If there’s one thing that pains me more than wasting money…it’s wasting time.

You can bounce back your money eventually, but time slips away until you no longer are who you are now.

As a note, leisure is not a waste of time. We need space for rest and restoration in our lives, and this piece is not to advocate non-stop work.

No, wasting time is an unproductive or unmeaningful use of our human capacity to create and contribute to our current reality. My guess at the definition, if you have a better one let me know.

What does wasting time mean to you?

One way to accurately asses what is a productive and meaningful use of our time, we must go beyond a Google search and set aside some space for a talk with our inner vision. Here are some great time budget activities to go through, so you can make sure you are setting aside space for what you want to create.

Write out the vision of your legacy

You lived a long and healthy life…when people recount you: what do you want your greatest accomplishments to be? Include as many as you can, then select the 1-3 priorities you want to achieve no matter what.

Then shorten the time-line…

You have 24 hours to live…what do you want to accomplish?

Both exercises together help you to tap into your long-term dreams and desires while reflecting on your short-term values and core needs. Look for themes between the two and use what you discover to budget your time other ways.

Try the 10-, 5-, 3- year accomplishment bucket list

Write out what you’d like to realistically achieve according to the legacy reflections.

Then choose some priorities and plan out your month, week, and day. Once your priorities are mapped, follow up with making sure your values are incorporated on a consistent basis. You may always want to do this vice-versa, planning space for your values and then fitting in your priorities in the gaps. Looking at your life from a global-to-detailed perspective gives you the true boundaries that allow you to grow within comfortably.

Save the list and return to it from time-to-time to cross off what you’ve achieved.

Simple move, but the investment is worth it.