Understanding the Value of Your Time.

My first job was at a local retailer making about $5.15 an hour. At that age, that felt like big money. I also remember this Wendy’s commercial advertising a $0.99 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. The whole ad compared things to the burger’s price. A TV? That’s 350 cheeseburgers. It stuck with me. To this day, I still sometimes think, “Can I buy 350 burgers instead of this?”

That commercial taught me to think about money differently. Later in life, I realized I could use that same mindset with time.

“Time is what we want most but use worst.” — William Penn

Step 1: Put a number on your time

If you’re a freelancer, this probably feels normal. But even if you’re not, you should still give your time a dollar amount. It’s not about tracking invoices, it’s about awareness.

Let’s say you make $2,000 a week working 40 hours. That’s about $50 an hour. Every task suddenly has a “price.” When you agree to a one-hour coffee meeting, a Target run, or an unnecessary Zoom call, you can think, “Is this worth $50?”

It’s not about obsessing over every minute. It’s about making more intentional choices.

Step 2: Use your number to make decisions that make sense

Once you’ve got your number, it becomes easier to decide what’s worth your time and what’s not.

Ask yourself things like:

• Is this task something only I can do?

• Is it worth what my hour is worth?

• Could I delegate or automate it instead?

Here are a few things that can change the value of your time:

1. Your age and energy – Time gets more valuable as you realize you don’t get unlimited hours.

2. Your focus – If you’re half-scrolling and half-working, you’re not really getting full value out of that hour.

3. Your tolerance level – If you hate doing something, the value drops fast. For example, maybe I hate mowing the lawn and it takes me 1 and a half hours to do, but afterwards I have to spend another hour showering and cleaned up. That’s worth paying more for me.

4. The learning factor – Time spent learning something new can make future hours more valuable.

5. Networking, relationships and quality time – Spending time connecting with people who help you grow personally or professionally is a good investment. Spending time with the people you love and that make you happy is even more valuable.

Step 3: Trade time like it actually means something

Here’s a quick example. You see a pair of headphones on sale for $100, marked down to $85. You think, “Nice deal.” But it’s across town, and going to get them will take you about an hour. If your time is worth $50, that’s not really a deal anymore.

But maybe those headphones help you focus better while working, and they end up saving you five hours a week. Suddenly that $15 savings doesn’t matter, because the long-term gain does.

The point isn’t to nickel-and-dime your life. It’s to be intentional. When you know what your time is worth, you can spend it, save it, or delegate it on purpose.

Try this: three quick ways to figure out what your time is worth

1. Calculate your rate.
Take your income, divide by the hours you work, and write that number down. It’s not exact, but it’ll give you a baseline.

2. Track your day.
For one day, write down how you spend every hour and what it actually did for you. Was it productive, restful, or just filler? Then ask: did I spend my time like it’s worth that number?

3. Make three intentional swaps this week.

• Skip something that’s not worth your time (like driving 30 minutes for a small discount).

• Delegate one thing you hate doing so you can use that hour better.

• Spend one hour learning something that’ll save you time later.

The honest part

Sometimes your time really isn’t worth money. Sometimes you just need to do nothing. Scrolling, zoning out, sitting on the couch are all fine, as long as it’s intentional. The key is knowing the difference between “resting” and “wasting.”

You don’t have to treat every minute like a stock investment. But when you know what your time is worth, you stop saying yes to everything by default. You start being the one who decides what’s worth it.

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” — John Lennon

Time is your most limited resource. Money comes and goes. Time doesn’t. How you spend it says a lot about your priorities, even when your priority is just peace and quiet.