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What Is Your Time Worth? Are You Investing Your Time or Wasting It?

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Everyone has valuable time on their hands, but sometimes people assume that their time is just valuable and fail to remember that the value of time is measured by how successful you are at living life.

In reality, the value of your life is estimated by how much gets done and how you choose to do so. The value estimate of your time is up to you, and what you choose to do with the 24 hours that we all have every day.

Now, we all have different goals and aspirations, so the value of each one of our times is different, but that doesn’t make your life any less valuable than another’s. All that means is each of us has to choose a personal road that will take us to those goals and aspirations, and how we invest or waste our time getting there is what will determine the value of those goals.

The value of the goal will be obvious by what you are willing to do and how much time you are willing to invest to achieve it. How we invest our time is what will dictate that value, but how do we decide what activities are worth more or worthless?

In the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey makes an analogy about time management comparing it to sand, pebbles, stones and a bucket. He assimilates the first three to actions, and the bucket to a day. How you fit those rocks, pebbles and sand in the bucket is how you will ultimately fit all of your daily activities in one day.

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra

If one does not pay attention to detail, or is unorganized with the order in which these go in the bucket, all three will not fit. There has to be a thought process in which you analyze which of these three goes first, second and then third, so that ultimately you can fit all materials in the bucket.

This can be applied to the day-to-day activities we all carry out, and how we prioritize them to obtain the most value out of our day. See, all of the activities you need to accomplish today are of value, but not all of them are of the same value. It is up to you to figure out which ones add more value to your day, and in the long run to your whole life.

When you assign value to the things you do during your day, you really see what activities are productive, and which ones are a waste of time. So let’s analyze the things you do during a busy day and categorize them amongst Stephen Covey’s sand, pebbles and stones.

SAND: This is pretty much the details of life. The small things that most people have to do, like dishes, laundry, walking the dog, etc. All of these things are a part of life but they will have the least, if any, return in energy or investment.

PEBBLES: These are the activities with the most ROE (Return On Energy), what that means is they take up the most energy, and the Return Of Energy should be the same as what you put in. These activities can vary from exercising, reading, cooking, and so on.

STONES: Now these tasks are the most valuable of the day. These are the things you NEED to invest in: work, family, spirituality, health; Make sure these actions have the highest ROI (Return On Investment) which means whatever you’ve invested in this (time or money) is returned in the same amount if not more.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

Once you have categorized your daily activities you can really see what you do during a normal day. The time wasting ones will pop up once they’re written on paper because you will visually become aware of the fact that there really are activities that can take up our time but really have no return in energy or investment.

These activities are of little or no value to you. Don’t think that you cannot have any leisure time or time to relax, but there has to be a balance. Give yourself a limit of time which can be spent doing the minimal things, give yourself a schedule, and stick to it.  

At this point, one important thing to do is to cut out the time wasting activities that will not give you anything in return for your time. Now take a look at your new list, do you now have more time to invest in activities that will bring more ROE or ROI? If you don’t, then it might be time to reevaluate your priorities and see if you are spending your valuable time working towards your goals or wasting it.

If you have successfully found space in your bucket for all three: your sand, your pebbles and your rocks, then you are one step closer to achieving your goals and knowing the value of your time.

Are you investing your time or wasting it? Leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
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When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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