Time Is Life – Let’s Make The Most Of It!

The original article of this was my first-ever blog post, and it seems fitting that I reviewed it today to rewrite and repost it. That's because today is, or more specifically was, my mother's birthday. Last year, on the 7th anniversary of her passing, I decided to consciously celebrate her on the day she was born. She died at the young age of 58. So, as I reflect on her, her life, her strengths and stretches, it's a good reminder to all of us to step back and think about how we spend our time on the planet. 

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There are 24 hours, 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds in a day. Our hearts will beat 75 beats per minute on average, which equates to 108,000 times a day. We will breathe an average of 16 times a minute, 23,040 times a day.... 8,409,600 per year. If you're like me, it's easy to think that time, heartbeats and breaths are infinite. And yet, for every minute that passes, we are closer than ever to our last heartbeat and final breath. I think that on some level we all get this and understand it. But somehow, in the activity of life, we forget to spend a moment reflecting on the preciousness of time and the speed at which it passes. 

This post is a reminder, and I hope it gives you permission to pause. Take a moment to step out of the weeds of your day and reflect on whether your time is being invested in the right places. Because if nothing else, I'd love you to realise that each second lost, each heartbeat done, and each breath taken is a chunk of your life.  

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Time is not money—it is chunks of your life that you will never make more of and never get back!

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This is awfully deep for a business post... can we lighten it up a bit Shannyn?

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Sure thing—but let's not bury the lead... 

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We are trading time for chunks of our lives!  

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I believe that often we get caught up in the "busy". There are pressures we all have to keep the wheels of life and business in motion. Under that pressure, we often forget the value of the chunks of time and life that we lose along the way. If we took a moment and considered the actual value of the commodity of our time, would we value it differently? As a result—what would you do differently?

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Let's consider some examples. 

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• A client pays you $x,000 pa. They are a pain in the proverbial. The interactions with them suck you dry and leave you uninspired, frustrated and deflated. Is the value of that dollar worth the time you're putting into keeping them as a client?
• A team member, who is a good person, but isn't a cultural fit, takes up your time by throwing their monkeys on your back. They spend a lot of time distracting others, and you spend a lot of time thinking about doing something about it. What's the cost of not taking action based on the chunks of life lost?
• You're stuck in a networking event with someone you've decided isn't a good fit for your business. They keep talking and you don't stop them because you don't want to appear rude. How many heartbeats have you lost? 
• You're Netflix bingeing while your partner huffs in the background, unwilling to rehash the argument about your disconnection. Are you getting a return on your Netflix time, and at what cost?
• You're tired; you've been working hard. You've not prioritised your health or self-care. As a result, you have a health scare. Were the chunks given away to work worth it?

OK, okay! We get it... what do we do about it?

Take a moment and think of each chunk of activity as a percentage of your remaining life. If you realise that the number of heartbeats and breaths lost doesn't give you a return worthy of the investment, what will you do about it?

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Here are some suggestions to help you maximise the value of the time left in life:

• Spend a moment before each "chunk" in your day confirming the purpose of the activity.

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If it doesn't connect with your value/time/life philosophy, reconsider why you're doing it in the first place. A default or ideal diary can help set a routine to remind you about chunking time and ensure that each chunk delivers an outcome. Investing in chunks such as "health," "family time," and "dating" will remind you to invest in areas that are not just about business.

• Know your standards and the rules by which you do business (and life).

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If you're in a situation where you're breaking your rules, stop, reset and start again. Take the networking event example and remind yourself that you're there to make connections and grow your business. If there is someone you're talking to and they are not a match for your business, or you've done enough to start the interaction and plan to catch up in the future, consciously move on. It's not about being rude; it's about ensuring your return on the time investment.

• Know the outcome you want to achieve.

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If you're not on track to the outcome halfway through the "chunk" of time you’ve assigned for an activity, set a new course. For example, if you're in a meeting, and it's becoming a talk fest with no objective or purpose, be prepared to call it out. You'll probably be surprised how grateful others in the meeting are because they too are having chunks of their life stolen.  

• Don't allow others to waste your life with their agendas.

As a decent human, I believe in patience and politeness. However, if I value my own heartbeat and the breaths I have left, I can't be running to someone else's agenda. It's harsh, but that's the whole point of this article. With the limited time left, focus on being clear about what's important to you. If someone else's agenda doesn't align with your outcomes, be OK to move on. 

• Know what you love, and do that daily.

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We have a choice. We can live out our heartbeats in a miserable malaise or live with passion, gratitude and joy. We can be an inspiration to ourselves and others by investing our energy into the things, the people and the experiences that we love, or we can choose not to. If you make that choice to say yes to a life of greater meaning and you need to get home in time to connect with your loved ones, nothing in life has a higher value than that. Not any client nor any metaphorical fire that needs to be put out…. Nothing.

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Because, at the end of the day, you're 108,000 fewer heartbeats and 23,040 fewer breaths away from your final ones. Is the time you spent this day worth that investment of a chunk of your life?

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‍Want more time? As a business coach, I help people reclaim their lives and spend more time on the things they love. If you need to define your value, have more time, or get more from life, get in touch.