Time and Money

For about 8 months now, I’ve seen the solution for my time crunch.  The solution was to create more effective work standards that honored my chosen priorities.  And in the midst of making the necessary productivity adjustments, I’m presented with even more opportunities to learn and grow my business. time-010

Many of you may feel the same way.  The gifts of a more connected, technologically driven world have come packaged in what appears to be ever-increasing demands on our time.  So even as we continue to adjust, the feeling of never catching up keeps building.

The world is smaller and faster, but I’ve created this pressure by declaring my desire to double my income this year while truly understanding the connection between authenticity and prosperity.

I’m off to a fine start, but I’d like to feel lighter and more on top of things than I often do.  I’m not reading as many blog posts as I’d like to, but for some reason I did read this one about our relationship with money, by Slade Roberson.  I did the exercise yesterday and was hit with a powerful realization just this morning.

Time Is Money?

Here’s my realization.  I’m acting, as though I believe in the expression time is money.

A person who wants to earn more and also feels as though he doesn’t have the time to do, all that he needs to do, (to earn more), obviously equates time with money.

I must hold the belief that I need to do a lot to earn a lot more money.  Furthermore, I was feeling the pressure because that belief is in direct conflict with my higher belief, of prosperity through authenticity.

Do you see the disconnection? Authenticity is an unlimited concept of being, one of accepting what is. Time and money are limited concepts of doing, more about working to change what is.

Thinking one doesn’t have enough time or enough money are both resisting what is.  From the thought of not having enough, it’s a small step, to not being enough – and that is a very inauthentic way of being.

What to do about this? Well, according to Eckhart Tolle, I don’t have to do anything.  He claims that the moment we see the dysfunction, it begins to dissolve.

If the thought of lack–whether it be money, recognition, or love–has become who you think you are, you will always experience lack.  Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance. Eckhart Tolle

Ouch!  Thinking that we don’t have enough time sure sounds like a focus on the lack of it.  It’s my intention to change these scarcity beliefs through awareness.  That seems like the best course of action right now.

What do you think?

Comments

  1. Hi Tom: I like this analysis. If you’re an employee and get $10.00 an hour, you can calculate how much money you can make by how many hours you put in. But if you create residual income streams, the relationship between money and time is broken.

    If you’re lying on a hammock relaxing during the weekend, are you wasting money? If you choose to spend the afternoon helping your nephew with some school work he’s having trouble understanding, are you wasting money? It’s not a good idea to equate time and money. And it’s also a very linear perspective.

    Marelisas last blog post..Blog Business Plan – Monetization

  2. I have been thinking about this lately. Since I have recently become the newly self-employed, I do not know how to handle the time I have. Since my work = my money, I have been working almost nonstop. Deep down I know this is really focusing on lack, since in my noodle I am thinking if I do not keep working I will never get ahead, but I do not think I have learned the right way of doing things yet. Luckily I have a teleconference with you tomorrow to help me get started! Thanks Tom.

    Jays last blog post..The Ripple Effect

  3. Evelyn Lim says

    The relationship between time and money is something I am hoping to address too. As a parent to two young kids, I find it hard to be going all out at work because I have to also attend to their needs. I would like to think that despite putting in fewer hours, it is possible to make a decent income and that making more does not mean having to work much harder.

    Evelyn Lims last blog post..HAVE-DO-BE or BE-DO-HAVE?

  4. Tom,

    Thank you for participating in the exercise! Your revelation about “time is money” and how that may or may not be true is one that I know others will relate to. I’d even go so far as to suggest that this may be one of the Big Blocks we collectively have regarding abundance. It’s so deeply rooted in common “popular” wisdom that we don’t even question it as you were guided to do. It’s nearly always those “givens” that we pick up and apply as if they are automatically “true” that trips us up the most, huh?

    It will be interesting to see how you unravel this and apply new approaches… and what kind of results it brings.

    Thanks again for sharing your conversation with Money!

