Time is Not Money

Musings 1 Minute

Couple of weeks back, I ran a poll on LinkedIn: “Time is Money” – YES or NO.

97% respondents agreed that Time is Money. Only 3% said that time is not money. I agree with the minority, here’s why:

  • Money can be protected or grown through right investments. Whereas time can neither be saved nor grown. Irrespective of what we do, whether we do anything or not do, time passes….
  • Money is inequal, few have lots of money, some have less, and many have little or none. Whereas time is the most democratized asset, every single individual on this earth has the same 24 hours / 1440 minutes / 86400 seconds in a day.
  • Money once lost can be re-earned with right efforts and determination. Whereas time once gone is lost forever. Nothing or no one can bring it back.

Thus, time in my view is far more finite and precious than money.

If we were to spend 100 or 1000 or 10000 or more (in whichever currency), depending on our wealth, we think and rethink before spending that money. Lending it to someone? Or investing? Or purely spending on leisure activities. We carry out a cost benefit analysis. We analyze opportunity cost, sunk cost, etc etc.

If a stranger on the road asks for 1000 (whatever currency), will we give him / her the money even if we can? Most likely no.

Money is the most valuable resource that each one of us are equally gifted. Question to #reflect,

  • do we treat money in a similar way?
  • do we treat it with respect?
  • think / rethink about of utilizing it the most appropriate way?

We end up spending hours browsing the Internet, social media. We attend long meetings where we have no role to play….just playing along… We engage in long debates / discussions / gossip that lead nowhere.

Time to reflect how we spend our time… that is way more precious than money!

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Published by Padma Rajeswari

At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog. I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’. Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations. On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on. I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe. On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you!

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