Passion Struck with John R. Miles - Understanding the Value of Time: The Wisdom of the Stoics w John R. Miles EP 184

Episode Date: September 2, 2022

How much is the value of time really worth? Carl Sandburg said, “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.” In this Momentum Friday episode from the Passion Struck podcast, I tackle the value of time. I examine this by studying wisdom from the stoics on the topic and using ten of their mantras for managing time. Members of the Passion Struck community have asked questions like, "Why do I always feel there aren't there enough hours in the day to do the things I want to do?", "Why do I keep procrastinating?", "Why do I waste my time doing frivolous things?", Why am I constantly dissatisfied with where my life is going?" and many other similar questions. This episode is dedicated to answering them. This episode tackles how to figure out what your time is worth and use that information to spend your time more effectively. Learning how to get the most out of your time starts with knowing exactly what your time is worth. --► Get the full show notes: https://passionstruck.com/loneliness-is-not-a-joke-here-are-10-ways-to-deal-with-it/  --► Subscribe to My YouTube Channel Here: https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnRMiles --► Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/passion-struck-with-john-r-miles/id1553279283 *Our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/passionstruck. Thank you, Dry Farm Wines, For Your Support Dry Farm Wines Have No Chemical Additives for Aroma, Color, Flavor, or Texture Enhancement. Dry Farm Wines - The Only Natural Wine Club That Goes Above and Beyond Industry Standards. For Passion Struck listeners: Dry Farm Wines offers an extra bottle in your first box for a penny (because it’s alcohol, it can’t be free). See all the details and collect your wine at https://www.dryfarmwines.com/passionstruck/. Passion Struck Podcast Starter Packs New to the show? These Starter Packs are collections of our most popular episodes grouped by topic, and we now have them also on Spotify. To find your old favorites, you can also browse starter packs for existing listeners. Every week, John interviews everyday heroes from all walks of life. Learn how to subscribe to the show and never miss a new episode and topic. Show Links Interested in reading the transcript for the episode:  Purchase Victor Frankl's Book Man's Search for Meaning: https://amzn.to/3JkSkDN  My interview with Ari Wallach on his new book Longpath and how we unlock our purpose for something greater than ourselves: https://passionstruck.com/ari-wallach-on-unlock-your-purpose-longpath/ My interview with Ayelet Fishbach, a professor at the Booth School of Business University of Chicago, on how to get it done, the science of motivation: https://passionstruck.com/ayelet-fishbach-get-it-done-find-the-fun-path/  My interview with Astronaut Wendy Lawrence on why you must permit yourself to dream the dream: https://passionstruck.com/how-to-dream-the-dream-you-want/ My interview with Katy Milkman, Ph.D. on how to create lasting behavior change: https://passionstruck.com/katy-milkman-behavior-change-for-good/ My interview with Astronaut Chris Cassidy on the importance of being present in the moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astronaut-chris-cassidy-on-the-importance-in-life/id1553279283?i=1000521263914 My solo episode on why micro choices matter: https://passionstruck.com/why-your-micro-choices-determine-your-life/ Follow John on the Socials: * Twitter: https://twitter.com/Milesjohnr * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrmiles.c0m * Medium: https://medium.com/@JohnRMiles ​* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_r_miles * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesjohn/ * Blog: https://johnrmiles.com * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passion_struck_podcast/ * Gear: https://www.zazzle.com/store/passion_struck/ -- John R. Miles is the CEO, and Founder of PASSION STRUCK®, the first of its kind company, focused on impacting real change by teaching people how to live Intentionally. He is on a mission to help people live a no-regrets life that exalts their victories and lets them know they matter in the world. For over two decades, he built his own career applying his research of passion-struck leadership, first becoming a Fortune 50 CIO and then a multi-industry CEO. John is also a prolific public speaker, venture capitalist, and author. Passion Struck is a full-service media company that helps people live intentionally by creating best-in-class educational and entertainment content.   

