There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re not making the most of your time. You might feel a mixture of guilt, overwhelm, and a pinch of FOMO. Perhaps, you’re anxiously comparing yourself to others and wondering if you’re doing “enough”. Maybe you’re so consumed with your work, you barely spend quality time with your friends and family. Or worse yet, you prioritize everything else above your health and neglect your self-care.
For me, it was all the above. Fear was at the root of all my time decisions – fear of loss, fear of judgment, fear of not being good enough, fear of not being accepted, fear of letting someone down. It led to multiple burnouts, hospitalizations, loss of jobs, and broken relationships. Needless to say, I was not a balanced time investor.
We all know that time is a finite resource, yet we seem to squander years without carefully choosing how we invest our time. It makes me think of this quote from Seneca:
“You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire”
― Seneca, On the Shortness of Life
I’d love to share some thought exercises to help you better invest your time and find more balance in your life:
Understand the true cost of your time
On an average day, let’s assume the “normal-ish” allocation of 7hrs sleeping and 8hrs working. That leaves you with 9hrs of free time every day. Now, let’s assign a monetary value to your time. You can be super accurate and calculate your actual hourly rate, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s say every hour is worth $100.
Now map out how you currently “spend” your time in terms of monetary value. For example, here’s what I used to spend on any given workday:
- Additional work (beyond the “required” 8 hrs): 4 hrs ($400)
- Time with friends: 2 hrs ($200)
- Exercise/Gym: 1 hr ($100)
- Dating: 2 hrs ($200)
Based on the allocations above, I left ZERO time for reflection, self-care, or creativity. I completely neglected giving myself mental space. I was grinding myself down with work and social life…it’s no wonder I got burnt out! Also, I would definitely NOT pay $400/day to spend more time at work, and would prefer to let go of perfection, and leave a little earlier to allocate the time to self-care.
Think about your life and how you’re spending your time. Do you currently “overspend” on work beyond what is absolutely necessary to get the job done? Or do you underspend on health/self-care related time? Is there something completely missing from your spending that you want to include?
Prioritize your values in terms of time investment
To invest your time wisely, you have to first determine what is important to you. What do you value? Make a list of everything you value, and write down how many hours you actually spend fulfilling each area.
Do you see any gaps? Do you value learning, but rarely give yourself the time to learn anything new? Do you value travel but make excuses not to go on vacation? If you’re struggling to find out what you value, try this free workbook first:
Allocate your time by blocking
I do this thing called time blocking. I schedule literally everything (even meditation and reading time) into my daily/weekly calendar. I use a digital calendar method, but you can use a physical one if that’s easier for you. Perhaps it sounds a little intense or Type-A for you, but the importance behind this practice is that it actually creates MORE space in your life.
By allocating and time blocking your day, you can visually see exactly where your time is being spent, and making sure your free hours are budgeted the way YOU want them. I recommend time blocking either on Sundays or Mondays to map out your entire week’s time allocations. If anything is not a priority, you can always move it around to accommodate other life opportunities and goals. Ultimately, time blocking gives you more control over your own schedule and ensures you dedicate time to areas that are important to you.
Don’t mistake “doing” as more important than “being”
There is also tremendous value in doing absolutely nothing. It’s tempting to fill your days with the “doing” for fear of falling behind or missing out on something. However, it’s just as important to balance your doing with the “being”. Invest time for rest, for recovery, for boredom. I regularly schedule “boredom days” where I don’t make any plans, wake up without an alarm clock, spend an entire day reading in the park, people watch while having a coffee, or sit and think.
These boredom days have been a game-changer for me! It regularly brings more clarity and creative ideas into my life. As an entrepreneur, any day can be a work day, so it’s tempting to keep grinding…but I beg you, DON’T. Your mind, work, and life deserves boredom.
Ruthlessly Protect Your Time
The hardest part of investing your time wisely is to know when to say NO to things that take time away from your best self. Got an invite to a fun party but you’re tired and need sleep? Decline. Scrolling mindlessly on social media for 10 min that leaves you feeling anxious? Nope!
Guard your time like you would protect your hard-earned money. If something/someone is not aligned with how you want to spend your time, LET IT GO. Reinvest your time in something that feel more fulfilling or fun for you.
The import thing to remember is that you control how you spend your free time. I hope the framework shared above will leave you feeling more balanced and mindful of how you spend your time!
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