Why do we pay for other people to wash our cars, to clean our houses, or to walk our dogs?
Some might call it laziness, but I think the real reason we’re so willing to pay to have someone else complete these tasks is because we, as a society, view our time as far more valuable than our money.
Think about it — if you could pay someone a few dollars to do something that you don’t enjoy that will take up a lot of your time, wouldn’t you just hand over the money?
But even though we so often are willing to pay to save time, we frequently waste a lot of that time we so carefully saved.
Time and money go hand in hand – it takes time to earn money and it takes money to give you more tools to spend your time better. Budgeting both of these resources is necessary to reach your goals. Today we’re going to talk about budgeting time, but you can read this blog for tips on budgeting your money.
Are you wasting time, one of your most precious life “commodities”?
When we look at the goals we set, we tend to limit ourselves based on the idea that we don’t have “enough time.”
The real issue isn’t the amount of time we have — we all get the same number of minutes in a day — it’s how we spend that time. In order to make room for a new goal, we have to have a realistic idea of how we spend our time.
Today: Write down the 5 things that you think take up the majority of your time. On average, how much time do you think you devote to each of these activities every week?
This week: Track how you’re spending your time. Over the next three days, fill out my downloadable Time Tracker sheet with the activities that fill your waking hours. You may be surprised by how you’re really spending your time.
This month: Decide if you’re using your time efficiently for the things you want to accomplish. I can’t tell you how to spend your time or how much time you need to set aside to dedicate to your goals. But I can tell you that if you don’t have even 15 minutes each day just to think about your goals and the steps you need to take to reach them, then you’re not going to make any progress any time soon.
Remember: only you know what you’re willing to give in pursuit of your goals. Your time is your most valuable asset — are you willing devote some of it to see your dreams turn into reality?
Get your FREE download of my Time Tracker worksheet here.
As a speaker and author, Curtis Zimmerman has impacted over one million people with his life-changing messages and award-winning programs. Curtis is an expert at transforming organizations by inspiring individuals to live their lives at performance level.
Want to be inspired? Check out his podcast The Next 24 Hours.