You’ve probably heard of the phrase, “Time is money.”

But do you truly value your time, each and every day, as if it were cash?

Hmm, that’s a really good question, isn’t it?

In this post, I offer three great reasons why you should value your time as if it were money.

You wouldn’t say no to free money.

If $50 were offered to you, right now, no questions asked, and at no cost to you, would you refuse it?

Chances are, you’d take it.

Sure, compared to $500, $5,000, or $50,000, $50 is a relatively small amount of money.

But the reality is this: it’s still money.

Think about this the next time you’re about to dismiss seemingly insignificant amounts of time from your schedule.

If you have a couple of minutes, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes, don’t just write them off!

Make use of those minutes anyway you can. Make a few phone calls, delete some emails, meditate, or review your schedule for the day.   

You wouldn’t let people take money from you.

Would give a stranger or a colleague your bank card and your PIN number? Would you leave your wallet, full of cash, sitting out in the open on a busy sidewalk? Of course you wouldn’t! So why are you letting people steal time from your precious schedule?

Your calendar is important. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or where you live. It’s your calendar. When someone asks for an impromptu meeting, tries to schedule an appointment on your behalf without asking, or tries to take up your time, stop them.

Schedule something for a later date, ask them to get your approval first, or tell them you’re busy and can’t talk. You have every right to do so. Better yet, learn to say “no.”

You can’t take it with you.

Not to be a downer here, but when you die, you can’t take your money with you. Similarly, when you pass on, you can’t take your saved up vacation days with you, all those times you wish you’d taken a decent break during a long workday, or cash in on that extended weekend trip with your family or friends. That’s it. You don’t take the time now, you can’t use it later.

How are you going to make the most of your time today? This hour? Right this very moment? Unlike money, we always have a constant stream of time delivered to us.

That’s right, 24 wonderful hours are ours to use, every single day. It’s up to you to cash in those hours and put them to good use. You can’t take it with you, so you might as well use it now.

How about you? Which of the above reasons resonates the most with you? Can you think of any other reasons why we should value our time as if it were cold hard cash? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!