by Karen Karsten
Independence is our July theme. The dictionary defines independence as freedom from the control, influence, support or aid of others. Well, that’s the dictionary’s definition. What does independence mean to you? Many people think it’s about money, financial independence–enough money to do whatever they want. When I think about it, though, independence would also have to include time-time to do what I want. There are only 24 hours in a day, I know, so even though I can’t get more than that, I thought it would be fun to play with the idea of money and time.
Money and time are very connected. Money buys time. Just a quick list of how much time I could buy in a week if I bought someone else’s time:
- Mow lawn/shovel snow: 2 hours
- Wash and fold laundry: 2 hours
- Clean house (for real): 3 hours
- Personal trainer at your house: 1 -2 hours (your drive time to gym and back)
- Grocery shopping: 2 hours
- Cook: 7 hours
- Driver: say 8 hours
So I could easily buy 26 hours a week—maybe more, if I had the resources. What a lovely thought! How many hours could you buy?
Money and time can both be saved, money can go in a bank, but where does your saved time go? Often, it just melts away—a few minutes here and there. What if you started keeping track of your saved time and put it in a “time bank” where you deposited all those minutes? Then when you want time for yourself, you could make a withdrawal! What would a time bank look like to you? Get creative–create a time bank and start saving those scraps of time to spend later. Tick tock!
About Karen