How to buy back your time

“I have plenty of time for everything,” said no one ever.

Funny.

True.

But technically, we DO have plenty of time.

The problem is we mismanage it.

We give too much of it to things that don’t deserve it.

We spend time doing things we don’t need to do, things someone else could do, things that could happen automatically, and things that probably shouldn’t be in our lives in the first place.

There are 168 hours in a week.

You’re not getting another one.

So the goal isn’t to find more time.

💥 It’s to get better at deciding what deserves the time you already have.

Here are six ways I think about buying back mine.

1.  Know what your time is worth. And I don’t simply mean calculating your hourly rate. Sometimes the decision is economic. Sometimes it’s about how much meaningful time you’ll actually recover. And sometimes you enjoy doing something, so why would you pay someone to take it away from you? Your time doesn’t have one value. Buying back your time requires judgment, not just math.

2. Look at the entire footprint something has on your life. Don’t simply ask how long something takes. Think about when it happens, what it interrupts, how much attention it requires, and whether it could fit somewhere else. Laundry is a great example for me. Because I work from home, I can throw in a load during the workday and use it as a little break. That same chore could eat up a big chunk of somebody else’s Saturday. Same chore. Very different footprint.

3. Eliminate before you optimize. Before you automate something or pay somebody else to do it, ask whether it needs to be in your life at all. Everything you own has a maintenance cost. So do memberships, commitments, possessions, and relationships. Sometimes the easiest way to buy back your time is to stop maintaining something you no longer want. Every activity you eliminate gives you 100% of that time back with no ongoing cost.

4. Automate what doesn’t require you. Anything predictable and repetitive is an opportunity. I automate payments, recurring purchases, routine appointments, and other things I know are going to happen. The idea is simple: Make the decision once so you don’t have to keep making it. You’re not only saving the time it takes to do something. You’re eliminating the need to remember and recreate the same decision over and over again.

5. Outsource selectively. I pay people to handle our lawn, snow removal, pest control, and other things I could reasonably do myself. But I still clean my own house, do laundry, grocery shop, and handle plenty of maintenance. I don’t outsource something simply because I can afford to. I ask whether what I’ll get back is worth what I’ll pay. There’s also a difference between paying somebody to buy back your time and hiring somebody because you need their expertise. Sometimes you’re paying for time. Sometimes you’re paying for expertise. Know which one you’re buying.

6. Protect the time you get back. This might be the most important part. The goal isn’t to buy back three hours so you can immediately fill them with three more things that don’t matter. I want room to exercise every day, continue building my skills, cook and eat dinner with Lynda, read, play with Rocket and Starla, and simply enjoy some space in my life. I deliberately have a smaller number of high-priority areas, so I want to make sure nothing steals the time those areas deserve.

So how do you decide what stays and what goes?

When something is consuming your time, ask yourself…

• Do I need to do this at all?
• Do I need to be the one who does it?
• Can it be automated?
• Can it be outsourced?
• Is what I get back worth what I pay?

And here’s one more question I want you to think about.

👉 If I could buy back one of the 168 hours in my week, what would that hour be, and how could I free it up?

Then decide what you’d do with that hour instead.

The purpose of buying back your time isn’t to fit more into your life.

It’s to make sure there’s enough room for what matters most.

Thursday at 12:15 PM CDT, I’m going much deeper on this in our next 5-to-9 with Coach Andy: Buying Back Your Time.

I’ll show you how Lynda and I make these decisions, what we automate, what we pay other people to do, what we deliberately do ourselves, and how you can start buying back some of your time too.

👉 Join me for Buying Back Your Time

🖥️ MORE LIVES THIS WEEK!

Thursday at 11 AM CDT: The Five Fastest Ways to Become a Better Communicator

Before 5-to-9, I’ve got our regular Live Office Hours. I’m going to show you five things you can start doing immediately to become a better communicator, whether you’re speaking, writing, interviewing, presenting, leading, or simply trying to get your point across.

👉 Set your reminder and join me tomorrow, Thursday at 11 AM CDT

Friday at 11 AM CDT: Job Search Coaching Program

Then Friday, I’m live with my Job Search Coaching Program members. If you’re looking for a new job and want my complete system for getting hired, I’ll have an opportunity for you to join us and jump into Friday’s session. We have a flash special. Check it out.

👉 Learn more about the Job Search Coaching Program

Three lives.

Two days.

Lots of Coach Andy. 😂

Hope you can join me!

PS: Don’t forget, Signal Strength is out October 13. I’ve got a bonanza of a week planned for people who pre-order.