Summary: Stop looking for ways to make money, start looking for ways to make time. Money is just a tool that gets you more time. And more time makes you truly happy
Time is limited, money is not
There is (arguably) endless amount of money in the world. But there are only 86400 seconds in a day, no more, no less. Time is limited.
I think making $20000 a year, working for 10 hours a week (or less) is much more respectable than making a million and working 80 hours a week.
If someone makes an annual income of $20000 for 10 hours of work a week - the typical mindset is to work for another ten hours and make another $20k. And another and another until you have no time or energy. Oh boy, doesn’t all that money make you happy now?
I say - STOP! If $20000 is enough, why waste all that time to do more?
- How about finding ways to make $40000 with that same 10 hours instead?
- What if we couldn't try to make money online, but make time instead?
More money or more time?
Would you rather have:
- more money, or
- more time?
Would you take more money, if it would mean working more (and have less time)?
If you said no, you probably don't work... this is what most "jobs" are. You take your free time and give some of it to your employer and they pay you for those hours.
- You are earning money, but you have less time to do anything else.
(Note: if you enjoy your work / business / job, which I really hope you do, the time does not go into "waste"- but it's still time you are working = "less time". And work is great, but not the only thing in the world)
Turning hours into money
When we get a job, it usually means we are required to work certain amount of hours a week or month to get paid certain amount. Or we might even get paid an hourly fee...
- More hours we put in, the more we are paid.
If you do your work better and faster, that means you have to do more work (yes, you might get some bonuses, but still).
- What if you would get paid the amount you deserve for the results you get - no matter what time you use to it (as long as you deliver the results)?
If you could improve the workflow, processes, etc. in a way that you could do your work in 5 hours a week. Totally possible - but in the "corporate world", this would mean, doing 35 hours of something else, probably more work.
- Since 5 hours a week feels like pushing it - let's shoot for doing things in less time, OK?
Time over money
Let's say you have your typical day job.
- Would you rather have a 10% raise, or
- cut your work time by 10% and get the same money as before?
Example: Let's say you get paid $1000 for working 40 hours a week. You could make:
- $1100 for 40 hours, or
- $1000 for 36 hours
Think: How about not asking for a raise, but ask for a cut instead?
...or even better, what if you would get paid $1000 for certain results, no matter how much time it takes. Wouldn't you spend all your time trying to automate what you're doing, finding better ways to do the work? Wouldn't you tweak your workflow and systems until you get the job done in 1 hour instead of 40, and still get paid $1000?
- Now if you can resist the urge to work for the other 39 hours, you have quite a bit of free time to do everything else you want to do.
And as a reminder - you don't need to use that time to make more money...
Time is valuable
Having the time to do whatever you want to. That is true freedom. I take more time over more money any day.
I'm getting obsessed with this. I'm talking about lazy blogging and doing less. I'm done with productivity and getting more things done. I'm all about productivity for getting what matters done (with minimal effort and time-investment possible).
For entrepreneurs, this is possible. For employees, it's hard. For businesses, it is unconceivable.
But it doesn't have to be.
- It is OK to not grow your business.
- It is OK if you don't make more money this year than before.
- It is OK to settle for enough.
- Is is AMAZING to understand money is just a tool for more time.
Greed is not good, no matter what Gordon Gekko says. You don't have to be rich, just rich enough.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
- Gandalf, in The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R.Tolkien.
Stop looking for ways to make money, start looking for ways to make time.
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