Earlier this week I shared with you a story about how Executive Assistants are Always on Stage, I asked Nancy to send me some writing samples so I could get a feel for her style and if I thought it would mesh with mine. I was back in Nevada that same night – I got in around 6:45. Low and behold, there was an email waiting for me from Nancy with several samples of her work! Talk about being on the ball.

Please enjoy this continued guest blog post from Nancy Fraze.

This post is continued from Nancy's article featured yesterday, The New Economics: It’s About Time. I hope you had a chance to read it.

(Continued)

The same principals governing wise use of our money applies to time as well:

1. Pay the bills – We routinely pay utility bills for water, trash, electrical and cable. Of course we need these! So too we need to pay time toward healthy self-care. It is time well spent. Take vitamins, drink water, exercise, decompress the stress, and get more sleep. The airline safety speech says it best: you always put on your own oxygen mask first and then assist those around you. If you don’t… you both lose. This is doubly important for parents, as children learn by watching what parents do, not by listening to what parents tell them to do while doing something different themselves. So if you want balanced, successful “future adults” in your family, you need to teach them self-care by consistently living self-care. For myself, I began wearing a pedometer in early July. Until it reads 10,000+ steps, I’m not through moving that day!
2. Eliminate debt – Focusing on problems or problem people (and whining about what they do) drains precious energy. Make the simple mental switch to focus instead on a solution. You’ll be so much more empowered! Just like nail biting or gossip, whining is a bad habit - nothing more - and all bad habits can be broken. So quit it. Bad habits drag you and those near you down. Instead of becoming your loved one’s “problem person,” start a wave of change within your circle of influence. Practice forgiveness. Let bitterness go. Not one of us can afford that debt on our balance sheet. You know what they say: what proceeds out of your mouth originates in your heart. Check your speech and you’ll quickly determine the state of your heart.
3. Budget - A budget is a set of choices. We need to be honest about our use of time and energy, putting it where it matters most. It is a fallacy that we can “have it all.” Nobody gets to have it all! We must make choices about where and how we spend our time. Is going back to school a wise budget of time? You bet. Choosing a less–stressful job to allow us to focus our attention on a child overcoming an addiction? Ditto. Even though I enjoy reading “O” magazine I’ve decided to let my subscription expire. Why? So I can focus that time toward nourishing my writing.=
4. Save – Save for that rainy day. Set aside time. Routinely schedule valuable, quality time for rest and reflection. It isn’t interruptible “no, I’m not really doing anything” time. It’s an appointment with “You, Inc.” to manage the important business of being you. Honor your commitments to yourself. We need to not break appointments with ourselves because a friend calls to suggest dinner and a movie. Tell her no, you’re tied up! Schedule time to process life, dream a bit, and decide what the next season down the road can bring you. Socrates said the un-examined life is not worth living.
5. Donate – Sometimes, you just need to give freely without expecting a return. Recently, I decided to spend some time helping a woman with a business dream of her own. I freely provide my ability where she is not so gifted so that she can grow a business borne from her heart. Doing so makes me feel generous, abundantly tycoon-like.
6. Avoid poor investments. There are people and things that, like barnacles, need a breathing, living host to latch onto for sustenance. Avoid these Madoff mental/emotional Ponzi schemes- you’ll lose your nest egg. Someone once told me “if you buy the boat, you buy the lifestyle.” Nothing against boating, but owning a boat means hours and hours of maintenance, handling fueling, storage, hookups, docking, undocking, insurance, licensing, safety training…determine what is the total time requirement you will spend, not just the initial cost.
7. Make good investments – There are people, activities and events that breathe life right into you. They are often disguised as growth opportunities that require change, development, investment and courage. We can be students of life, for life. This keeps us fresh and our skills top notch. Personally, I’ve found that experiencing creativity in action, whether the San Francisco symphony, an art exhibition or poetry readings, causes me to instantly energize. This fall, I will branch out in a new way: investing time mentoring college-age adults through my church. Nope, I don’t have offspring. I just know I’m supposed to “invest right here.” Scary? Sort of. In a fun, courageous and exciting way.

Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Dost thou love life? Then waste not time; for time is the stuff that life is made of.”

Spending time wisely denotes coming to terms with our most valued and limited resource. With thoughtful planning we can yield high returns. Simply put, time well spent is the essence of a life well lived.