Time & Money

We all know the facts - only 24 hours in the day and once they're gone, they're gone. Life ticks on by, one second at a time and it's up to you to use it or lose it forever.

Then there's the "time is money" thing.

It's been featuring quite prominently in my headspace lately. For instance, if I spend R100 on petrol getting to work and back, but sit here all day and do nothing - I've lost R100 and 8 hours for absolutely no gain. If I spend 2 hours baking a batch of fancy cookies which I then sell for R30, I've wasted electricity, ingredients and time beyond that value.

Equally - if I spend all day tweaking or redoing over and over something that's not going to give me a good return, it's simply a waste.

I've started to think return on investment when it comes to time and money more and more. Life is tight enough that every minute and how you use it counts. Yes - you do need to stare out the window now and then, but I can't afford to do it long-term. Literally.

Been thinking about the commute too in those terms. Over and above the R100 in fuel, it's an hour or more out of my day. OK, perhaps the view of the winelands changing seasons is worth it, but I could be using that hour in so many other ways. The rest of the day is the same - for every 10 minutes spent waiting for a programme to do its thing, or 15 minutes spent waiting for the computer to boot up, there's a trade-off of value, of things that could be happening which would up the cash-flow.

There's also the trade-off of sleep vs income - how much are you willing to set aside in return for reward? How much do you really need of either? Where's the balance point?

Some might say I'm way too money-focused with this kind of attitude. Me, well - it merely sorts out my priorities.