Coming up next on the Passion Struck Podcast, Sennaka in a beautifully articulated passage said, it's not that we have too short a time to live, but that we squander a great deal of it. Life is long enough, and it's given in sufficient manner to do many great things if we spend it well. But when it's poured down the drain of luxury and neglect, when it's employed to no good end,

we're finally driven to see that it's passed by before we even recognize its passing. And so it is we don't receive a short life. We make it so. Welcome to PassionStruct. Hi, I'm your host, John Armiles. And on the show, we decipher the secrets, tips, and guidance of the world's most inspiring people and turn their wisdom into practical advice for you and those around you. Our mission is to help you unlock the power of intentionality so that you can become the best version of yourself. If you're new to the show, I offer advice and answer listener questions on Fridays. We have long form interviews the rest of the week with guest ranging from astronauts to authors, CEOs, creators, innovators, scientists, military leaders, visionaries, and athletes. Now, let's go out there and become PassionStruck.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Momentum Friday, an episode 184 of PassionStruck, ranked this week by Apple as the number one alternative health podcast. And thank you to each and every one of you who come back weekly can listen and learn, how to live better, be better, and impact the world. And if you're new to the show and you'd prefer to watch these instead of listening to them, please go and check out our YouTube channel at JohnArmiles where we have almost 400 videos, subscribe, and check them all out. In case you missed my interviews from earlier this week, they featured Dr. Dominic Dagostino

who is one of the foremost experts in the world on ketosis, a ketogenic diet, and molecular metabolism. And we break all that down in so much more. I also had on Dr. Abby Medcalf, who's an expert on relationships and a psychologist who deals with this on an everyday basis, and you're going to love that episode as well. And my solo episode last week in case you missed it was on why loneliness is killing us, and nine ways that you can overcome it. Please check them all out. I wanted to acknowledge our fan of the week, Ellen Stein Jr., who was a recent guest on the podcast, and Ellen writes,

I am now PassionStruck. Wow, this is a phenomenal show. John does a phenomenal job interviewing, phenomenal guests. Ellen, thank you so much for that review, and thank you to each and every one of you who gives us those ratings and reviews. They go such a long way in helping us move up the rankings on Apple, and also, and more importantly,

propagating this to more people who can become part of the PassionStruck community. Now, let's talk about today's episode. Time is the currency of life that is a popular quote that emphasizes time's importance. American poet and biographer Carl Sandberg, but at this way, time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Author, podcaster, and modern stoa, Brian Holiday said, the amount of time we have is completely and utterly out of our control. But the way we spend our time remains ours. Unarguably, time is our most precious resource, and many people use the phrase life is short. I prefer to say that life is finite. Either way,

most of us feel to scrutinize this limited resource, manage our time effectively and use it in the most profound ways that we can. Time management, let's face it, is not a new topic. Many self-help gurus, researchers, authors, and performance coaches have each addressed it in their own way. Much of their vice emphasizes techniques on how we manage our time. Many of those techniques have included creating to-do lists, making use of planners, waking up and going to sleep at the same time, using a time management tool, creating a prioritization list, and so on. But even with all those suggestions, the vast majority of us don't manage our time effectively. For example, the Development Academy recently published a 2021 study on time management statistics and facts that showed that 82% of all people don't have a time management system.

They use a list, email, or in most cases, nothing at all. Researcher, author, and world-renowned happiness and time expert,. Assi Holmes, who's a professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Business, and her colleagues wrote in a 2012 paper, with waking hours largely consumed by work. Crushest minutes remain for the daily list of to-dos, including exercising, cleaning, socializing with friends and family. They use this statement to highlight how busy we often get

that we have little time left to do those things that make our life awesome. In today's episode, I will address time management on a more fundamental level through the lens of intentional living and with the wisdom of the Stoics. Members of the Passion Star community have asked me questions like, why do I always feel there isn't enough time in the day to do the things that I need to do? Why do I wait till deadlines stare me straight in the face before I take any action? Why am I consistently dissatisfied with my state of living and how I'm using my life and many other similar questions? Today's episode is dedicated to answering them. I will be providing deep insight in enlightening you

