Time Is the Most Valuable Commodity

I write a lesson I wished I had learned 10 years earlier, to feed our brains with intelligent content to start our week. I also share interesting articles, book quotes, and the occasional speech or TED talk to help us all get smarter, wiser and live better.

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Happy Sunday!

This week, I want to talk about time. More specifically, what we choose to spend our time on. Time is the most valuable commodity. This is something I’ve previously written about (see article).

We often hear people saying “I don’t have the time”, “there aren’t enough hours in the day”or other similar phrases. This is complete nonsense.

We’re all given the same hours in the day as the US President, Bill Gates and Elon Musk (the CEO of 3 multi-billion dollar companies). Yet, why is it that they happen to achieve more than the average person?

The answer is that they’re better at “allocating” their time than most people. The word “allocating” is important here. Most people see time as something that is spent, but the most productive people on the planet don’t spend their time, they allocate their time. Elon Musk is famous for allocating his day (from the moment he wakes up, to when his head hits the pillow at night), in five-minute blocks.

Allocating time is an important principle, as it changes how you look at and spend your time. With this allocation principle, it becomes implicit that “whatever you’re doing now is what you value most with your time”.

If you’re studying, then studying is what is adding the most value to your life at that moment in time. The same can be said with eating dinner, scrolling through social media, spending time with friends or almost every activity that you happen to be doing.

Whatever you’re doing now is what you value most with your time.

To become more productive and get more things done in less time, you need to be aware that “whatever you’re doing now is what you value most with your time at this present moment”. Like reading this newsletter.

Become more mindful on the activities you’re allocating your time to.

Time is the most valuable commodity.

Have an awesome week ahead,
Samuel

Featured Article

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3 Things I've Enjoyed This Week

1. How to get started with difficult tasks - JD Roth is a personal finance blogger, who gives an interesting perspective on getting started with difficult tasks. His main point is to avoid overthinking and to screw perfection. “When starting a long journey, a perfect first step isn't critical [...] If you stumble at the start of a marathon, it makes no difference. All that matters is that you've begun running.”
2. John Cleese on Creativity In Management - In an old speech given in 1991, John uses humour to explain why creativity is not a special talent. He tells us that we’re all creative people, and teaches us how to cultivate a desire for creativity.
3. A Message from Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky - Airbnb is one of the companies hit hardest by the current global pandemic. Significant changes and layoffs were inevitable. The message Brian shared with his employees is very reassuring. There are still a lot of great companies out there, amidst a global pandemic. Airbnb is a great company, and I really do hope they do well.

Tweet of the week

Most of humanity never had the opportunity to appreciate images of the earth we take for granted. Earth is beautiful. We have a moral responsibility to look after our planet and to maintain its beauty.

This Week's Wisdom

“It is easy to get bogged down trying to find the optimal plan for change: the fastest way to lose weight, the best program to build muscle, the perfect idea for a side hustle. We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action.”
- James Clear, in the book Atomic Habits

I use readwise to resurface content I've previously highlighted. My followers can get an extra month free by following this link.

Final Word

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I’m also excited to grow and evolve this newsletter, making sure it remains relevant and helpful for all readers. Ideas, feedback and suggestions are encouraged. Simply reply to this email, or drop me a DM on twitter @SamuelObe_.

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