There are countless stories of people turning hobbies into income and turning passion projects into businesses. This can only happen once you learn to redeem the time. We all have 24 hours a day and seven days a week. However, the ways in which we use our allotted hours determines how well we have redeemed the time. Studies indicate that users spend an average of 53 minutes a day on Instagram. Daily Facebook users spend an average of 41 minutes per day on the App. It’s possible that in order to redeem the time you’ll need to redeem those minutes.
Some people, myself included, use the social platforms in order to market, to deliver a message, or promote events, which consumes a lot of time. However, we all know too well how a concrete reason for opening an App can turn into 20 plus minutes of watching memes and comedic sketches.
Social media isn’t the only vice that may cause us to forfeit minutes that could be used in the fulfillment of our purpose. Television, long conversations and even sleep can be disruptions if not properly managed. No, I’m not saying that we should never sleep or talk to people. I’m only suggesting that we be purposeful and attentive in the why and when of all of our actions. A purpose driven life cannot be successfully lived if it is aimless. Likewise, time cannot be effectively redeemed if it is not managed.
Here are some ways to make sure you redeem the time you’ve been given.
REDEEM THE MINUTES
There is a saying – ‘life is short’, but life is long. There are 24 hours in a day. There are 1,440 minutes in a day. There are 10,080 minutes in a week. If your purpose is not fulfilled through your current job, can you devote 500 minutes to focusing on your purpose next week? That works out to a little over 8 hours! You can do 20 minute increments or do 60 minutes on days where you have more time. Maybe you really can’t do 500 minutes. Can you do 300 minutes (5 hours a week)? Think what you could accomplish in 300 minutes!
These minutes need to be dedicated, focused, uninterrupted minutes. There is a reason that I don’t have the television on when I work from home. That would cause tasks that should take 30 minutes to instead take 60 minutes to complete. In order to redeem the time, we need to focus on the minutes. If you know you’ve maximized every working minute, then those minutes of leisure are even more enjoyable.
REDEEM THE MOMENTS
Have you ever walked away from a conversation or left a meeting and thought to yourself ‘I wish I would have said…’? Hindsight is always 20/20. The problem is that there are no re-do’s in life. When the thought comes to your mind, evaluate it and if it’s a valid worthwhile statement release it. That thought may be able to shift someone’s life, understanding, or vision.
If you look back over your life you will be able to recall monumental moments. These are times that were fork in the road moments where if you went left instead of right your life would be completely altered. You would not be who you are. You might not even be here at all. It’s often difficult to predict when these moments will arrive but when they do you have to make the most of them. A momentary lapse could cost you in the long run.
REDEEM THE MISTAKES
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde wrote, “Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one’s mistakes.” Mistakes are unavoidable. We regret the time we waste when we don’t see the value in the experience. Think about the last big mistake you made. What did you learn? A mistake is only a failure if it doesn’t become a lesson.
Most people aren’t born knowing their purpose. It takes time, trial and error. But don’t waste time waiting and wondering about who you were meant to be or what you’ve been created to do. Start the business. Create the video. Write the book. Launch the vision. And when you make a mistake along the way learn from it, perfect the process and proceed with confidence.
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Great, practical encouragement on how to make the most of our time. Thank you!
Absolutely! I’m glad it blessed you.