24 x 7 = 168

It’s time…

by David Haznaw

Today's guest blog is from our Production Padrino, David Haznaw. Among his many hats, David is an author who writes personal essays. He's also an Ally and has some thoughts on our most valuable asset: time.

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You have 168 hours in a week. So do I. So does everyone on the planet. That’s no mystery. It’s simple math. And how we spend those 168 hours is up to us.  

You may already be rolling your eyes thinking I’m dead wrong, that our time isn’t really ours, not all of it anyway. Some of it belongs to jobs, bosses or employees, some to our kids, our spouses or aging parents. 

Each week, we devote hours to running errands, doing chores, and trying to carve out some time for ourselves, to preserve our health, our happiness or maybe our sanity. Then there’s time for sleep … often, there just aren’t enough hours left for that, or at least that’s what it seems. 

“Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.” Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption 

After all that, it may seem to you that you don’t own your time. Believe me, I’ve felt that same thing often … and recently. But we do own our time; often, it’s the only thing we can control. And we have a right and an obligation to take control of it–those 168 hours each week–to live better, love better, laugh better, and simply to “get shit done” better. 

I’m in constant motion; someone who likes activity but also realizes that “busy-ness” does not equal productivity … or happiness … or success … or satisfaction. And this “busy-ness” often creates inconsistency and even chaos in my organizational and time management processes. I can be a go-getter, a procrastinator, a planner, a list maker, a worrier about what “might” happen (but rarely does), an early riser, early arriver …  

And as a careen toward my 60th birthday with an “active” brain and squirrelly movements, I’m plagued at times by my inability to organize my hours, days and weeks. I’ll admit I still haven’t mastered the equation, 24 x 7 = 168, to find the proper balance that will satisfy everyone and everything around me … most of all, me. But I’m working on it.  

And while I can’t speak for you (nor would I try), I believe it’s time for me to put a stake in the ground; to take back ownership of my 168, to make changes that allow me to experience my “post-60” decades in a manner befitting who I am and how I want to live my life. I want to have a positive influence on others, and I want to help out when and where I can for my family, friends and community. But I also want to live, work and play on my terms, and to spend my days enjoying the people, places and things that cross my path. 

“Enjoy every sandwich.” – Warren Zevon 

As I get older, how I spend my time is becoming increasingly important because 1) the halftime show is over and now I need to execute a solid game plan to win the second half, and 2) I have many things I want to accomplish by way of career, personal projects, hobbies and philanthropy. That’s not to say I’m going away anytime soon (I’m not); but as I approach my 60s, I’m starting to feel the need to take hold of every year, month, day and yes, every hour, and make the most of it. 

This concept, 168 hours, is one of the greatest things I’ve learned in my association and friendship with Sherry Finkel Murphy. And while we’re very different in so many ways, we share an appreciation for time, and how we’re going to use it to accomplish ALL THE THINGS we want to do in the time we have left, which she often reminds me will be four-plus decades, and who am I to argue? 

What Sherry has opened my eyes to isn’t the reality that time is precious, or that as we get older, we need to cherish “this moment.” I already knew that. Rather, she’s helped me regain an awareness around what’s important in this moment, living it fully, and then understanding what’s important in the next moment. And the next. And the one after that.  

Wash, rinse, repeat. 

I’ve always had difficulty living in the moment, and now, I have a home-base I can visit that will slow me down and help me act with intentionality in all aspects of my life. 

I’m not a “Woman of a Certain Age(ncy),” but I am an Ally; albeit an imperfect one, but an Ally nonetheless. And as such, it’s my duty–to myself and to those I love and those who rely on me–to take seriously the 168 hours I have each week and to make the most of them. 

“You can’t make up for lost time. You can only do better in the future.” – Ashley Ormon  

It’s about family and friends, and how we manage our time to give them what they need. It’s about being not “selfish, but “self-ful” and realizing we need to take care of ourselves first so we can give to others. 

And today, I’m driving a stake in the ground and committing myself to being more aware and more judicious about how I spend my 168 hours each week. Because when I do, it will lead me to some wonderful, amazing, gratifying and productive years ahead. 

The best years of my life. 

And I encourage you–as a Woman of a Certain Age(ncy) or like me, an Ally–to do the same.  

Thank you, Sherry, for doing the math and sharing this reality with me. It’s the nudge I need to move me forward, to be a better person, a better spouse and parent, a better friend (to myself and others), a happier human, and to be the best Ally possible as I travel the path that is the second half of my life. 

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Copyright © Madrina Molly, LLC 2024. All rights reserved.

The information contained herein and shared by Madrina Molly™ constitutes financial education and not investment or financial advice

Sherry Finkel Murphy, CFP®, RICP®, ChFC®, is the Founder and CEO of Madrina Molly, LLC.

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