3. The Importance of Investing Your Time
Can you invest your time? You can invest your money, can’t you? You put it into something and expect to receive something in return at a future date. It should be the same with your time. If you invest your free time into something you should expect some sort of return later on. You won’t receive more time, but hopefully by making proper investments you will receive something beneficial and worthwhile in the future. Investments should always grow.
You have invested time in your business, expecting a return of some kind, haven’t you? Of course you have. You worked hard and invested a lot on the business to get it where it is today. Make sure your efforts have potential of a dividend over the long-term.
No investment you make with money would have an immediate result or instant return, and neither should you expect it for investments of your time. These are long-term concepts to learn and practice.
Recognize and develop good networks and good business relationships. If there are negative business relationships around you, then get rid of them. Nothing personal, it’s just good business. Don’t be dramatic or burn any bridges, but you are not required to tolerate it, either.
This means any vendor, subcontractor any other provider of goods and services to your company that seems to always lag or let you down, misses deadlines or makes excuses for poor work is, “outta here!” You can choose who you do business with and you deserve better than that.
Invest time in yourself. Never stop learning new skills, or practicing the ones you have. Whether it’s for work or for your personal life, practice something daily to get better at it. Be okay with where you’re at but always strive to be a little better tomorrow.
Learn skills that can really make an impact in your business. Research and study areas of neglect in your business or ones that you don’t fully understand. If it’s sales and marketing, administration, or organization skills that you need to learn - find it in books, online courses, or personal instruction and use that knowledge and those skills to improve your business.
Invest in new business relationships, networks, and making new connections. Meet new people. Join a business group. Ask questions and listen. You don’t know it all and can learn much from others’ experiences and expertise. Be friendly and participate. You may be surprised at how many people will be willing to help you with a problem or issue you’re experiencing. You may also find that you have something to offer others.
Invest more in the personal relationships you already have. It’s quantity and not just quality time that you want to achieve. Increase the actual length or amount of time with the ones that are most important to you.
Invest time in helping others. Charity, volunteering, teaching something to others. We learn and form better connections in our brains if we have to simplify techniques and show them to someone. You’ll be happier if you give more, and that’s good stuff.
In short, always try to invest your free or spare time in things that have value to you and that are really important. Try to do less trivial and more valuable.
I would also add that you should not be afraid to “un-invest” your time or efforts into the things that are not working. If too much technology is making your life confusing, then simplify things. Reduce the clutter and the accumulation of things.
Invest in returning some balance in your life. I have noticed a trend lately of young people learning traditional skills and recognizing the value of handmade and hand-built things. I think they are trying to find balance in a world of instant gratification and mass technology by also embracing simpler things made with their hands, too. They love their mobile tablet and blacksmithing, or they love their smartphone and knitting. That’s cool.
By seeking out ways to balance yourself, you can minimize or reduce the effects of the ever-busy and hectic world we live in today. This may explain the popularity of yoga and forms of meditation these days: they are looking for balance in their frantic lives.