05 Sep How to Reclaim Your Time and Happiness
There’s a longstanding debate about whether or not money can buy happiness. Like most things in life, the answer is more complex than a simple yes or no answer can provide.
But what some related research does clearly show, is that happiness is related to freedom to choose; and freedom to choose is often associated with more free time …
via Thrive Global by Gabriella Bergin-Cartwright
Dr. Ashley Whillans is a Harvard Business School Professor, twice named Rising Star of Behavioral Science, TEDx speaker, and author of the book ‘Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life’. Her research has been published in top academic journals and popular media outlets including Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. She’s also a member of the UN Global Happiness Council, advancing the global scientific study of wellbeing and a Senior Advisor for the Gallup Organization.
Can you explain the concept of time poverty, why it’s so pervasive and the effect that it has on us?
Time poverty is the feeling of having too many things to do and not enough time to do them. In a dataset with 3 million Americans, over 80% reported feeling like they didn’t have enough time to do all the things that they wanted, or had to do. These feelings of time poverty had a stronger negative effect on happiness than being unemployed. Our brains are wired to maximize measured mediums, meaning that we go after tangible goals. However, the goal of becoming more time affluent and happier, or having more leisure time, is harder to track and quantify. From data, we know that in times of uncertainty, we focus more on money as opposed to time. Organizational factors like the need to be constantly responsive can also make us feel time-poor.
Why is it that we undervalue our time so much and how can we shift our mindset to begin to value our time more?
We often ask research participants ‘Do you value time more than money or money more than time?’. From a large sample of working adults, the results showed a slight preference for time, and people who prioritized time reported greater happiness than people who prioritized money. People who cultivate a time first mindset, regardless of how much money they have in the bank, spend slightly more time each day socializing and are more likely to engage in volunteering. They also make major life decisions more in line with their values which helps them feel happier on a daily basis.
Despite all the benefits of valuing time, there are barriers to it. Work culture often leads us to focus on money. We’re taught to believe that money is a proxy for success, that professional success equals personal fulfilment and achievement. In many countries, people have a myth that leisure equals laziness. That means that we feel the need to be constantly working, even in our free time.
First, we need to recognize when we focus more on money than time. Being aware of when you find yourself working on the weekend, through a lunch break, or simply spending too much time trying to find the best deal, offers the opportunity to make changes that will make you more time affluent …
… keep reading the full & original article HERE