Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Time is your most valuable asset, it is time that you exchange for money, make your time more valuable this year.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. — Steve Jobs

A quote from a man who had far less time on Earth than he might have imagined he would, so it’s a great thing that he lived life as he did, and crammed a lot into his 56 years, nor just with Apple but in raising four children and maintaining his marriage as well. A man who valued time and made the most of what he had. Impressive.

Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Understanding the Need to Value Your Time More

The fact is we all have a finite amount of time and we have no way of really knowing how long that is. One thing is for sure though, once it’s gone, it’s gone. Spent forever. That’s why time is so valuable, and yet so many of us waste a lot of it.

Not as in waste it by not working enough. Too much work is bad for anyone and you make it a priority to take time to enjoy yourself and the company of loved ones. We mean waste as in being careless with your time.

Some people are great at being careful with their money. For example, while grabbing a  Starbucks latte might be the easy route on a busy morning, the price tag depletes your wallet more than making coffee at home and taking it to work, so you do the latter. Smart. But do you make as much effort to make the most of your time. The answer for many of us is no.

Not sure how to start making more of the valuable time you have? Here are some simple ways you can get started:

Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Make More of Your Morning

Very few work emergencies occur at 6 a.m., but they often do keep you at work after 5 p.m. If you save all of your plans for after work—like, plans to exercise—these will often be derailed by unexpected workplace conflicts.

Instead, get up early and do some big-picture thinking before breakfast or head to the gym. This is also a great time to spend with young children before heading to work since they’re up at the crack of dawn anyway.

Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Be More Email Savvy

Everyone wants to get to Inbox Zero—but that’s not likely to happen. If you spend time responding to emails, inevitably, more responses will end up in your mailbox and you will be sucked into your inbox for even longer. To help solve this time waster set rules for yourself. Resolve that you’ll only check emails at say 7am, 12pm and 4pm. And add that fact to your email signature. Then stick to it. You’ll find you get a lot more done and that it’s also a good way to make others respect the value of your time more as well.

Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Take Real Breaks

If we don’t take real breaks, we take fake ones. Go out to lunch, walk around the block, or exercise at lunchtime—anything that gives your brain time to recharge. If you don’t, your brain will “rebel” around 2 p.m., and you’ll find yourself surfing the Internet instead of working and wasting even more time.

Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Rethink Your Do List

All of your priorities are not going to fit in 24 hours, so even trying to make that happen is futile. Instead of focusing on daylong cycles to accomplish everything, focus on a week. When you look at your time in 168-hour increments as opposed to 24-hour increments, you may find that the prospect of balancing work, family, and fun – and getting the most value out of every single one of those hours – is less overwhelming.

Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Track your Days.

If you want to better value and manage your time, the best way to do so is by figuring out exactly how you’re spending it. Keep an hourly log of your days to see where your time is going, and where you can rearrange your schedule. If tracking an entire week seems daunting, starting with two workdays and one weekend—like Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. When you do keep track of your time, you are more mindful about it, and you will learn to spend it far more wisely.

Take score at the end of the week and see where you wasted time and how you can improve your life and the life of those that surround you, remember that Time is Your Most Valuable Asset. 

Ask one of our financial advisors to work out how much your time costs you and what you can do to save it or alternatively make your time more valuable. Investing wisely might offer a solution as well as saving more and getting the right insurance and medical aids to suit your needs.