Manage time like money — because each hour is an investment you can’t get back. You wouldn’t spend $500 on tasks others can handle, so don’t give away your time either.
Table of Contents
The $5,000 Coffee Cup
Let me tell you about the most expensive cup of coffee I ever drank.
It wasn’t served in a golden mug.
It wasn’t brewed by some barista monk in the Himalayas.
It was a regular $3 cup of average joe… from a gas station.
So why was it so expensive?
Because of what I didn’t do while drinking it.
I sat there, scrolling Instagram.
Checked some emails.
Watched a YouTube video about a guy building a log cabin in the woods.
Meanwhile, I missed a scheduled call with a client who was ready to pay me $5,000 upfront.
Gone.
And the worst part? I didn’t even realize it until three hours later.
That’s when it hit me like a truck:
“I just traded a $5,000 opportunity… for caffeine and cat videos.”
Ouch.
Manage Time Like Money starts with treating every hour as an investment.
Time Isn’t Money — It’s More Than That
People love to say “time is money.”
But that’s a lie.
Time is worth more than money.
You can lose $100 and make it back tomorrow.
Lose an hour? You’re never getting it back.
Time is the one currency you can’t earn more of.
So if you’re spending it like it’s unlimited — you’re bleeding wealth.
When you manage time like money, you refuse tasks that don’t deliver return.
The Great Lie of “Being Busy”
There was a time when I thought being busy meant I was being productive.
I’d stack my calendar with calls.
Reply to every message within seconds.
Jump on Zoom for any reason.
At the end of the day, I’d feel worn out… but not wealthy.
Because I wasn’t doing the things that moved the needle.
I was just reacting to the noise.
Let me tell you something painful:
Being busy isn’t a badge of honor. It’s usually just a sign that you’re saying yes to the wrong things.
Delegation becomes essential when you choose to manage time like money.
The $10,000 Per Hour Rule
A mentor once said this to me:
“If you want to earn $500K a year, your time is worth at least $250 per hour.
If you want to earn $1M a year, every hour is worth over $500.
So start acting like it.”
That flipped my world upside down.
Because most of what I was doing — emails, admin, customer support, designing logos myself — wasn’t worth $500 an hour.
Not even close.
So here’s a rule I started using:
Before doing any task, ask:
👉 “Would I pay someone $500/hour to do this?”
If the answer is no…
Then you probably shouldn’t be doing it either.
Focus blocks help you manage time like money instead of reacting.
Let Me Show You How I Reclaimed 20 Hours a Week
I sat down with a notebook and wrote this at the top:
“What am I doing that is making me broke?”
Here’s what made the list:
- Answering every email personally
- Writing endless social posts manually
- Taking unqualified sales calls
- Designing pages myself because I didn’t want to “waste money” on a designer
- Doing my own bookkeeping
None of those things were growing the business.
So I built systems or hired help for each one.
I stopped “doing everything.”
And started doing only the things that actually created money.
You want the real flex?
Freedom of time.
Being able to go on a 3-hour walk and know your business is still earning while you’re away.
CEOs manage time like money by automating low-leverage tasks.
🧠 Step 1: Do a Time Audit Like a CEO
Open your calendar.
Look at the last 7 days.
Now ask:
- What activities created the most income?
- What activities drained my energy but made no money?
- What could I delegate or automate tomorrow if I had to?
When you see where your time’s leaking…
You can fix it.
🔁 Step 2: Protect Your Time Like It’s Your Life
Because it is.
I started doing something bold:
Saying no.
No to free strategy calls.
No to “just a quick chat” DMs.
No to anything that didn’t align with where I was going.
I created “Focus Blocks” — 90-minute zones where nothing gets in.
No phone.
No tabs.
No distractions.
Just needle-moving work.
If you can protect just 3 hours a day for focused, high-value work?
You’ll outperform people working 12 hours of scattered nonsense.
Ask yourself:
- Where am I leaking time?
- What boundaries do I need to set with clients, friends, or even myself?
If you don’t manage time like money, time debt quietly builds.
💸 Step 3: Spend Time Like an Investor
Millionaires don’t just manage money.
They manage attention.
Here’s how to think like a time investor:
- Every hour is a budget
- Spend it on returns, not just activity
- Buy time back with tools, tech, or talent
If writing emails earns you $5,000 a month… but editing podcasts takes 10 hours a week and earns you nothing?
Stop doing the second thing.
Or outsource it for a fraction of the cost and reinvest your time where it pays back.
Let’s make it real:
What’s your highest ROI activity right now?
(Email marketing? Sales calls? Paid ads? High-ticket delivery?)
Double down on that.
Cut the rest.
The Wake-Up Call I Want You To Have Today
You’re not too busy.
You’re just mis-prioritized.
You don’t need more hours.
You need more intentional hours.
Here’s the difference:
| “Busy” Entrepreneur | “Intentional” Entrepreneur |
|---|---|
| Reacts to every notification | Schedules deep work time blocks |
| Does everything themselves | Delegates or automates repeat tasks |
| Says yes out of fear | Says no with clarity and purpose |
| Works harder for little gain | Works smarter with huge leverage |
Let’s Make It Real (Reflection Questions)
Grab a pen. Journal these now. Seriously.
1. If I valued my time at $500/hour, what would I stop doing today?
2. What are the top 3 activities that directly lead to income in my business or life?
3. What am I doing out of habit, fear, or guilt — instead of strategy?
4. Where can I buy back my time this week — with tools, tech, or people?
5. If I treated every hour like gold, what would my schedule actually look like?
Final Thought: Time Debt Is Real (And Dangerous)
You’ve heard of credit card debt.
But time debt?
That’s when you’ve given so much of your time away — to tasks, people, distractions — that you’re now behind on your life.
But there’s good news.
You can refinance that time debt right now by:
- Saying no more often
- Buying back time strategically
- Prioritizing income-generating action
- Building systems instead of chasing busywork
You don’t have to wait until “next quarter.”
You don’t need to take a course.
You just need to decide.
Your time is money. Spend wisely.