2025 January 21 It's about time

You can watch the original video on Facebook here.

 Hi, this is Jim Cranston from 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com, the podcast and website about reimagining your life. Thanks for joining me today to talk about time. Let’s get started! If you like what you hear, please leave a like, subscribe, tell your friends, or send me a message.

Tonight, we’re talking about time and how we spend it. Time is one of the only things we have that we can’t get more of, and sometimes we end up with far less of it than we’d planned. This topic feels especially relevant now, at the start of the year, when many people have made New Year’s resolutions. Around this time—just a couple of weeks into January—is when those resolutions often start to fall away, much like the leaves dropping from autumn trees.

What’s interesting is how many excuses, disguised as reasons, begin to emerge. Most of the time, the real issue boils down to one of two things: poorly written goals or goals that weren’t truly aligned with a person’s deeper vision and purpose. While we’re not diving into that particular aspect today, it did remind me of a funny story I came across recently.

Someone was talking with a friend about how crowded local gyms get every January. They joked about how quickly those same gyms start emptying out as February approaches. This sparked an idea—they imagined opening a chain of pop-up gyms on January 2nd that would gradually transform into bars or restaurants by mid-February. It’s a lighthearted way to think about how fleeting some resolutions can be.

It's a silly story, but it captures the spirit of what happens to many people. They lose their initiative because they didn’t choose a goal that truly mattered to them. But what does that have to do with time? Well, when you pursue goals that don’t really matter—not as an experiment or a way of trying something new, but simply because you didn’t plan well—you end up hurting yourself in a couple of ways.

First off, you create a negative self-thought. When you set a goal you don’t achieve, you might tell yourself, See? I can’t finish anything. That isn’t true, of course, but if you keep saying it, your brain will start to believe it.

You’ve also held yourself back from pursuing a goal that truly mattered to you. And that brings us to the real issue—not just with goals, but with every choice we make. By haphazardly working toward a goal that didn’t really matter to you, you’ve ended up wasting your time—and time is that one resource we all have in a finite amount. As a species, humans seem particularly prone to wasting time. I suspect it’s because wasting time makes us feel like we have an abundance of it—so we think, What the heck? It doesn’t matter.

But let’s break it down. Even if we live to an average lifespan of about 76 years, that’s roughly 28,000 days. That sounds like a lot, right? However, let’s subtract the first 21 years, since those are mostly spent figuring out what we’re going to do with our lives. Then, let’s account for the last five years, which might be more limited due to circumstances. Now we’re down to around 18,000 days.

It’s still a decent number, but think about this: subtract 50 hours a week for work and commuting over 35 working years, and that number keeps dropping. Then there’s time spent in traffic, grocery shopping, caring for sick kids or pets—it all adds up.

This isn’t meant to stress you out or make you feel guilty about relaxing. It’s just to help you focus on the things that really matter. One of the biggest ways people waste time is on needless fights and unnecessary drama.

For example, they argue over parking spaces and stew about it for days. They fight with their families—where everyone should be working together for each other’s success. They fight in their relationships, where mutual support is most essential. Instead of cooperation, it turns into a competition or even a battle. The real problem with these situations is that the time lost seems small in the moment.

I spent the weekend watching TV instead of going for a walk. It was just one weekend—but looking back, I see how those choices add up. Sure, I was angry at that jerk in the pickup truck for a few minutes, but I didn’t realize how it dominated my thoughts for days. It blocked out any productive ideas I might have had and ended up costing me hours—maybe even more than I realized.

Yes, I could’ve had a discussion instead of picking a fight, but at the time, I wasn’t in the mood. I wanted to share my hurt. Now, though, it’s just another unresolved situation on the list, one that could eventually lead to a complete breakdown in a relationship. And those kinds of breakdowns can have lifelong consequences.

When you start adding up all these little bits of lost time, you realize how much time you thought you had—but really didn’t. And often, we just didn’t use the time we did have effectively.

This isn’t about guilt—not at all. The good news is that any of us, at any point, can change. We can start changing things right now. It’s really about being mindful and considering the true cost of what we’re doing—not just in dollars, but in time.

Do you want to go on vacation this summer? Or would you rather stay home, fix up the house, and next year, take a month-long trip somewhere and rent the house out while you’re gone? Do you want to scream at every idiot on the road and spend your free time with the doctor?

You know, you could choose to look past other people's behaviors and arrive rested and healthy. Or you could react negatively and let it consume your energy. Do you want to sit on the couch, or would you rather go for a walk? A walk not only gives your body some exercise but also keeps you from eating that half-gallon of ice cream.

Every moment, we have the power to decide how we react to situations that arise. We can choose to use that moment to our benefit or let it pass by with nothing gained. Sometimes, the best decision is to do nothing—like when you’ve just finished a long, demanding project at work and need a week off with no phone in sight. The key is making it a conscious and beneficial choice.

I’m not saying you need to stay busy every waking second. Not at all. You’ll likely be happier and more satisfied with your life when you purposely decide when to have productive moments with loved ones and when to take time for rest.

Each of us has our own goals and desires, which means we all have different priorities—and that’s perfectly fine. It’s how it should be. The important thing is that we decide for ourselves how best to use our time, instead of letting those moments slip by unnoticed simply because we weren’t paying attention.

Life sometimes ends unexpectedly early, and sometimes it goes on longer than we anticipate. At any point, though, we should aim to feel satisfied with how we’ve spent our time. It’s not a race to impress others, nor a contest to see who gets the most done. Done looks different for everyone.

Rather, it’s about cultivating a lifestyle and mindset that treasures time—using it wisely in ways that bring us peace and a sense of accomplishment at every stage of our lives. You’ll know you’re on the right path when your life feels balanced—aligned with your vision and goals—not when measured against others or societal expectations. If you can comfortably explain what you’ve been doing without feeling the need to make excuses or add qualifiers, then you’re probably on track and doing just fine. That’s the best way to enjoy and make the most of the time each of us has.

So, for tonight, your homework is to reflect on the past week or month. Ask yourself: Have I been using my time well? If not, in what ways? Does it feel that way because it doesn’t align with my own vision, or is it because I’m holding myself to what society expects?

Also, let’s not forget the many areas of political and social unrest across the world. If you’d like to help, I encourage you to check out our updated page of links at UKR7.com or visit WCK.org. The World Central Kitchen does incredible work in disaster areas.

Remember, there are people all over the world who need help, and there are people in your local community who could use support as well. If donating globally isn’t an option right now, consider contributing locally. And if you’re not in the mood to donate, that’s okay too.

Maybe you’re not in a financial position to donate, or perhaps you feel that donating isn’t the best way to address problems. That’s okay. One thing that always helps, no matter the situation, is sharing a little kindness in the world.

If you see someone who looks down, offer a simple Hi, how’s it going? or greet them with a cheerful Good morning. Small gestures like these make people feel seen and valued. When you look beyond yourself, it shifts your perspective on the world, and when others feel recognized, it reminds them they’re part of it too. Making someone’s day a little brighter in your everyday interactions can have just as much impact.

As always, thank you for stopping by. If you found something helpful or interesting, please share, subscribe, and hit the like button. If there’s something you’d like to hear about, drop me a comment. I’d love your feedback.

Have a great week, and remember: Live the life you’ve dreamed of, because that’s the path to true contentment. Love and encouragement to everyone! See you next week on 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com.