  5. Slade – Thank you for being the catalyst. I also want to encourage my readers to read all of the related posts that you suggest. I’ve read them all and they are excellent.

    Yes, I know what you mean about “time is money” being such an accepted belief in our society. Even as I was writing it, a part of me kept saying, “of course time is money, get to work!”

    I’m curious, what are your thoughts on the connection between authenticity and prosperity?

  6. LifeMadeGreat | Juliet says

    Hi Tom

    Hay, I gave you the answer in my latest blog post! 😉

    Seriously though:

    I do feel that we need to always try to focus on the positive and “the positive” is, in this case, abundance and not lack or limited supply (of money).

    For me, with money, the issue has been around needing and wanting security – financial security. I see that as an attitude of scarcity. In a way I’m believing that I will only be able to get enough (and maybe not even that) as opposed to “more than enough”. I’ve had to try to change that.

    All of this is in line with the theories around the “Law of Attraction”- whether one is comfortable with this concept or not.

    Another, off-the-top of my head thought is:
    Love is either time or money

    Juliet

    LifeMadeGreat | Juliets last blog post..Would You Choose To Be Immortal?

  7. Time and money are intertwined, but I believe our goal should be to be fully present in each moment. When you’re not worrying about the future or regretting the past, you’re being useful . . . hopefully.

    Claras last blog post..Uses For the Herb Comfrey

  8. Amen! I’ve felt the same pressure as I try to get my business up and running. I feel the need to push harder. This lack of time to build my business is all in my head. I still need to take time to relax and enjoy my family.

    I would rather get to where I want to be 2 years later while feeling happy then 2 years earlier and feeling all stressed out.

    Karl Staib – Work Happy Nows last blog post..Open and Honest Communication

  9. Love this post – reminds me of another great question lots of personal development teachers ask – “If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do all day?” (after the initial celebration time)

    I believe I would do similar things in the teaching and healing fields, but I would add more high-leveraged non-profit and charity works. I would also do some fun traveling with family and friends, and enjoy learning lots of new things.

    I imagine such a life, with no time or money constraints, would be much less stressful. But is that really true? Where did the stress come from, if not from my own mind, conditioning and beliefs?

    Eckhart Tolle and others would say the stress-free (peace) part comes first, from the interior life, regardless of our life situation. Although I see the wisdom in this, and even have the intention of living this in my own life, the reality is that I often find myself using all the tools I can find to come back to center, to peace when diffcult life circumstances come up.

    Eckhart says that it’s not how often we “fall out” of the Now; it’s more important to have the realization that we’re not there, and guide ourselves back, as best we can.

    Here’s to choosing “Hope over Fear!” – Kay

    Kays last blog post..5 Ways To De-Stress Right Now

  10. What a great article! I agree wholeheartedly with the need for autheniticity and being aware. Equating time with money is as fruitless as delaying commitment and action to ‘tomorrow’. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  11. We do have enough time, we just don’t value it as much as we should.

    Imagine that your time is worth $1000/hour. What things would you cut out? Would you focus more when you were working? Would you enjoy it more when you’re just sitting outside appreciating a sunset?

    Why shouldn’t you value your time that way? You don’t get it back. If you’re self-employed, your time might actually be worth that much in retrospect!

    Jason Cohens last blog post..Starting up while employed: Admit it

  12. Tom, very interesting post. I, too, read Slade’s post on this.
    I think that authenticity is related to prosperity through being, and that time is related to prosperity through doing.

    Actions that are motivated by fear will only create more fear and lack, which is very much behind the mindset of ‘time is money’. This is a concept from the industrial revolution that started 200 years ago, and it’s about time we looked at changing such an outdated concept.

    Actions that come out of an attitude of love – that the Universe is an abundant place (and that your having an abundance of what you want will not negatively impact others – no guilt) – are INSPIRED. Inspired action will lead to abundance that is not measured (necessarily) by time or money, but will result in more of both.

    The attitude, the being, comes first, then the action, or doing, will follow.

