Decisions! Decisions! My last post talked about the money decision. Is whatever I’m thinking about purchasing worth the cost?

The second big decision that usually comes up for many of us is the time decision. This decision can actually consist of several aspects:

1. Do I have time to do this?
2. Do I want to find the time to do this?
3. Is this important enough for me to rearrange my schedule to do this?
4. If I do choose to add this to my schedule, what can I delete from it to protect myself from stress and overwhelm?

The sad fact is that we often underestimate the amount of time that a particular job will take.

In fact, my late husband Saul always used to add what he called the Saulson Factor to any job he planned on doing. What this means is that he figured out how long a job should take, and then he added at least a third more time to his estimate.

Interestingly enough, in coming to the time decision, I find it useful to ask myself a variation of the same three questions I apply to the money decision.

1. Is this use of time a waste of time or an investment in building a better business and a better future for myself and my family?
2. Is it in my best long term interest to allocate the necessary time to this particular project?
3. Am I using lack of time as an excuse not to push myself outside of my comfort zone into a direction that I know I really need to go?

Once again, I invite you to consider asking yourself these questions the next time you are considering investing in any program that requires an investment of time.

You might also want to ask yourself the time questions the next time you are asked to take on a volunteer responsibility. As someone who has had a long career as a professional volunteer, I know whereof I speak!

If the decision is about something that is really right for you, I hope that you will give yourself the gift of investing your precious time in whatever truly speaks to you. You are worth it!