on how to put your valuable time to its best use. By following the wisdom of the Stoics and working on your mindset, thank you for choosing PassionStruck and choosing me to be your host and guide on your journey to creating an intentional life now. Let that journey begin. Before I dive into the points of managing time, I want to first draw your attention to the fact that the importance of time is entirely relative. If you consciously decide that all you want to do with your time is to gossip, procrastinate,

watch TV, play games, read the news, and scroll through social media, that's completely up to you. But understand that you can't buy your way out of the consequences of living like that, which could lead to the feeling of emptiness and even more damagingly, a life without importance. In like manner, if you choose to invest your time-wise like to develop and grow and do the things

that really matter, you will reap the benefits and your life will leave an indelible mark. So before you begin to use your time optimally, you must ask yourself, what do I want to spend my time doing? As I frequently talk about on this podcast, and I write about in my blogs, our days are made up of endless choices. Having the self control and willpower to make those choices towards improving ourselves and maximizing our time starts and ends with daily

intention. That's why it is so important to understand the value of time and why we feel so often to make the best use of our time. To explain how important every moment of time is, I will simply share a famous quote attributed to the French novelist Mark Levy. It goes, if you want to know the value of one year, just ask a student who failed a course. If you want to know the value of one month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. If you want to know the value of an hour,

ask the lovers waiting to meet. If you want to know the value of one minute, ask the person who just missed the bus. If you want to know the value of one second, just ask the person who just nearly escaped death and a car accident. And if you wanna know the value of 100th of a second, ask the athlete who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

These words explain just how profoundly every single moment of our lives can have a significant impact on the life that we live. Time is truly the essence of life. So then you may ask, why do we fail to use our time effectively? The starting point of all inability to use time wisely is the failure to realize how important every single moment in time is. When you fail to recognize the value of time, you are less inclined to prioritize the things that matter most,

and you end up wasting them. You give into distractions and indulge in things that don't contribute to meaningful goals. Roman Stoic philosopher Lucius Seneca said, it's not that we don't have enough time, but that we waste most of it. Life is tickling by, and we can't get back those moments that we waste. The importance that you attribute to your time determines how well that you prioritize things that you need to do to live a meaningful life. It's also possible to be very busy, but not get anything worthwhile done, because one is simply doing a lot, doesn't mean that they're necessarily getting more done. Seeming busy isn't the same as being effective. Even as I was preparing for today's episode,

I fell short on several targets. I set out earlier to complete because I kept getting distracted by the nuisance of obtaining health insurance for my daughter's college. Managing our time is indeed a challenge that we all can relate to, but it doesn't have to be like that. You can constantly strive to be better. You are the master of how you spend your time and all you do in every moment is a choice. As Marcus Aurelius said, you have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength. As has been stated before, we all in some way struggle with managing our time effectively. How then do we manage our time? What steps can we take to see that we live our best lives and prioritize how we spend our time effectively. How then do we manage our time? What steps can we take to see

that we live our best lives and prioritize how we spend our time? The answer lies in having the proper perspective about time. I interviewed time management expert Abigail Barnes on how you turn your time into productivity. She told me when you understand what you're doing with your time and you track it and you audit it, then it gives you the power to start to make decisions and choices. To emphasize our personal responsibility in living the kind of life that we want. Breaks Stoic philosopher, Epictetus said, first say to yourself, what would you be and then do what you have to do? Having established this power of choice that we all have,

let us now look at the 10 keys that the stoics laid out on how we can make the best use of our available time. First, treat time as a tangible resource. Sena Kasad, people are frugal in guarding their personal property, but as soon as it comes to squandering time, they are most wasteful of the thing in which it is right to be stingy.

