From Wall Street to Life Street: The ROI of Your Hours

Yesterday I spent an entire hour scrolling through Instagram without a hint of regret.

Sounds strange, right? But there's a good reason for this—I've learned to understand the true value of our most precious resource: our time.

I know, it sounds a bit extreme, but you'll soon understand what I mean.

Ticking Away: The Countdown We All Face

Although I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday next month, I'm acutely aware that my time on this planet is a limited asset that's depleting with each passing second. Days fly by at an incredible pace. Lately, I've been feeling this realization almost physically, like taking money out of my wallet.

Time Portfolio Management 101

When it comes to financial investments, you'll often find yourself saying, "This is a nice investment, but my money is limited and there are more profitable alternatives for it." It's time we start thinking this way about our most valuable asset—our time.

I've discovered that I ask myself two simple questions before every decision:

• Will this make me feel good right now?
• Will this improve my future?

Start treating your daily time as a genuine financial investment and ask yourself before each decision: "Is this the best investment I can make with this time?"

This might catch you on substantial issues, like suddenly realizing the project at your job isn't challenging you enough and you need to talk to your manager about a shift. Or it might apply to the smallest, most routine matters—whether to continue scrolling through Instagram for another ten minutes, or instead send a message to a friend you've been wanting to meet for a while.

The Payoff: Double Happiness Returns

Since I started managing my time this way, my happiness has doubled because I both ensure I enjoy each activity to the maximum and feel satisfaction from knowing that my precious resource is being utilized optimally.

And don't get confused—sometimes even an hour of scrolling through Instagram is the most appropriate action for that moment, as long as it comes from a calculated place where you recognize you need to turn your brain off for a bit (I promised you everything would make sense by the end of this post) 😉

So the question is—how are you investing your most valuable resource today? What's the last thing you agreed to do without considering whether it was truly worth your time?