Time, Energy or Money: Choosing the Right Currency to Make Today Better

It might feel like you're making it up as you go along, but that's not really true. Beneath our actions and choices are rules we follow to make decision-making easier and save cognitive bandwidth (some refer to these, laudably, as values). Much of this habitual functionality is fine, but if you wonder how you got so tired or stressed or so far away from what seems meaningful in your days – this automatic behaviour could be the place to Day Craft.

Balancing Time, Energy or Money for a Fulfilling Life

One way to approach this is by considering the desire for happy, fulfilling (even flourishing) days. Then, recognise the link between your choices and the resources your automatic-self seeks to preserve or accumulate. To keep it simple, imagine three resources: time, energy or money. Influences such as our upbringing, societal norms, and personal circumstances cause many of us to lean heavily towards one or two of these resources. Your preference for these resources directly influences the quality and contentment of your days. My upbringing emphasised money (security, scarcity, safety, options) as the most influential resource. My education and society have taught me to prioritise money in decision-making, but have said far less about using my energy or, even more importantly, my time wisely.

It was only when I started to re-orient my behavioural rules towards time and energy that I found the objective (happier, fulfilling days) easier to reach (wise use of time and energy are critical components of wellbeing). Many people find that their productivity increases when they prioritise their time and energy rather than make decisions (albeit nonconsciously) based on money and resource scarcity.

I've written about this in the Self-care Workbook. The real challenge is rewriting your rules so that your habitual decisions lead to the kind of days you desire – days where you feel less stressed, more fulfilled, and have plenty of energy for tomorrow. Of course, I would say that Day Crafting is an effective way to achieve that.