Imagine someone who constantly threw their money around knowing they couldn't recover it and unaware of how much of it they had. One would think that that person was not in their right state of mind. And like manner, when you fail to treat time as a valuable resource, you become prone to squandering it, just like a person squanders money. Time is our most precious and least renewable resource. The amount of it we get is uncertain, but is indeed finite.

So we need to treat it as a valuable commodity to be more conscious of its value and quickly recognize and stop it from diminishing without any profitable use. Second, focus on doing less well. Marcus really has said, if you seek tranquility, do less or more accurately do what's essential. Do less better. Because most of what we do or say is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you will have more tranquility. But to eliminate the necessary actions, we also need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions.

In a world filled with so many things that are calling for our attention, distractions are inevitable. You pick up your phone to check your mail and end up watching random videos on Instagram for an hour. We're so many different scenarios where we get ourselves distracted. The fact is that no matter how much time you are given, if you don't learn how to prioritize and focus, it'll never be enough to do the things that you need to do. Today, we are so overcome with distractions that we lose sight on what's important.

What's worse is that we try to chase everything, which is not only unrealistic, but we end up putting our focus most of the time on the most unimportant things. Our two-do's lists become so big that we can never strike anything meaningful off. In effectively managing your time, you need to define your priorities. What matters most to you? What contributes to the achievement of your set goals? Once you've truthfully answered these, then learn to concentrate your attention on those

things to the exclusion of everything else. Focus by turning a blind eye to the things that don't serve your immediate and long-term goals. Also, acknowledge distractions beforehand and plan how you'll deal with them. Ask yourself what can hinder or distract me from reaching my goals. Once you recognize those things,

take up necessary measures to stop them. Third, act promptly. I realize Benjamin Franklin is technically not a stoic, but much of his teachings derive from an align with those of the stoics. He once said, don't put off tomorrow what you can do today. These words emphasize the need to take action

as soon as we can. When we put things off until later, it ends up turning into a cycle of regrets because we deny ourselves being present in the moments that matter today. It also makes us succumb to the promise of the future without any guarantees. Failure to act promptly is often a result of procrastination, which occurs when you defer taking action on important things until later for no arguable reason. While wasting your time hesitating and procrastinating,

you forget that your time is ticking away. Carpe Diem, which translates into C's the day, was our class motto for my graduating class at the Naval Academy. I urge you to put this phrase into action. Whenever you're tempted to defer action to later, remind yourself, I have time now, and I don't know if I will have it later.

So I must use the time I have right here and right now. Always remember this and take the necessary actions towards your goals as quickly as possible. And a great episode to review if you've not yet checked it out was my episode with astronaut Wendy Lawrence who's been my long-term mentor and her message during our entire interview was, permit yourself to dream your dream, which starts by taking action towards it. Fourth, find purpose and fulfillment in what you do. Epictetus said, stick with your purpose. This alone will strengthen your will and give your life coherence. Spending time and using it rightly are two different things altogether.

It's possible to merely consume your time, doing things that don't really mean anything to you, causing you to simply exist through time and not truly live it. We all have our purpose in this world and we must live each day with that in mind. We must consciously seek things out that truly fulfill us. I often ask myself, is this important to me? Will my life and those of others improve because of what I am doing? When you answer these questions in the affirmative, you can be sure that you're making the best use of your time. It's not just about work, invest your time in making memories, travel, explore, gladly share your time with someone in need, and do those things that make you enjoy your life even more.

Remember, it's just one life and you must live your moments in the most meaningful way. Fifth, set micro timeframes. Seneca said, everybody has time if he likes. Busyness runs after nobody. People cling to it on their own free will and think that to be busy is a proof of happiness. There's a concept known as Parkinson's Law, which states that work will expand to fill the time a lot at first completion. This explains why a task, usually taking five minutes to complete, can take an entire day. The general idea is that the longer something takes to complete, the better quality it must inherently be. But this isn't necessarily true in all cases.

