Darren Jamieson:
I wanted to start by asking a simple question. What is more important to you, money or time?
Most people are in a constant chase for more money. We work longer hours, we hustle harder, and we tell ourselves that more money will eventually solve the problem. But I am not convinced that money is actually what most people want. I think the answer depends entirely on what you already have more of.
Broadly speaking, people who do not have much money tend to swap their time for it. They work more hours to earn more. People who have money tend to do the opposite. They spend money to get their time back.
Swapping money for time is a mindset shift
Darren Jamieson:
When you value time more than money, your decisions change. You start paying people to do things you could technically do yourself. Cleaning, gardening, car washing, decorating. Not because you are incapable, but because your time is better spent elsewhere.
That shift in mindset is one of the biggest differences between people who feel constantly busy and people who feel in control of their time. It is not about laziness. It is about prioritisation.
A small example that revealed a big truth
Darren Jamieson:
I remember being in my early twenties and discovering that my nephew, who was at university in London, was paying someone to iron his shirts. They would collect them, iron them, and bring them back.
At the time, I could not understand it. Why would you spend that money? But the reason was simple. He valued his time more than the cost. He was earning money online and did not want to spend his limited time ironing.
Twenty five years later, he is a millionaire. Looking back, the mentality was already there. He was swapping money for time, not time for money.
Time is the one thing you cannot replace
Darren Jamieson:
The reason this topic came up so strongly is because my time was wasted today.
I had a one-to-one meeting booked for eleven o’clock. This was already the second attempt because the first one had been rescheduled. I confirmed it by email at the start of the week. I followed up again on the morning of the meeting. No response. I went online. They did not turn up.
That time is gone. I cannot get it back. You can always earn more money. You can never earn more time.
Why last minute cancellations are not harmless
Darren Jamieson:
People often think cancelling a meeting only affects the two people involved. It does not.
A one hour meeting is rarely just one hour. In the case of a podcast, it includes preparation time, follow-up time, editing time, thumbnail creation, social media scheduling, and website content.
When someone cancels without good reason, they are not just wasting my time. They are wasting my team’s time as well. All of that work is scheduled in advance. One person failing to manage their diary properly can disrupt multiple people.
Why I do not offer second chances for wasted time
Darren Jamieson:
If someone cancels because of a genuine emergency, of course we rearrange. That is just life.
But diary conflicts, forgetting to put it in the calendar, booking something else afterwards, or simply not turning up? No. That shows a lack of respect for other people’s time.
If someone treats my time as less important than theirs, then we are done. You get one opportunity. If you waste it without good reason, there is no second meeting.
Respecting time is respecting people
Darren Jamieson:
This is not about being harsh or difficult. It is about understanding that time is the most valuable resource we have.
If you respect someone’s time, you respect them. If you do not, you are telling them very clearly where they sit on your list of priorities.
For me, time will always be more important than money.
About your host:
Darren has worked within digital marketing since the last century, and was the first in-house web designer for video games retailer GAME in the UK, known as Electronics Boutique in the States. After co-founding his own agency, Engage Web, in 2009, Darren has worked with clients around the world, including Australia, Canada and the USA.
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/engaging-marketeer/id1612454837
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenjamieson/
Engaging Marketeer: https://engagingmarketeer.com
Engage Web: https://www.engageweb.co.uk
