Time is money. Except, it isn't.
I've always disliked the notion of investing time.
Investing is spending resources today to get more resources in the future.
Time can only be spent. You can't get it back.
I understand the narrative. Spend time today on things you don't enjoy to make yourself happier in the future. Success will give you back more time to spend on the things you like with the people you love.
But this narrative sounds flawed to me.
1. Today is more valuable than tomorrow.
Tomorrow doesn't exist yet. It may never exist.
Every day is a gift that shouldn't be taken for granted.
And as past performance does not guarantee future results, maybe we shouldn't expect tomorrow to come because yesterday did.
(btw, today being more valuable than tomorrow is literally the reason why interest rates exist)
2. You don't know how you'll experience time when you're older
When you're in your 40s, you won't feel like in your 20s.
Being in your 20s is a privilege you lose when you become 30.
How much time in your 40s or 50s is worth the time you "invested" in your 20s?
3. We're already terrible at living in the moment
"I'm investing time" seems like a clever narrative to rationalize it.
It’s for the future, we tell ourselves. But whose future? My future self?
That person is not me.
What am I trying to say here?
You don't invest time. You spend time.
So spend it on things that matter to you, with people you care about. Not to get something in return.
Don't invest in relationships. Cherish them.
Don't learn to gain. Learn because it brings you joy.
Don't practice to get better. Practice because that's who you are.
Sand always falls down the hourglass.
Don't trade today's happiness for tomorrow's maybe.