    An artist, a creator, cannot create from fear, no matter how motivated. The work, in the end, will not be worth looking at or experiencing. The artist/creator must create from inspiration (love). Something to keep in mind when creating your future! Are you motivated or inspired?

    Blessings,
    Keena

    Keenas last blog post..Go with the Flow

  13. Another interesting recent post on the subject:
    http://goodlifezen.com/2009/01/17/how-to-slow-down-time-or-why-never-kiss-a-frog-2/

    Blessings,
    Keena

    Keenas last blog post..Go with the Flow

  14. Tom,
    Great post. I think disconnecting time from money is very important because it suggests perpetual work for perpetual pay. Since tasks can be delegated, outsourced and automated, time is not always equal to money. in fact, for entrepreneurs, it SHOULDN’T be. Entrepreneurs time should be focused on growth rather than maintaining the same pay.

    Interesting perspective on authenticity. Very Michael Gerber-esque!

  15. Intriguing post — you really got me thinking on this one. I think that sometimes instead of wasting time, I could be making money — but, there’s some moments of time that all the money in the world wouldn’t make up for.

  16. Everyone – I absolutely adore the heartfelt wisdom you’ve shared in your comments. That coupled with President Obama’s vision and the Pittsburgh Steelers win makes a guy more than hopeful! 🙂

    Mare – Very cool comment. I love the image of breaking the relationship of time and money. I just read editorial by attorney who wanted to end hourly billing and charge by project value. How would that go over in Panama?

    Jay – Awareness is the first step my friend and you have moved through it already. After a little reflection please return and tell us your greatest relevant take-away form the class this morning.

    Evelyn – Believe it – hard work does not equal money. Some good stuff on that in this post.
    http://www.delightfulwork.com/2008/02/06/seven-things-that-may-surprise-you-about-money/

    Karl – Well said, lack is a head-game!

    Juliet – You said, love is either time or money. I know that was from the top of your head but I’m curious, will you explain that further?

    Clara – I agree money and time appear to be very intertwined but do they need to be? That is the question.

    Adam – Welcome. It often is fruitless to compare time and money or at the very least limiting.

    Jason – Now that’s an interesting angle. Your perspective seems to be different but I’m not so sure. At the very least it forces us to make value decisions that are indeed necessary.

    Keena – Thanks for all your love and the post referral.

    Matt – Well said. The thought of time and money being in perpetual connection is stressful in it self.

    Kay – Yep. I love that question and it’s a great one for seeing what you really care about. I’m totally with you on all of it. Judging by the comments from this post I’d say that world consciousness has already shifted. Hope has manifested into movement.

  17. Hi Tom. I love reading these kinds of posts and the comments section that follows. When you wrote, “Thinking that we don’t have enough time sure sounds like a focus on the lack of it,” you reminded me of the glass half full/empty analogy. So if I had time in a bottle — heh, heh — and I thought I didn’t have enough of it, I then am seeing the glass (or bottle) half empty. Cool!

    Davinas last blog post..How Curious Moments Add Value

  18. Nathalie Lussier says

    Tom you’ve made a great realization, thank you for sharing it with us. I think a lot of us grow up with the idea that time is money. It’s probably because most of the world (or the average person) still works exchanging time for money.

    It wasn’t always like this, and I’ve seen a lot of interesting things while traveling in China. People here are much more relaxed if they own a business, because all they have to do is focus on their customers. They don’t have time working against them, they just do the thing that makes them money. Simple but brilliant. 🙂

  19. Make $200-$900 a Day On Google says

    I think I still believe in the whole, “time is money” thing. i mean, the more time you spend working, the more money you make…..unless you are a business person. For example, someone can work 5 hours a day and make about $1000-$2000 a day. But someone else can work 5 hours a day and make $40 bucks. I guess it all depends on what industry you are in and how you make your money. Good post 🙂

  20. I am not so much concerned about the time I put into my work but the quality of work I produce. If I can get it done in an hour, then great. If it takes all week, ok. I tend to get a bit stuck though when I see a boat load to get done and not sure how to tackle it. Then I start thinking the time=money thing, which has been my mindset this week for some reason.

