The Price of Choosing Money Over Time

Time puts the “life” in lifestyle

You’ve never seen traffic if you’ve never experienced Metro Manila. Well, except if you live or have been to Bangalore. In 2019, data shows that we have the 2nd worst traffic congestion in the world.

I was working in Makati, a central business district, which makes it the epicenter of this hell that is Metro Manila traffic. Moving closer to the office had always been an option, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of losing such a big part of my income to rent.

In my head, having enough money on-hand was the only way for me to live in the now.

Carpe diem. Seize the day. You Only Live Once.

And what better way to enjoy the present than to enjoy my daily Starbucks fix? To be ready for Zalora’s flash sale? To treat myself to an impulse purchase now and then? To be able to say yes to those random weekend beach trips? To be able to splurge on that much-awaited 2-week Mexico trip?

When you think about it, I could be buying a plane ticket for every rent I pay monthly! Oh, the places I could go!

So, unwilling to make this sacrifice, I chose to endure a (minimum) 1.5-hour drive to my office that was no more than 10 km away. Back and forth, that’s 3 hours of my every day braving the frustrating, ungodly rush hour traffic, where peak congestion meant streets practically turned into parking lots.

But, hey, at least I had the money to buy and experience the finer things in life — to afford the lifestyle that I wanted.

Time is More Than Seconds on a Clock

“Sitting behind the wheel barely counts for doing something.” I convinced myself that driving was something that didn’t expend that much energy.

Eventually, work took its toll and I got burnt out. But only recently did I understand how much traffic contributed to that, and what I unconsciously allowed to happen: I was willing myself every day to wake up at an unholy hour to go to work, work my ass off at work, and then clock out of work to exhaust whatever energy I had left on my drive home.

Benjamin Franklin said time is money, because it, too, has opportunity costs once it is spent.

And I had severely underestimated the opportunity cost of my choice. I thought that having more money at my disposal meant more freedom. But it was far from that. I was losing way more than just seconds on the clock, particularly:

1. The opportunity to earn more money — I always strive to put my best foot forward at work. But in hindsight, you can only really give out as much as energy as you have. What if I could’ve been more productive or creative if I took my commute out of the equation? What if sparing myself the early morning anxiety or getting even just a wee bit more sleep would’ve let me produce better output, and earn more incentives? Outside of our day jobs, there are countless ways to earn more — modes of investment, franchises, reselling, or maybe even a small personal business. I could’ve capitalized on my skills, too. Imagine how rich I must be right now if I had only discovered Medium & the MPP earlier! (Maybe not so much, but you get the point)
2. The ability to enjoy other’s company — One payday Friday night, my friends hit me up to go to a bar up north. I knew the drive was going to be a nightmare, but after such a long week, it was a much-needed chance to unwind. When I got to the establishment, I was about to park my car when I saw the long-ass queue, and I knew I just didn’t have the patience to spend another minute in my car. The truth is I was crazy to think that after a 2-hour drive I’d still have the energy to enjoy the night. I ended up canceling and going home, even if I was already there. Work stress — a gin & tonic can fix. But work and traffic fatigue? Just give me my bed, please.
3. The freedom to do what keeps me happy — Was I happy when I bought my new pair of Cortez? Of course. But did walking in fresh sneakers improve my life, increase my productivity at work, or make me a better person in any significant way? I could buy the nicest Joyrides or Epic Reacts and not have the time or energy to go for a run. I could own all the premium makeup in the world only to make sure that they conceal the stress-induced dark circles from getting home late and waking up early the next day. These things made me happy, but did they keep me happy? It turns out that the “things” that sustain happiness aren’t things. Exercise. Art. Sports. Reading. Meditation. A new skill — These things may take your time and money, but they pay you back a hell of a lot more.

Time Puts the “Life” in Lifestyle

The goal was and still is to have an optimal lifestyle: To have the means to acquire the essentials, and live life in the style, or manner, that I want.

Was I rich? No.

But did I have enough money? Yes.

So, was I living optimally?

Remember that Mexico trip I used as a reason to justify my choice to not move out? Well, with enough pocket money, I happily binged on all the Al Pastor tacos, artisanal mezcals, and boutiques. For 14 days, I got to breathe and escape the mess of Metro Manila. But in the remaining 247 days of the year, not a day passed by that I did not curse and get dragged down by my ridiculous 3-hour commute.

Money can provide your basic daily needs and top it off with a Venti Mocha Frappuccino. It can send you to a local beach or a different country. But it cannot buy you energy (caffeine kick does not count), genuine peace of mind, or your sanity.

These were the real, far-reaching costs of my decision.

It turns out that our lifestyles are dictated far more by non-monetary resources, the most valuable of which, is time. It gives us the freedom to live our lives in ways that money can’t. A satisfying daily routine, your sense of self-care, the company of your friends, and the pursuit of your passions are all important parts of your “me time” and require your energy to follow through.

Money lets you live in style. But it’s not a lifestyle if you don’t have the time or the energy to enjoy it.

Time is Worth Saving

Now I recognize sitting idly behind the wheel for 3 hours for what it really is: a waste of time. And it comes at much too high a cost.

When Tony Stark (technically, his dad) said, “No amount of money every bought a second of time”, he was partially right. I know I am never going to get back those hours on the road. I can’t buy back time, but I can, somehow, buy it forward.

After almost a year of grueling early morning and late-night drives, I’ve finally decided to move closer to work — a 5-min drive or 15-min walk tops. I’ve also purchased a high-powered personal blender to go with my tiny studio, cutting down my smoothie prep & clean-up time to half — The point being that moving forward, I’m going to actively look for ways to save time, no matter how incremental, even if it might come with a price tag.

We find ourselves complaining that we only get 24 hours a day. But if we were more unforgiving of how we spend and save our time, 24 hours should be enough.

Remember: The value of time well spent is the freedom to make more money, care for yourself, and enjoy the things and people that matter to you. So, take pains to spend your time wisely. Choose to live optimally.