Many people give tasks much longer than they really need, which causes them to leave the work to the last minute because they lack momentum. By assigning the right amount of time to a task, you gain back more time and prevent the task from being unnecessarily complex. However, be reasonable and practical with the timeline. If you know a task will take a week to complete, don't set the deadline for two days. Setting deadlines helps to maximize available time and use the power of the present. Setting micro-time frames will

narrow your focus and allow you to concentrate on what you do within the shortest amount of time. Six, make intentional use of each moment. We humans are complicated beings with relationships and factors which could impact our capacity for achievement. Being efficient with one's time would have been much easier if we were program machines that simply execute the exact instructions they're given to us, but we are not. We are feeling and thinking beings, so we must constantly pause to reflect and ensure that we're spending our best time on what matters most. We have to be conscious of the choices that we make every day, so we avoid making the ones that

we start time. As Stoic philosopher Seneca says, nothing, however outstanding and however helpful, will ever give me any pleasure if the knowledge is to be for my benefit alone. This quote emphasizes that you shouldn't live life carelessly. And for only yourself, remember, speed doesn't always equate to progress. And doing a lot doesn't mean that you're doing important things. So frequently, slow down your pace and consciously choose what to do in each moment. Seventh, make long term rewards immediate. Epic teat has said, nothing great is created suddenly. Any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell yourself that you desire a fig, I answer you, there must be time.

Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen. Oftentimes, it's difficult for us to let things progress as epictetus advised. And starting can be the hardest part of the journey. I find our need to procrastinate is more powerful at the beginning of our journeys. Even if you've removed all distractions and you're ready to get to work at a particular time, to your brain, the allure, a finding excuse to do something easier or different is still very strong.

The hardest challenge is finding a way to make that starting effort seem less unpleasant. If we bundle our work with the expectancy of an immediate reward, we give ourselves a good reason to work. For example, you can promise yourself five minutes of internet time for every hour that you spend working or studying. This will allow your brain to focus on using current time for that task in the hopes of getting immediate reward afterwards. However, for this to be effective, you need to be very disciplined and ensure that you're not spending more time than elotted to enjoy the reward. 8.

Understand the domains of time. Santa Cahsaid, life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future. Time is divided into past, present, and future time, and these three time domains are directly connected. The past is unalterable. Present is transitory, and the future is uncertain. When you understand that you can't change the past, you can avoid wasting your time on regrets,

and instead take the lessons from it. Also, reflecting on the past will help you gain insight into what previously worked and what didn't in your aim to make better use of your time. When you understand the transition of the present, you'll be able to learn how to take immediate action and optimize each moment that you have. Our constructive thinking, planning, and taking action can only be done in the present, because it's the only domain that we have immediate control over. And when you

understand the uncertainty of the future, you can free yourself of limitations and make the most use of your time. Also, if you find yourself in unpleasant situations, you can draw hope from the expectation that the future will be much better and brighter. 9th Cherish and Guard the Use of Your Time. In a past solo episode that I did, Unliving a healthy and more balanced life, I highlighted the point that Stephen Covey made in his book, the seven habits of highly effective people, about the need to be doing the things that are not urgent but that are important. Stephen calls this a heart of effective personal management and emphasizes how these activities provide us with vision, perspective, control, as well as balance.

By finding the right urgency versus importance and cohesion, we can take control of our lives instead of letting what appears urgent to control us. The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least. Says poet and scientist, Yosef Wolfgang von Gott. If you lived each day knowing that your time could come tomorrow, you would be so much less willing to spend it on frilities. You'd spend live on learn no No Times rolling through social media, randomly switching from one TV channel to another, playing video games for hours and so on. Learn to

say no to time wasteers. For time is your most precious resource. Be stingy with your time because you're palpably aware that it's finite. Also do the same with your thoughts, leaving no room in your mind for things which you have no control over. As Epochetus said, as for what is not in my power, in that I take no interest. So focus on the time that you have, and consciously use it wisely. 10th, manage your health well. As Sena Kasad, you spend so much of your life, not aware of what you're losing. And when the time comes to tally up how we spent it, we will be able to see how little some things mattered. Our bodies are the only vessels we have through which we will live out our times in this world. Without a healthy one, we will simply be unable to make effective use of our time, thus ensure that you make your health a top priority.

