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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Value of Time

            Has it ever occurred to you how similar time and cash are? The thought struck me the other day, and I keep thinking about it. it honestly started to change how I spent my time, looking at it more like an investment than just time spent.
            There are some subtle differences between the two. First money is flexible, some people have more, a greater flow of cash. Also with money you can borrow, go into debt, charge, pay late. With those there is also interest, deductions, rates, etc. So in general cash might be a little more complicated than time.
            But time is fixed, its simple. no matter who, no matter where, you have the same 24 hours as everyone else in every single day. There is no judgment between races, ethnicities, genders, ages, anything. It’s fantastic like that. So if we use cash in some sense to determine value, can we do the same with time?
            Absolutely.
            Now value is determined by the price usually right? In the same way, the price of time spent on a project, with a person, becomes our showing of value for that certain project, or person. We spend more time with those we like, less with the ones that might annoy us. If we feel a part of a project, engaged, valued in the team, we tend to spend more time, and thus we can say we value the project more than if some of those factors were lacking.
            As I thought about this, it occurred to me that in this sense, the value is communicated in time, that our time becomes a subtle investment wherever we spend it. just as some people spend money on big TV’s, fancy cars, big trips, clothes, etc, with very low returns, likewise some people invest in companies, stocks, education, with a return where more money comes back over time.
            So with time, if we invest our time, we should be looking for more time? No,  rather a better use of time. So we spend time in school, learning, studying, why? Is it to get a good grade? Or is it to learn the skills for a profession and get a return on your time investment later? We spend time with family. We value them, and invest in the relationships we have with them.
            This changed everything that I do with my time. From the moment I wake up to the time I crash at night, my time is an investment into others and myself. you hear over and over again, that the best way to influence someone is to spend time with them. That’s because the more time you spend with them, the greater your investment in them and yourself, that relationship grows, and if you’re looking for friendship, help on an exam or project, it can be there to help support you.
            I suggest looking through you schedule. How much time is spent on random activities without returns in relationships or knowledge. Seek to fill your time with meaningful investments and look for the returns!

@kenttbates

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