Time is Your Most Valuable Resource: How Will You Spend It?

Some people say time is a construct. Others say time is nonlinear. I say: time is expensive–and the most undervalued luxury of modern life. 

Someone once told me, “You have the same 24 hours in a day that Beyoncé does.” Which, while technically true, comes with a huge caveat: Queen B also has nannies and butlers and chauffeurs (oh my!) assisting in her day to day.

And while we talk about rich people having overflowing bank accounts, the real flex they flaunt? Having time.

Think about it! The luxury of a slow morning. The power of saying no. The divine ability to nap at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday and not get fired. Time is the ultimate privilege–the most valuable of resources–because much like fossil fuels, we’re not getting it back. It’s the only resource that runs out without telling you when.

Everyone gets the same 24 hours a day. No one’s buying more. Except for maybe Martha Stewart. I feel like she’s got a secret 25th hour she’s not telling anyone about in a monogrammed drawer next to her lavender shortbread and prison memoirs. I’m sure it’s a good thing!

Time doesn’t come with a receipt or a return policy. And yet, we act like it’s unlimited. The excuses we tell ourselves range from, “Oh, I didn’t have time today,” or “Eh, I’ll do that tomorrow.”

We all have been told at some point, “Live everyday like it’s your last.” Have you ever actually tried?

I want you to imagine you wake up tomorrow morning and someone tells you it’s your last day on Earth. That’s it, time’s up. What would be your response? How do you think you’d feel? And most importantly, what would you do with your last 24 hours?

Because here’s the thing: all we have is today. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Never. You can’t get back the ordinary, unremarkable days we so often take for granted. 

We plan for all the tomorrows, next weeks, next years. But to Robert Burn’s point, the best laid plans most often go awry. 

So try it: live tomorrow like it’s your last day. I imagine you’d want to do all your favorite things and see your favorite people. Maybe even listen to your favorite songs and watch your favorite movies. Or maybe, you’d want to finally try all the things you said you’d try…when you “had more time.” 

Sure, doing all your favorite things on a random Tuesday isn’t practical. But, that’s the whole point. Doing all your favorite things!

In my humble opinion, the whole reason we’re put on this Earth is to love–whether that’s people or places or our passions. The whole point is to love what we’re doing, with the people we’re with, exactly where we are.

Perhaps, somewhere along the way, we’ve lost the plot. Maybe we’ve filled our lives with people, jobs, places, things that we thought would make us happy–or that, on paper, looked right. If you feel that way, maybe it’s time to pivot.

Sure, you can Venmo a friend for dinner. You can overdraft for Taylor Swift tickets. You can sell a kidney to pay next month’s rent (don’t). But no one’s refunding you for the hour you spent hate-scrolling your ex’s new girlfriend’s feed (we’ve all been there) or rewatching a seven-season show just to feel something (though Gilmore Girls is arguably the exception–those fast talking ladies do teach us valuable life lessons).

But you’ll never get time wasted back. Point blank period. 

You know I love to-do lists. Something about productivity–and actually doing the things I said I’d do–really does it for me. 

We’ve all heard and used the line: “I’m just sooo busy.” Like when Khloe Kardashian once fussed about her crammed schedule to Scott Disick, which included Nobu, a spray tan, and a trip to Vegas. Boohoo!

But are you? What are you so busy with you can’t call your mom or make plans to see an old friend? Do you have too much on your schedule to clean your kitchen or go to the gym like you said you would? Or are we just allergic to boundaries?

Yeah…we had to go there. 

Being “busy” has become our excuse-slash-status-symbol. But constantly cramming our calendars isn’t impressive—it’s expensive. Because every yes you give that you don’t truly mean is a no to something else. 

A yes to doom-scrolling immediately after work is a no to the grocery run you promised yourself. Or finishing the book you swore you’d read this year. It’s so easy for the things we love to fall by the wayside once the reality of life hits us. Appointments, bills, responsibilities. Mom, can you pick me up? I’m scared.

But remember, this precious and short life is meant to be lived. Fully. Are you going to be on your deathbed thinking about all the videos you laughed at on TikTok? 

When you say yes to working late for your boss’s “urgent” email, you’re saying no to hot yoga, a full 8 hours of sleep or finishing the latest episode of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in peace. 

Time management isn’t about cramming more in on your to do list—it’s about protecting and prioritizing the stuff that matters to you. 

If you want to know what someone really cares about, don’t check their Instagram bio. Look at how they spend their time.

Apple really exposed us by providing weekly reports on just how many hours we spend on our phone. It’s actually insane how much time we lose in a day just…scrolling. What did we even do before smartphones? Can you remember?

Read a book? Watch a movie at home without pinging interruptions? Actually make eye contact with your barista?

If you’re struggling with making the most out of your time, remember that it all comes back to what YOU want to do with it. It’s your life, babe. What do you value? 

Think about what the nonnegotiables are in your life: what do you absolutely need to have as part of your life to feel satisfied and content? And what can you do without, that doesn’t jeopardize your health or safety?

If you’re struggling with time management, try this exercise: picture the dream version of yourself–aligned, fulfilled, confident. What does that version of you do in a day? Then put pen to paper.

When you organize your values, prioritize them and take action based on that hierarchy, you start to live a life that actually aligns with who you are. Ta-da! You’re creating your dream life in real time. 

Time doesn’t lie: it reveals what you actually prioritize. 

For the umpteenth time: your time is so valuable! Treat it as such! You wouldn’t hand your debit card to a stranger and say, “Buy whatever you want.” And yet, we do that with our time constantly. We give it away freely, generously, mindlessly. 

That awkward coffee date you agreed to out of guilt? That hour you gave your coworker to vent about Karen in HR? That three-hour spiral into conspiracy TikTok? It all adds up.

Start treating your time like an Hermès bag–selective, expensive, and definitely not available to just anyone. Let people earn your time–including yourself. 

Spending time is easy. We spend it waiting in line, scrolling, replaying conversations in our head thinking of the perfect response. But investing time? That’s intentional. That’s asking the question, “What can I do today that helps the future version of myself?” Even if the future version you’re referring to is just you in 30 minutes. 

Or, “What do I want to do, now that I have X amount of time?” 

Whether you’re meal prepping to make the upcoming week smoother or devoting time in the present to something that fills your cup, every minute you reinvest into your life adds compound interest. Cha-ching!

That’s the ROI no one talks about, but one that pays dividends in every area of your life. 

Please understand: this is not a girlboss productivity manifesto. You don’t have to wake up at 5 a.m. and drink celery juice to be worthy of your own time. But you do have to get a little honest—and a little ruthless. Ask yourself: Is this worth an hour of my one and only life?

Because in the end, time is the only thing you spend that you can’t earn back. No cashback. No store credit. Just seconds turning into stories, and hours turning into habits.

So make it count.