How Much is Your Time Worth?

Wow, a Lot More Than I Thought

Recently I’ve been extremely busy and working hard trying to get things done. I know that the length of my list is my choice. Busy lives are nothing unusual, especially for those of us working in construction.

So, how can we be more productive and decide what things on the list are the most important? The answer to this question will be different for each of us, but it’s something we have within our control if we just do something.

Spending time wisely comes down to prioritizing and making decisions.

I’ve always struggled with giving my time the same level of importance as other people. I wouldn’t be late to meetings with customers, committees at church, or in the community. The lack of importance I give to my own time results in me being less productive than I could be.

As I was thinking about how busy I am and trying to figure out what I should do next, I had a thought.

What if there was a monetary penalty for every minute wasted?

Let’s be honest…there is.

What is each minute of my time really worth?

So, I did some calculations –

  • There are 60 minutes every hour
  • There is an average of 12 hours per my workday
  • There are 6 workdays per my work week
  • There are 52 work weeks per year
  • This means there are 224,640 minutes available to work each year
  • My gross revenue target for this year is $400,000.00
  • $400,000.00 divided by 224,640 minutes means each minute of the day is worth $1.78

$1.78 for each minute doesn’t seem like that much, until I did some more calculations –

  • $1.78 x 5 minutes = $8.90
  • $1.78 x 15 minutes = $26.70
  • $1.78 x 30 minutes = $53.40
  • $1.78 x 60 minutes = $106.80

Who knew that my time was that valuable?

It’s amazing how much the little things can change the big picture. This gave me a whole new sense of urgency. It has caused me to evaluate decisions differently. Which of these things on the list is worth spending that much time/money on?

It has caused me to focus more intensely on which actions I need to take to accomplish my mission.

I’ve never been one to give my time the value it’s worth. Working for myself, it’s always hard to give it a monetary value. This discovery changed that.

This week’s solution has cost me $160.20 so far and by the time I get it published it’s going to be closer to $220.00.

I sure hope you find at least that much value in it. 😊

Of course, everybody’s level of importance is going to be different based on individual preferences. But this new awareness of the value of my time has given me a new focused intensity to spend my time wisely.

So…it looks like the time I spend is $1.78 per minute.

It’s up to me to spend each minute wisely.

Rewritten from previous post

We All Want to be Members of Exclusive Clubs

The word "Exclusive" in a starburst

 

 

What is it That Draws Us to be a Part of These Groups?

 

Exclusive makes us feel special. We want to be somebody, to be valuable, to stand out from the crowd. We think exclusive clubs will do this for us. If there’s only room for a few and I get in, then I’m important.

 


Collins dictionary defines exclusive as, something that is used or owned by only one person or group, not shared and limited to people with a lot of money or who are privileged. The world is full of exclusive clubs that require some very expensive and/or bizarre requirements to even be considered.


This is how the world perceives special.


There’s a story of a boy whose older brother had started a “club” with some of his friends. The younger brother wanted to join so bad that he was willing to do anything, including jumping from the top of the stairs, which resulted in a broken ankle. The cost to joining clubs can be painful.

 

There’s a different kind of club out there called the Kingdom Club. It’s inclusive and easy to join. All that’s required is accepting the invitation and willingness to follow a few simple rules.

 

  • Recognize your spiritual needs
  • Share in grief
  • Be humble
  • Desire to do right
  • Show mercy to others
  • Desire pure thoughts
  • Work for peace
  • Willingness to suffer for doing what’s right


These rules are explained in the Kingdom Club handbook, Matthew 5:1-12. Just go to the clubhouse door, knock and it will open, Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10.


Joining the Kingdom Club is so easy that most people think it’s too good to be true. Or, they’re afraid that it’s so easy that they will be lost in the crowd. That’s one of the best things about this club, joining it allows our “special” to radiate.


The Kingdom Club is full of nothing but special people.

 

This is a good club to be in!