Values and Actions
Most of us are either careful when it comes to budgeting our money, or we experience a level of guilt for not living up to our imposed expectations. We track our spending, plan for savings, and understand that our spending should reflect our priorities. But how often do we apply the same level of attention to how we spend our time?
Time is a finite resource, yet we often let it slip away on tasks and distractions that don’t truly reflect the things we value. Just as financial budgeting ensures our money goes towards what we consider important, or urgent, a ‘time budget’ can help ensure our actions align with our core beliefs.
Values Compass
Our morals and values are meant to act as an internal compass, providing a sense of direction, guiding our decisions and shaping our lives. Many of us struggle to put our values into actions. We may say we prioritise relationships, personal growth, or well-being, but without conscious effort, our daily actions may not reflect these priorities.
Do You Have A Disconnect?
Psychological research shows that misalignment between our values and actions can lead to dissatisfaction and stress.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger, 1957) suggests that when our actions don’t match our values, we experience discomfort. Often, instead of changing our behaviour, we try to rationalise the misalignment, or try to question our beliefs.
Time Discounting (Frederick, Loewenstein, & O’Donoghue, 2002) explains why we prioritise short-term rewards (such as mindless scrolling on social media) over long-term goals (such as deepening relationships or engaging in personal development).
The Eisenhower Matrix (Covey, 1989) highlights that we often spend time on urgent but less important tasks rather than prioritising the meaningful, non-urgent activities that align with our values.
Budgeting Your Time
To bring our values to life, we can implement a structured approach to time management—just as we do with financial budgeting.
Identifying Your Values
Think about what truly matters to you in different life domains, such as relationships, career, health, and personal growth. Try to prioritise these values, which is more important? If you had to make a choice between relaxation (sleeping in), career (going into work early), or physical health (going to the gym) what do you choose?
Track Your Spending
For one week, keep a time diary. Just as a financial audit reveals where your money goes, tracking your time will show whether your daily actions reflect your values. If you value your relationships, how much of your time do you really invest in them?
Compare Your Spending with Your Values
After tracking your time, compare it against your identified values. Are you dedicating enough time to what matters most? Some common misalignments include:
Valuing family but spending more time on screens.
Prioritising health but skipping exercise or neglecting nutrition.
Aspiring for career growth but not following up on learning or networking opportunities.
Reallocate Time to Match Your Priorities
Once gaps are identified, small adjustments help you better match your spending to your goals. This might involve:
Scheduling non-negotiable quality time with loved ones.
Allocating 30 minutes a day to self-improvement or physical well-being.
Using Implementation Intentions (Gollwitzer, 1999), such as: “If I feel tired after work, then I will take a 10-minute walk before watching TV.”
Build Accountability and Reflection
Sustaining long-term change requires ongoing evaluation:
Regularly check in on how your time is aligned with your values.
Set up weekly reflection sessions to assess progress and make adjustments.
Living Intentionally
By treating time as a budgetable resource, we can make conscious choices that reflect our values rather than being passively driven by external pressures. Over time we can make choices about how we live our lives rather than reacting to what is happening in our environment. Our goal is to strengthen the connection between our inner compass and daily life. Create your time budget and ensure that each moment you spend is an investment in the life you truly want to live.
