down to how we use this finite resource called time.

But when was the last time you sat down and tracked down where these 24 hours was going each day?

office worker in a suit pulling at the first hand on a giant clock with a long string. representation of our need to reign in time other wise it runs away from us. — Time to reign in your 24 hours. Reclaim ownership of your schedule.

Americans spend on average 2.9 hours a day watching TV alone which makes it an easy target.

Imagine if you blocked that time out for doing what lights you up.

But wait… why limit yourself?

why not spend as much time as possible doing what most inspires you?

For example, if you’re dreading work, why reserve your peak hours for something you don’t love… only to resent that activity for taking up your best hours?

the back of a young man in a hoodie, facing the sun rise, greeting the morning, standing on a mountain top. representation of grounding and centering ourselves in the early morning to set ourselves up for an amazing day. — You get to choose how to spend your best hours

My Turning Point

In fact, that’s exactly what I started doing in 2020.

I found myself with an extra 90 minutes:

not having to get ready for work
not having to rush through breakfast before work
not having to commute to work

So what did I do with this extra time I was gifted?

I spent it doing what inspired me and what brought me joy …

publishing articles
walking in nature
crafting guided meditations
relaxing in my backyard
creating digital art
writing my first e-book
even developing a web app!

Now you might be thinking… that sounds irresponsible, shouldn’t you be working Kelly?!

Busting the Myth!

On the contrary, it’s even more responsible when you get into a happy headspace and healthy mindset doing what you love first thing in the day.

By creating mind space and from this happy healthy place, you flow in and out of your work duties with more joy and more ease, knowing you have the choice to do more of what you love, after you’ve completed your work duties.

In other words, you have something to look forward to — before and after.

two bookends labeled A and Z, with the word joy sandwiched in between. representation of how we can find joy anywhere if we look for it. — book-ending your day with joy

You see, when you’re in flow, you can flow into the next activity naturally, without thinking whether it’ll be a pleasant or unpleasant activity, or whether it’ll be easy or difficult.

You just do it.

And you will have less resentment toward your “obligations” because you feel so fortunate and grateful that you get to do more of what you love.

So my challenge to you is to bookend your days with things you love at the beginning of the day before work, and at the end of your day after work.

See how much more fulfilling your days will flow.

Your Turn

girl in a dress running carefree along the beach, with the sunrise and ocean as the backdrop. representation of how a carefree morning doing what we enjoy can set us up for a lighthearted day of play to fuel our creative flow. — do what inspires you — what breathes life into you

Step 1) List somethings you’ve been wanting to learn, or activities you’ve been wanting to do more of — if only you had the time.

examples:
* reading a book
* writing the outline for your own book
* jamming to your favorite tune
* learning the guitar or learning a new language
* listening to an educational or inspirational podcast
* braindumping ideas to achieve your long-term vision
* “me-care” activities: going for a walk, getting 5 minutes of sunshine, grabbing coffee with a friend, writing 100 reasons why you’re simply awesome, etc.

Step 2) Choose one activity from Step 1) and gift yourself 30 minutes on your calendar in the morning for it. Then when the time comes, start with 5 minutes.

Can we all agree that we deserve at minimum 30 minutes a day where we set aside “the shoulds” and do what we enjoy?

Yes or yes ;)

P.S. Want to learn more on how to master your mind & your time to live life on you terms?

RSVP to my FREE Mindset Reset Masterclass @ http://mindsetsuccess.eventbrite.com

May we fill our schedule with more of what we love and fill our cup with more joy & satisfaction.

Namaste ❤

Kelly