𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 - 𝗔 𝗚𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀

For much of my life, I thought that I wanted to be rich, mainly because everyone else seemed to think that was a good idea. Over time, I would meet many sad, distrustful wealthy people and many happy, optimistic people who happen to be poor (or not rich yet).

Research says that a certain income is required to meet basic needs (varies by area, but essentially enough to not worry about the bills) and after that, any increase causes no greater pleasure*. Many happy and meaningful times occur with family and friends or when accomplishing goals at little to no cost.**

Time affluence is the idea that you can pursue activities which are meaningful and even fun. In other words, you've exceeded the bounds of stress and regret.

Time well spent drives happiness and contentment, as well as long-term productivity and success.

While we cannot fully control our time, we suffer from a pressure where long office hours and constant work are revered even if the extra hours result in diminishing returns and a lack of strategy and creativity.

Taking time to pursue a better life leads to the energy and clarity for long-term success.

𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

Like business, a more rewarding life also requires tough work. However, it helps to take one step at a time and revisit your progress regularly rather than make a ton of changes at once. Here’s what to do:

𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 – Record the time you spend doing all activities for at least a week. Include a ranking of their pleasure. Consider other activities which could occupy the same amount of time and also consider their pleasure.

𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 – Identify times where you're the audience and not the performer such as watching shows, social media, etc. We all deserve a break, but many times, passive activities done too long go from relaxing to unfulfilling and have no benefit, like the 30 seconds of joy eating a doughnut followed by 30 minutes of discomfort.

𝘊𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 – Remove tasks which are time-consuming, unproductive, and unsatisfying. Unsubscribe from unfulfilling emails, groups, and events. Revaluate regularly as new distractions may have crept into your schedule.

𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 – Trade passive time with meaningful activities like a hobby, a fun side hustle, or self-improvement. You may also insert new behaviors such as exercise, sleep, and talking with advisors to increase your productivity and joy.

Other tips to increase your time affluence:

• Reject events and activities you truly don’t want to join. Measure the value of each commitment. Without being rude, simply let others know that you cannot join.

• Block recurring time on your calendar for activities and projects which matter, including exercise, leisure, and blocks for deep thinking / strategy.

• Volunteer to help others and benefit yourself in several ways – meet people, learn a new skill, understand a different industry, and feel good afterwards.

• Practice meditation. It requires only a little time (5-10 minutes) and can help you fully embrace the rest of the day.

When making changes in your life, start slowly, maybe just one 15-minute trade each week. After a few weeks, you should start to feel a difference in building time affluence.

Valuing yourself is far more important than material wealth.

The feeling that you are doing what you should becomes incredible worthwhile.

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* A recent study showing the exact incomes needed for life satisfaction and emotional well-being can be found here: https://go.nature.com/2KgjLV1

** I realize that most people in the world have little control over their lives. I hope you have enough means to make decisions and know when to get help when needed.

Photo by Hrishikesh Deshkar who can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/colored_pixels/