I remembered watching the movie “In Time (2011), starring Justin Timberlake. It changed the way I perceived money and time. After watching it, I felt inspired to write about what would happen if we treated time like money because it makes sense that the money we earn comes from our time. To give you a brief summary of the movie, the world begins in the year 2169, when everyone stops ageing at the age of 25. The catch is that each individual is genetically engineered with a digital clock on their forearm that begins counting down from one year. When the time reaches zero, the person dies. So, to increase time, one has to work and is paid on time. Time has become the universal currency, not involving money entirely. People earn, spend, and even gamble with their life’s time. Time equals lives. There is no money or other currency that you can convert to time.

“The rich live forever, the poor die young”
“If you had enough, what would you do?”
“Definitely won’t waste it”

I recommend you watch this movie if you haven’t already.

The Time We Traded For

I am writing this post because I feel what happens to us is quite relatable to our daily lives. It’s just that we have more forms of currency other than just “time” alone.
The hard-earned money we receive from the company that hired us compensates us for our skills, knowledge, and the time we trade. It was not given, it was exchanged for our time. Some of us spend our hard-earned money, but we often don’t realise we are using the time we invested to earn it. We don’t spend the money, we sacrifice our time, a part of us that will never return. Of course, there is a saying, that we can earn our money back but not experience. The thing is we don’t know how much time we have left. At the same time, if we overspend on impulsive purchases, we may end up in heavy debt and continue working mindlessly. Also, if we hoard too much, we may miss the meaningful opportunities and experiences that money could have facilitated. All the money we earn derives from the time we trade for. The price you pay is derived from the number of hours you trade. You sell your time, and the company pays for your time. I did not understand this until I paused and thought thoroughly.
I am writing this post not to ask you to quit your job and spend every day however you like. That is not realistic and unreasonable. But I am inviting you to consider another perspective on how you spend your time.

Shifting the Equation, Healthier Body & Mind

How do we change the equation?
I started prioritising my time by saying ‘No’ more often. I stopped working weekends unless absolutely necessary. Saying “Yes” to every invitation, or request, means you are losing your time. Instead, do things that you enjoy and are meaningful. Make space for activities that energize you, such as reading, walking, writing, singing, and catching up with friends and family. I did not feel guilty about it. I stopped seeing rest as a luxury but as a necessity, something to recharge myself. I started treating time with the same respect I had been giving my money for years. I remember that on past vacations, I would set a goal to visit several places in a day so that I could make my money and time worthwhile while travelling. I used to think of work while travelling. Now I just want to visit one or maybe two places at most in a day. I now favor slow exploration, rather than trying to hit multiple destinations quickly. I don’t spend my time until midnight just to maximise my day. I would rather rest earlier and feel fresh the next day. In our daily lives, many of us look for instant gratification from scrolling social media. These activities are taking away our precious time. What we may get in return is feeling anxious, dissatisfied, unhappy or regretful in our sleep.
We postpone dedicating time to our passion. Time to reflect. Time to connect with loved ones. Time to invest in ourselves, improve ourselves, and get quality sleep. We procrastinate on things we want to accomplish. And the time lost can never be found. Only all that remains is negative emotions.

We live in a world that glorifies busyness. If your calendar is not overflowing, you are not doing enough. If you don’t feel stressed or overwhelmed, you are somehow not working hard enough. It’s as if exhaustion equates with success.

I bought into that culture for a long time. Working faster made me feel more important, and juggling more tasks gave me the illusion of greater productivity. But what was I really getting out of it?

The answer? Nothing meaningful.

We constantly work hard to earn more money to buy more things we don’t need to impress people we don’t even know. What if we can spend more time, more meaningfully?
Since we cannot buy time, the money that we earn can be used in different ways. The money we save by not splurging allows us to take more time off, rest, work out, or meditate.

The True Value of a Slow Hour: Reclaiming Time Through Walking

If you have been following me, you must have read about how I rush for work and productivity. I was not sure what I wanted to do next, definitely not for promotion, but to seek alignment with my aspirations and values.
And a year ago, I started learning digital marketing and video editing. This is a short period but this is how I see myself heading to. Of course, there were a lot of bumps and obstacles now and then. I have learned to celebrate the kind of growth you can’t measure on a spreadsheet, like consistency, clarity, and courage, although I am worried at times. I am glad I got started, to continue learning and pursuing what I wanted to. There was a great sense of relief, especially as I gained more clarity through my routine walks. When I walk, I tell myself, “This hour is mine and I just want to walk.” 
When I walk, I feel the time tick slower. My body and feet feel lighter. I became more creative, more clear-headed, and more grounded. I was ‘investing’ my time. 
No rush, no expectation, no screen. Just my thoughts and myself, my watch, a bottle of water, comfortable shoes, and steps. Each step is intentional rather than transactional. And during the walk, it gives me room to breathe. Sometimes I just want to feel and remember. I lost my grandmother and a friend I had known for 10 years. It was not something I expected. It is still difficult for me to fully accept it. The loss taught me how fragile life can be and that money can’t buy back good health and additional time. Just in the blink of an eye, anything can happen. This loss, aligning with spirituality invites us to live with the awareness that life is impermanence, and that love, presence, and connection matter more than status or possessions. This also reminded me to slow down and spend more time with the people we love. What is lost cannot be reclaimed, we cannot turn back time. But presence now can be chosen.

Change The Way You Look At Time 

Time is the one thing that is finite and you cannot get back. We always know how much money we have but we don’t know how much time we have left. Yet, we trade them off as if we have unlimited resources, without thinking through or considering the consequences. The money we have been spending and working for is replaceable, but time will never be added. In fact, it decreases with every second as a silent thief stealing the beautiful morning and sunset that we miss. Every breath is taking us closer to death, and we don’t know when the time will be up! Money is replaceable, but time is not. When you trade your time for something, you are actually giving away a part of yourself that you will never get back. And sometimes, when you spend time with people you love, an hour feels like a few seconds, a few seconds feel like decades that last a lifetime. Yet, you feel time passes so quickly, and you hope time freezes that moment so you can have more of it. You don’t need anything else but that moment of love with friends and family, the smile and laughter of that person, the warm hug, the kiss. It felt like forever, but yet it’s not permanent. Isn’t that more worthwhile? 
If this post resonates with you, I ask you to remember that you don’t need to wait for a special occasion or reason to do anything. You can do it now, write the book, go for a workout, learn the skills you wish, tell your parents and partner,” I love you,” “ I miss you.” 
What if every hour of our life had a price tag on it? You would be careful with your purchasing decisions, and weigh the costs, priorities, and benefits. What are you missing out on by being constantly busy working?
Please share your feelings with us and pass this message on to someone who needs to hear it.