Do You Spend or Invest Your Time?

Great article from one of my favorite speakers, Martin Rooney:

When you were born, you were given the greatest gift in the cosmos.  You were given a life of time.  Most people, however, don’t value their time.  Perhaps this is because this great gift was given to us for free.

Think you are smart enough to avoid “spending” your time?  Maybe not.  In fact, many people spend huge amounts of their time each day without any return on investment.  When you spend your time in front of the TV, searching aimlessly on the internet, eating the wrong food or hanging out with the wrong people, you are spending time with no real hope of a positive return.  The short-term return of a cheap laugh, sugar rush, or extra pound of fat may feel good at the time, but is worthless in the long term.  A successful life is not created when you simply spend time.  Success happens when you invest it.

No matter who you are or where you are from, you have something in common with everyone else: you were given 24 hours today, and the Clock is Ticking. In your Time Budget, you are given 24 hours in a day.  Today you, like everyone else, will get 24 hours.  What you do with each 24 hour day added up over your lifetime will determine your future.  If you really understand that, then every hour, minute and second becomes valuable.  In fact, time is more valuable than money because you can always get more money, but once your time is gone, you cannot have it back.  Budgeting wisely how that time is used is critical for success.  The most important ratio to examine on your Time Budget is the amount of time spent versus the amount of time invested.

When you invest money, you should expect a return. The same should be true for your time.  If you think there might be some places in your life where you are “leaking” time, below are some excellent ways to increase your investment:

1.  Invest your time in getting proper sleep, exercise and nutrition.  Do this and you not only gain more time, but the time will be more productive and enjoyable.

2.  Invest in your future.  Work to develop your goals, purpose and planning. When time is properly invested here, there is less chance of improper time spending.

3.  Invest quality time in your family and friends. When you invest time in these bonds, you are not just investing in yourself.  If you invest enough in these bonds over your lifetime, the value of these bonds continue long after you do.

4.  Invest time in your network.  When a network is built correctly, you gain back much more time than if you tried to do things by yourself.

5.   Invest your time in challenging activities that force you to develop and grow.  These activities may include reading, speaking, traveling, and learning.


Don’t just learn how to spend time, instead learn how to invest it.

Yours in Strength,

Martin