After all is said and done, ensure your time is well lived

In a culture that prioritises productivity over well-being, it is common to hear people talking about how much they have wasted their time and their lives.

It is even more common to hear people bragging about never going on leave, because supposedly that is time wasted, or even bragging about sleeping for three hours or less, as if that is some magical badge of honour.

Well, it could be, but it would also mean your goals are skewed. Because let us face it, sleep and rest are necessary for optimal performance. So, it is okay to take a rest or do something that is seemingly unproductive. But let us explore this idea of time wasted.

And no, I am not about to quote the overused cliché that says that time you enjoyed wasting is not truly wasted. Even though there is a tiny gem of truth there.

Let us think about this thing called time. It is a finite resource that is perfectly inelastic. This means that you have 24 hours, which run out every midnight. It also means that no amount of money or influence can give you 30 hours a day.

Even travelling into the ‘future’ or to countries, which are several hours behind, meaning that you enjoy living say your 7pm twice is not exactly expanding your time. You pay it back once you fly back home.

What I am trying to say is that whether you sleep or go for a night out, you still have 24 hours. So, there is really no way you can waste time. What you might do is misappropriate it.

You might decide to go shopping instead of taking care of the babies. Go for a barbecue instead of doing your homework, or sleep –which is very important- instead of going to the gym. Thing is, you just used up the time you had for something that you thought was more important.

So, you did not really waste your time, now did you? Whether you have a priority list or not, time and its finiteness ensures that you by default have a priority list. Because when you choose to sleep instead of going to the gym, your priority by default becomes sleep over the gym.

So you do end up choosing, you see. You choose how to use up your time and not how to waste it. You simply cannot waste time, I hope you see that.

Similarly, when you say you do not have time for that side hustle, it simply means you actually do not see it as a priority.

Otherwise, you would re-allocate your time. When you get late to a meet because you accidentally bumped into an old friend and chatted for an hour, it simply means that you valued that impromptu connection way more than your already set one.

Listen, I am not saying you become so single-minded and intentional about how you allocate and spend your time, I am simply saying that you embrace how you choose to spend this finite yet, so important resource and take full accountability.

Designate time to things you value, whether work, family or social relationships. And if life happens, embrace it, but be sure to respect those who you might bump down by communicating. Ensure your time is well lived in.

Otherwise regrets will clock in at some point.