Finding time

Tonight I read a very interesting quote about money:

If you are currently living paycheck to paycheck, extend that to three weeks instead of two. Then, as you get better, you can think a month ahead, then three months, then six, and finally a year ahead. (The goal is to get to a point where you are thinking 5 years ahead.)

I find this quote fascinating because, even though I'm no good at budgeting my money, I actually treat my time this way, which usually leads to everyone around me asking how I get so much done... Time is a commodity, just like money. If today you can spend a little bit of time working ahead for tomorrow's to-do list, tomorrow you can work a little bit ahead on the next few days, and after just a little bit of extra time spent each day working towards the future, you will soon find yourself working months and years ahead of everyone else. The great thing about this way of looking at time is that it gives you the flexibility to go a few days without working if needed, because you've already worked so far ahead that you don't have to worry about every single thing on your to-do list. It also helps alleviate stress big-time. I often tell people that I don't do anything I don't want to do, and that's why I get so much done and I'm never stressed out. The truth probably is that sometimes I do things I'm not entirely fond of, I just do them way in advance so that I don't feel miserable and stressed while doing them...

It's a little like paying bills when you get them instead of when they are due. Aaron and I try to live this way with money too, although I'm not quite as good at budgeting my money as I am my time. I've never liked living paycheck to paycheck, and at this point we are about three months ahead of ourselves with cash flow... Even so, I would like to keep developing these skills so that we can push that window farther and farther ahead, and learn how to better be good stewards of both our time and money.