Refrain from activities such as junk eating, excessive drinking, smoking, intense stress, and so forth. Make sure you go for those routine medical checkups to detect any challenge early enough so that you can tackle it. In my episode with Dr. Katie Milkman, we discussed this at Leng. Where her research showed that 40% of chronic conditions are caused by lifestyle choices. And in my interview with Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, we also emphasized how by making better lifestyle choices, we can reverse aging and extend our life spans.

In like manner, concentrate on making your lifestyle the best that it can be. Ensure that you're getting adequate rest and sleep. Your body and mind need those necessary breaks to function at your best. With these in place, you'll be in the best bodily state to make the best use of your time. Seneca, in a beautifully articulated passage, said, it's not that we have too short a time to live, but that we squander a great deal of it. Life is long enough, and it's given in sufficient measure to do many great things if we spend it well. But when it's poured down the drain of luxury and neglect, when it's employed to no good end

We're finally driven to see that it is passed by before we even recognize its passing and so it is We don't receive a short life. We make it so. I agree with Senna Your time is finite and you can choose to create something extraordinary Tackle something off your bucket list help someone in need need, solve a novel problem, the world needs solving, provide for your family, or save a great moment, but don't waste your hours. Don't wonder what have I been doing with my time? You have to make your effective use of time a consistent habit and leave no room for its wastage. Before spending time on any activity, ask yourself, what is my time worth? And as you recognize its value, start letting it guide your daily choices. When

you only do the needful, essential things, it appears the time expands to accommodate more profitable and remarkable doings. And so you can maximize your abilities and focus on what fulfills you and what brings you self-realization. Remember that time keeps moving on and on, regardless of what you do with it. So start making intentional choices every moment to spend your time wisely. When you consistently do this, you will not only have lived well while you're in this world, but even after you exit, you will have left your footprints on the eternal sands of time. I hope you all enjoyed that show. I want to thank everyone who wrote in this week and for the consistent questions that you're asking me.

And of course, I want to thank everybody who listened or watched today. Thank you so much for taking your precious time and spending it with us. The link to the transcript will be in the show notes. Videos are on YouTube at JohnRMiles. Avertise their deals and discount codes are all in one convenient place at passionstruck.com slash deals. Please consider supporting those who support the show and make it free for our listeners. I'm at JohnRMiles, both on Instagram and Twitter, and you can also find me on LinkedIn.

And if you're new to the show or you would like to introduce this to a friend or family member, we now have episode starter packs both on Spotify as well as the PassionStruck website. These are collections of our fans favorite episodes that we organize into convenient topics that give any new listener a great way to get acquainted to everything we do here on the show. Just go to passionstruck.com slash starter packs to get started. You're about to hear a preview of the PassionStruck podcast interview I did with Dr. Cassie Holmes, a professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Business and one of the world's foremost experts on time

and happiness. In that interview, we discuss her new book, which is releasing September 6, called Happier Hour. We're examining that exact question. What's the relationship between the amount of discretionary time individuals have and their satisfaction. And we conducted a bunch of studies including one where we analyzed data from the American Time Use Survey, which captures for tens of thousands of working and non-working Americans how they spent a day. And it also has a question of their life satisfaction. And what we did was we looked at the relationships that we calculated for each individual, how much time they spend on discretionary activities that day

and their life satisfaction. And the results showed an interesting pattern is showed. Remember, we rise by lifting others share this show with those you love. And if you found this episode useful, please share it with somebody else who could use this advice on time management. In the meantime, do your best to apply what you hear on the show so that you can live what you listen. And until next time, live life, Ash and Struck. you