Building a "time" investment portfolio ( part 1 )
When we talk about investment portfolios, we often think about stock options and index funds.
Like the list of coins and tokens that you call assets.
Amongst all resource in the world, time is easily the scarcest. As cliché as it is, time won't replenish itself and time machine would easily be the single most expensive thing in the world if it were to be auctioned.
If that time machine were to exist, the word "regret" should disappear from the dictionary within a month.
Therefore it's helpful to think time as a form of currency. Except that it can't be printed.
My definition of "time investment" is that you aim to reap the most gains to your personal benefit within a given period of time.
In other words, getting the most out of your time.
A good time investment portfolio should make us feel that we've spent our time meaningfully. So to do so, I've put together some ideas that may ( or may not ) change how you think about time and productivity.
Why I build my time investment portfolio
I'm fully aware that everyone's situation is different and unique, therefore, if my story happen to resonate with yours, then my philosophy towards time could be right for you.
With a little over $1000 in my bank account, investing in index funds or locking your savings in the bank would give very modest results in short term, well at least for 1 or 2 years.
On the other hand, staking and lending crypto would require me to study about the subject matter for hours. Also I don't think I could make my first dollar quickly enough.
Not to mention the hours spent on play to earn games like Axie and Town Star. In fact, for the former you'll have to pay first before you even play.
Unless your playing part time or full time, you'll have to spend additional hours learning game techniques and tokenomics in order to make the most out of your screen time. In short, it's a constant learning process.
I myself am practicing my skills for my future full time job, and I couldn't realistically afford to build more streams of income at once. I'll be spreading myself too thin to achieve in anything I do.
In my view, the only real way to build your physical wealth is to actively create wealth as much as possible in a given amount of time, let's say 2 years.
How you spend your time is how you invest money in crypto and stocks
Whereas you're fumbling over which app to buy stocks, when to stop HODLing them and who you should sell to, in the realm of time investment you're left to contend with competing desires and priorities.
Which job offer should I accept ? / Which company should I invest in ?
Which side gig should I partake in ? / Should I invest more in bonds or in stocks ?
Am I spending too much time in one thing ? / Am I focusing too much on one company ?
Am I doing too many things at once ? / Is my portfolio too spread out ?
How do I know if what I'm doing is worth my time ? / Am I being too speculative ?
The common theme of the questions above is that they're all value questions.
The thing is that I treat every job I do, every side gig I take as an investment in a business, in the form of time and energy, and in exchange for cash.
Every job requires careful company research, some degree of risk tolerance , and just like investing, requires making trade-offs.
First, invest time in something that pays back handsomely in the long run, albeit modestly in the short term
The meaning behind the heading is that, it's not worth chasing those get rich quick schemes. Just like when you prefer to see your investment portfolio bloom slowly rather than speculating.
Mapping that logic into our present moment, they could be things that we do everyday, but yet we take them for granted.
Things gets mundane because they're the most important. Because you're taking care of yourself. And that's what will pay you off in the long term.
Practice mindfulness by meditating
Cooking yourself healthy meals
Taking care of your personal hygiene.
Once we take good care of our physical and mental health, you may want to divert some of your time with family and friends.
None of those activities above will reap financial benefits, which is an obvious fact, but, it keeps you alive long enough so that you can see your efforts come into fruition.
Next, invest time and effort in things that give you energy
This can come as a straightforward concept to you, because we all know for sure that doing more of the things that makes us happier, more enthusiastic and more gives us more energy.
And of course, more time for other important matters.
The amount of examples for this case can be massive, but I gotta give a few here:
After work hobbies can boost your motivation to live, hence you start off the next day fresh.
Daydream about your ideal lifestyle in lunch break. This gives you enthusiasm to work towards your dreams, whether or not the dream will come true.
Chores always take a bad rap, but it is therapeutic in a way that it puts your mind in trance state. Not only the mundanity will hone your ability to stay mindful, but sometimes it can give you sudden inspiration or a fresh idea.
Instead of turning to social media for self comparison, reflect on what you really want out of life. Knowing what to you with your life is fulfilling in a way that it nourishes your happy soul.
Hope that those bullet points give you an idea of what keeps you moving forward.
I wish I could give you a solid advice on what not to do otherwise, but I beg to differ from those influencers who tell you what to do.
In my opinion, you should be your own influencer. I'm just a guy with a read.cash account.
Stay tuned for part 2 !
As the title already suggests, this is only part 1 of my blog series about my time investment.
I thought about putting all the tips and methods into one post, but that will certainly warrant a TLDR statement. So I'd just keep the post within 5 minutes of reading.
In the next part, I'll go deeper into my time investment strategy and how it may help me progress towards my personal goals.
Stay tuned !