Time Well… Invested!

A few years ago, I started catching and correcting myself when referring to time as something I was ‘spending‘ or had ‘spent’.

I consciously changed my language around time, replacing ‘spend’ with ‘invest.’

Money

Money (our supply) is elastic, it expands, it shrinks.

Sometimes we invest it; other times, we spend it.

And while the costs of bad money decisions can be high, money can (usually) be replaced.

Time

Time, obviously, works differently.

For all I know, I’ve not got enough time left to finish this very sentence…

OK, turns out I did.

We all know time is limited; we just don’t know how limited.

The Key Point; To view time as something ‘spent‘ is to risk wasting it.

Instead, ask yourself; How am I investing my time?

This triggers another question; ‘what am I getting out of this?’

More specifically, what’s my ROI? (Return On Investment)

This triggers another way of perceiving time, of thinking about it.

Once I started using the word ‘invest‘ rather than ‘spend‘ to describe my time, my decisions started to change in important ways.

Over the past number of years, I’ve cancelled cable, deleted Twitter, sold my TV, cancelled Netflix, deleted IG, blocked and deleted hundreds of odd humans on FB.

Because the ROI of say, arguing with strangers on the internet was way too low.

It was weak.

We can ‘spend’ time on these things, but make no mistake – it’s time spent. Time gone. Lost.

Act 3

At 51 years of age, I’m aware that I’ve little time left to spend. None, in fact.

I have ~25 years to invest wisely.

That makes this Act 3 (my third 25-year block)

Act 3 needs to be action-packed. I mean hey, it’s the big conclusion!

I know that if I invest my time in things with a strong ROI, Act 3 will become my best act yet.

Two new things invested in are a personal trainer (check back in 6 months, and I’ll confirm the ROI).

Another is diverse workshops – more diverse than usual, and they’re reshaping my thinking, writing, and presenting – stay tuned!

So far, these are, for me, solid investments.

Ask yourself; are the things you’re investing your time in giving you a strong ROI re;

Joy.

Excitement.

Knowledge.

Fulfillment.

Peace.

Inner strength.

Physical strength.

Mental stamina.

Ask yourself more questions!

Challenge yourself.

Be Better!

DW