The other day I bought milk from a gas station. Two litres for 30 bucks. Thirty whole rands! Crazy right? I know.
Why did do it? Because spending about five bucks more on milk than I usually do seemed a small price to pay.
The gas station was on my way home. Had I gone where I usually shop for “cheaper” milk, I’d have: driven further (used more fuel), paid for parking (more money) and wasted time driving an extra 10 Kilometers for “cheaper” milk.
Economics calls this Opportunity Cost: The true expense of any activity.
It’s worthwhile to check what things are really costing us.
Efficient time management means producing visible results and benefit from what we’re doing.
For the entrepreneur there’s no room for time wasting.
We all get the same amount of hours in a day but some folks get a whole lot more done than others. Why? Because it’s not just about how much time we have it’s what we do with that time.
This applies not only to physical activity but mental and spiritual activity too.
There are times when wasting emotional energy on extremely non-productive activities (like getting involved in drama) hampers our productivity.
When we stay in emotional slumps too long, giving over to feelings of depression, despair and hopelessness we need to ask ourselves: How does this impact My ability to do something (Worthwhile) that could turn things around for me?
A huge emotional, physical and even spiritual drain includes relationships that just don’t work. Man! Those can be such energy suckers. Taking an audit of the various relationships in your life is important.
One of the most difficult things to do is sever personal connections.
But if some of the relationships we have are doing more damage than good we need to ask ourselves: What is the true cost of holding on?
Sometimes the relationships we’re holding onto ended long ago, but we continue to re-live the emotional baggage we haven’t let go of, day in and day out. What is that costing?
Driving a fancy car now but being unable to afford owning a property- What is that costing in the long run?
Working harder and longer in jobs we hate- What is that truly costing our future?
The list goes on and on.
I paid R30 for a bottle of milk that I could buy for up to R7 less at a regular store. BUT considering the time, petrol, and energy that purchase made me- I reckon I saved way more in the long run.
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