We’ve been taken over! This week’s post is from our new friend and guest blogger, Cristina Roman, who has some awesome insights about conscious priorities and time management.
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People often ask me how I have time to blog or make home-cooked meals. Often these questions are prefaced or followed by “I don’t have time for that.” As if I must have extra hours built into my day.
I respond that, for me, those things are priorities. I have made a conscious decision to post on my blog regularly and make healthy, affordable meals because it adds value to my life. It might mean waking up 30 minutes earlier to toss ingredients into my Crockpot, skipping an extra TV episode, or blogging during lunch.
How you choose to spend your time is your decision, whether it’s conscious or unconscious. Spent 45 minutes perusing Facebook? You chose that activity over reading a New York Times article or taking a Pilates class. I’m certainly not saying that it was a bad decision, but it is inevitably a decision that will affect your ability to invest time in other activities.
It helps me to think in terms of opportunity cost, one of my favorite concepts from Intro to Economics.
Opportunity cost is the cost of any activity measured in terms of the value of the next best alternative forgone. Opportunity costs are not restricted to monetary or financial costs: lost time, pleasure or any other benefit that provides utility should also be considered opportunity costs (Wikipedia).
Is watching an episode of Friends worth passing up 23 minutes of kitchen time? Is going out with friends for the night worth skipping a toning class at the Y and an extra good night’s sleep? Not always but certainly sometimes! Sometimes the benefit (or utility) that I derive from being lazy on the couch or grabbing a few drinks surpasses the utility of “good” and “healthy” choices.
The bottom line: everyone has 168 hours in their week (though admittedly, some people do have important responsibilities that offer less flexibility). Make every decisions on how you spend your time a conscious decision- but don’t forget to factor in free time to relax and decompress!
P.S. Need help making “better” decisions? Try the 168 Hours Spreadsheet!
Cristina Roman is a life coach for antsy high-achievers ready to go all in on their own evolution. Visit www.piquecoaching.co to grab The Pique Coaching Workbook: 9 prompts to get your creative wheels turning, so that you can move forward in your life.
