When being frugal, most of us would associate this concept as having to do with money. You’re frugal because you ate dinner at home instead of going out or you wore a pair of shoes down to the sole. Either of these would save you money and be considered ways that you can be frugal.
Although I agree with the idea of being frugal as it relates to money, there’s one concept of frugality that many of us throw away on a daily basis.
The concept of frugality as it relates to time.
Last year, my wife and I made the decision for me to stop working. The job I had was causing me immense stress and depression, both of which were negatively impacting my family. This was a hard decision because I had worked my way up the corporate ladder and we were financially comfortable.
After quite a bit of discussion and thought, we made the leap. What good was it to be comfortable if we weren’t even enjoying it? I was spending so much time thinking about my job that it took away from the daily happiness I should’ve been having with my family. I wasn’t being frugal with my time. If anything, I was giving it away each day on something I didn’t even like or want to do.
Although it’s been challenging financially at times, the amount of happiness I’ve been able to experience during my “work retreat” has more than made up for it. I feel recharged and ready to face any new work battles that may come my way. It’s provided me with countless memories for both myself and my young daughter. We’ve had the opportunity to spend large swaths of time together, untethered by the stresses of work and outside influences.
I’m aware that not everyone can do this. I’m lucky that I have an understanding partner who saw the value in providing me with the gift of time. And make no mistake, it’s a gift. Even if you’re unable to stop working for a period of time like I was, it’s important that we all see how valuable time can be.
There are plenty of platitudes that have been written about the richest man in the world who will end up penniless because he’s died like the rest of us. This is very true, but I’m not going to wax poetic about that.
As they say, time is fleeting. When you’re in the rat race like I was, your concept of time is different. I was simply attempting to survive the week so I could “relax” on the weekend. The idea of actually relaxing was foreign to me at that point because I’d spend the entire weekend worrying about what I had to get done on Monday or the week ahead. I was wasting my time, throwing it away without a care.
The challenge is to care about the time you have. Unfortunately this only seems to happen for most of us when we’re faced with a life changing event (death of a loved one, personal illness, etc). It’s harder to be frugal with your time when life is good.
There are of course those moments when you’re on vacation, you take a breath and are thankful that you’re able to live in that particular point in time. Hold on to that feeling. You’re being frugal with your time because you’re taking a moment to enjoy it. Time is still creeping along, second by second, but it’s slowed down a bit. You’re in control. There’s no waste, only joy and appreciation.
Are you unsure how to approach being more frugal with your time?
You’ll get the hang of it.
It just takes time.
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