  21. Tina | Foreclosure Listings says

    This is great blog, a truly inspirational insights. Personally, I don’t believe in the “Time is Money” thing, time cannot be compared to money. You earn and regain money but you cannot do that with time. Once you lost the time, it is lost forever.

  22. Hi Tom – The quote from Eckhart Tolle hits home, doesn’t it? Like you, I have often said I don’t have enough time. I’m trying to make a conscious effort not to say that anymore. On the days when I feel like I have all the time in the world, I accomplish a lot more. Now I just need to get into the habit of reminding myself of that each morning and start a new (good) habit.

    Good luck to you, too.

    Barbara Swaffords last blog post..Not So New Blogs – From Spain to Singapore

  23. In just the few minutes that I have been surfing your site I have learned a lot. Lots of lovely reminders that you may not even be aware that you are sharing.
    Thank you

  24. Hi Tom,
    This post hits home for me! I wonder if I’m focusing too much on the lack of time in my life? I’m working, right now, on shifting my focus – to the abundance I have!

    Lances last blog post..As Real As It Gets

  25. Well, my goal is to make a good full-time income by working part-time. I guess part of this is not buying into the ‘time is money’ thing. Our time is worth far more than money can buy I think.

    I think most people sacrifice their life for the sake of a house. I am not financially wealthy but I don’t regret exchanging having done lots of work on myself and helped lots of others (mostly poor too) for the normality of trading off my life/time for a house. Not everyone’s path of course. But I have trodden mine with no regrets.

    Now I’m trying to figure out ways of producing stuff of such great quality that it will bring me a good income.

    Evans last blog post..Higher and Lower Needs?

  26. Hi Tom,
    Synchronicity

    How timely, I am this weekend looking more closely at how Ii use my time and how I simply create more abundance in all areas od my life

    Suzie Cheels last blog post..Inspiration Day

  27. Make – Welcome. Thanks for considering a new view for you.

    JB – That’s what makes life wonderful – each of us gets to determine what’s a waste and what isn’t.

    Laurie – Yep when we get behind – that’s when it hits us the most. Or should I d say when we think we get behind.

    Davina – 🙂 Your time in a bottle is definitely half full. Cute and witty!

    Nathalie – I love stories from other cultures. Sometimes we are so close to our beliefs that we can’t see other ways of thinking.

    Tina – Well said, you’re correct the comparison doesn’t equate.

    Barbara – thanks for the wishes of luck. I also tend to follow my morning start. I love tapping with EFT with that phrase, “I have all the time in the world.”

    Evan – It’s all about our values. You’ve lived yours well. Best to you in your quest for outstanding value. That’s a noble goal to deliver.

    Ribbon – Welcome. Thank you, I always love reading a somewhat mysterious comment.

    Lance – Happy shifting to you.

    Suzie – A fearless time audit is always a great way to start.

  28. I do believe I have enough time, sometimes I just don’t manage it effectively. I actually made a money shift not long ago. I was concerned over a bill I was expecting. Then I realized I could worry about the bill or spend my energy working on ways to make more money. A lot opened up for me when that shift happened. I felt free.

  29. I am a single parent with a full time job; I go to school and I am cultivating a blogsite to monetize; I am a writer, photographer, artist…and I work out everyday…take care of my home, yes I fix my own sprinklers, etc. 🙂

    Point is, I don’t have time to think of not having time…how I spend my life currency is prioritized into “doing” instead of just thinking.

    I do carry a “grateful rock” in my pocket and through the course of the day I take a moment to touch it/feel it and give thanks to the source of great abundance.

    We create our own abundance through alignment.

    And money…I don’t have a lot of it but I have what I need…and what I need seems to appear when summoned.

