I think after you graduate high school, life speeds up. Adulting necessitates lots of decision making. Some decisions can be life-changing. (“Should I REALLY have sex without a condom?”) Other decisions, not so much. (“Should I REALLY eat that third scoop of peanut butter cup ice cream?”) I’m often asked: “How do you know you’re making a wise choice?” My answer: “If it’s worth my T.E.A.M., then I do it. If it’s not worth my T.E.A.M., then I don’t.” For me, T.E.A.M. stands for Time, Energy, Attention, and Money. These elements are currency. They are valuable. They cost as much as you’re willing to pay, so they’re very individualized. The next time you make an important decision, first ask yourself: Is it worth my T.E.A.M.?
Time – There are 168 hours in a week. If you’re not intentional in spending them, they just fly away. Do you ever get to Friday afternoon and wonder where all your week went? Keep a log for a week. Write down everything you do and how long it takes. For a week. Don’t have time to stop and write everything down? Dictate it into your phone. When you get to next Friday afternoon, see what your big time wasters are. Because if you’re thinking of adding something to your schedule, how else are you going to know if it will even fit?
Energy – You only have so much. You can do things to increase it, like exercise, but it runs out and must be recharged. Sometimes it’s a curse to have a ton of energy because you deceive yourself into thinking you can push your body past its limits. If your plate is full and you add something, something that is already on the plate will get pushed off. Better for your brain to choose what gets pushed off the plate than your body deciding for you. If you’re thinking about taking on something that will spend a lot of energy, will the commitment fire you up or drain your battery?
Attention – Given the amount of screens screaming for your attention it’s easy to waste a ton of time not accomplishing anything. There’s a reason it’s called “paying” attention. It costs you something. Make sure whatever (or whomever) is asking for your attention is valuable. Some questions to ask yourself before taking on a project that will demand a great deal of your attention are: Does it have lasting benefits? Can you learn from it? Is it an investment in a relationship? Are you building someone up?
Money – You’re on a budget (or should be!). You only have so much cash at your disposal. You have bills to pay, things for which to save, and charities to support. How do you decide if something is worth spending your hard earned wages on? Education is worth spending money on. Retirement is worth spending money on. Premium cable? Not in my opinion. Now, having said that: Do you eat out a lot? Travel? Go to movies? Game? If not, and cable is all you do, then maybe it IS a good investment. For you. Me? I’d rather read a book from the public library.
The bottom line is: what you spend your T.E.A.M on is an intensely personal decision. Only you can decide if the item or service or person is worth whatever you have to sacrifice to obtain it. Do you have a decision making system?