It’s common for people to consider the option to invest vs spend when it comes to money. Should you save it up, invest in some kind of value-store, or spend it on necessities and feel-good things? Choices like this are made often, especially monthly around the time the payslip comes along.
It’s almost never considered for time. The same rules don’t quite apply, but the same consideration is definitely worth making. The major difference in rules is that you cannot choose to defer the decision about how to use time until later. If you do, by definition, the time is spent. There is no value-store for time (yet).
However, the choice is still there in terms of whether to invest or spend. Spend time to build something enduring, or spend time to enjoy it in the moment. Invest time as a gift to the future, either to yourself or to the world, or spend time as a consumer, enjoying the gift of life you’ve been given.
There’s a balance to strike, and no easy one-size-fits all answer here, but I’d venture that it’s a commonality among most humans that we invest too little time. We spend it too often on the easy answers, distractions, entertainment, or default options that turn out to be wrong. Investing time is hard. It might mean saying no to a lot of things. It might mean starting routines and rituals that are initially uncomfortable, but which in the end lead to more meaningful time with people who are worth investing in.
Investing is almost always the right way to distribute most time. Giving gifts to your future self, or investing into other people. Building things that matter, whether that be relationships, businesses, or anything else – things that are worth the investment.