    I enjoyed this, Tom…thanks for giving me the platform to do so. 🙂

    Henies last blog post..Friday Focus

  30. I usually laugh at people when they say I don’t have time for so and so things. It seems very funny for me. Because I think that if I want to do something. I will do that any how. Time never matters in that..

  31. Stacey – I love stories of shifts and the realizations that lead up to them. Outstanding, freedom rings!

    Offshore – Welcome. You sound wonderfully focused and balanced.
    I love the confidence in your comment.

    Henie – Yours is a beautiful story, sometimes I think the key to living a productive live may be top become a single mom. 🙂
    Your confident expectation lathered with gratitude is an inspired way to walk through life. Kudos to you!

  32. Hi,

    Its really a good article.Time and Money both are important.if we use time properly then we can earn lot of money!

    thank you!

  33. Hi Tom,

    I uncoupled time from money 2 years ago and have never looked back.

    Time is no longer my enemy but is now my friend and money is something that just happens while I am doing what delights me.

    I can clearly remember the day I eliminated the idea that time is money and the huge burden that lifted which gave me so much space to work and play that there is barely a delineation between the two anymore 🙂

  34. Ariyes – I’m pleased you liked it.

    Nicola – Welcome. Now that sounds like a wonderful work day. Congrats on your uncoupling.

  35. Yes! Itoo have this in me!
    I actually did well when I worked from this….i

  36. I really enjoyed the post because I’ve been struggling with the same issues. There never seem to be enough hours in the day now that I’ve set my intention to become self-employed in 2009. But the idea that time is money helps to keep me pushing hard. I know that once I begin to see the results from this initial push, it will be easier to let go of that limiting mindset – time must be so much more than money. So, if I’m true to myself and follow my authentic road, the money or rewards will follow. I’ve been really struggling to find a balance between educating myself, doing the actual work (writing) that has to be done, and implementing new practices. It’s exhilerating and exhausting but well worth the effort!

  37. Tom,

    Sorry it took me so long to come back and respond to your question about the relationship between authenticity and prosperity… Um, that’s kind of a loaded question for a comment, but I’ll try to leave a bumpersticker version.
    🙂

    The main thing that comes to mind for me is that authenticity and prosperity are related through sustainability. Staying power. Perseverance. Obviously, we could make the argument that you could be “prosperous” (materially) pursuing something that is the opposite of authentic. My question would be how long could you maintain that?

    It takes just a bit more energy than I feel I have sometimes to maintain and sustain that which I do feel is authentic, so I guess for something that my heart wasn’t in… I can’t imagine keeping that up.

    Also, I think we could easily argue that authenticity is sensed on many levels and others respond to it in a greater way.

    Have you thought about exploring/ answering your own question in an article? Would make a cool post, I’m sure.

    Thanks for recommending my posts (as I suppose my older version of WordPress isn’t worthy of the “comment luv” plugin).
    🙂

  38. Diane _ Welcome and keep soaring!

    Andrea – You sound confident and focused. Come back often and keep us apprised of your progress. A tip – make the writing your priority. The you will have created value and you can always catch-up on the other stuff as needed.

    Slade – Thanks for coming back and answering my question. Sustainability is not something that I’ve thought of before but it makes perfect sense. Actually it’s a litmus test for authenticity because if that’s our intention and the work requires too much energy to maintain, it’s obviously not a downstream activity. I’ll consider your suggestion on the questions I raise as a follow-up post.

  39. What a great article! I agree wholeheartedly with the need for autheniticity and being aware. Equating time with money is as fruitless as delaying commitment and action to ‘tomorrow’. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  40. FYI

    I just ran across a time-and-money image (clock & coins) on a free image site

    morguefile.com/archive/display/122747

  41. Actions that come out of an attitude of love – that the Universe is an abundant place (and that your having an abundance of what you want will not negatively impact others – no guilt) – are INSPIRED. Inspired action will lead to abundance that is not measured (necessarily) by time or money, but will result in more of both.

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