Time is so fundamental to our society, and the ever-popular saying “time is money” [1] is a common way of looking at Time. But Time is also abstract and more or less a human creation. It allows us to make sense of the cosmos, our days and give us something to help guide us in our day-to-day lives. The truth, whether Time is made up or not, is that it is useful. It is useful in helping people plan, or how much effort something will take or display data or information; Time is useful.
Time has this sense that it has intrinsic value, but is that true? Time is simply a resource, and thus, it does have a value, but the value is derived from what is accomplished in that time, not the Time itself. Time does not have any value unless it is spent doing something. The concept of paying somebody for their Time is really the wrong way of looking at it. People should be paid for the work they do. Time is simply a lens to look at what a person accomplished and weigh it against others.
I choose to think of Time as a resource for me. It is a way of quantifying my effort and value. Time can describe what I can accomplish or what I got done, but Time is how we can tell what we value.
My Time as a college student is my most valuable resource because I pull everything that I do from it. I have to spend time to accomplish assignments, and in return, I get knowledge and understanding and, hopefully, a good grade. Outside of school, I have to choose do I invest in a job or a project that furthers my understanding of different concepts. Do I invest Time into a hobby that brings me enjoyment and potential relationships with people who enjoy similar things? I could spend Time only doing the things that I want to do, and that gives me temporary happiness or pleasure, but Time is limited, and if I learned anything from economics is that everything has an opportunity cost. Everything has an opportunity cost school friendships, and other relationships have an opportunity cost. So every day, you have to look at what you do as a choice of saying yes to one thing and then saying no to something else, so make the best choice for you. Invest your time in what you most value, and you won’t waste your time.
After writing about teams last week, I realized I often felt that I have to be the last one on the project and see it to the final submission. If that is the case, then I don’t trust my teammates, and after years of team sports, I know you have to trust your team. If you don’t trust your team, then you are wasting your time and their time. There are times when letting your team finish something or taking a break, and working on something else is the best way to spend your time. The value of time is what you do with it. So, take time to do good things for you in the short run, the long run, your health, both mental and physical, and enjoy the time you have, even though you don’t have any time because it is all a construct of society.
Invest time into you, whatever that means for you.
[1]“Time Is Money, but That Doesn’t Mean You Need to Work Non-Stop – Pacific Standard,” Aug. 23, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190823202307/https://psmag.com/economics/time-money-doesnt-mean-need-work-non-stop-81438 (accessed Oct. 17, 2020).
