One underrated attribute for what makes someone extremely successful is their ability to understand where to invest time and energy for the most return. This return on investment of time (ROIT for all the acronym lovers) evaluates what your mind and body are investing time into and whether this energy was maximized. But what does it mean to maximize?

The concept of maximizing first must start with your authentic journey in who you’re striving to be. Specifically, the areas of your life you prioritize growth in.

Relationships

Career

Community involvement and impact

Health and wellness

Hobbies

…

Next, to consider energy maximized, analyze which buckets you are filling. Think of a bucket as any aspect of your life – your different relationships, work, family time, fitness, TV, reading, etc. The most important debate you’ll need to address is:

Do the buckets you’re filling align with your authentic journey in who you’re striving to be?

Or

Is your effort and energy being pulled away from your journey and that limited time and energy you have is being sucked up by some distraction?

Last, once that energy is aligned with who you’re striving to become, is the action you’re taking challenging the person you are today so that you can become the person you want for the future?

Growth comes from being uncomfortable. From shaking up what we’ve always done or always thought to bring to light a new tomorrow. If we’re investing the time and energy in the areas of life we want to grow, we must break away from the anchor of comfortableness to enter an environment of welcoming challenges.

ROIT is unique to each of us. It may be an extremely complex formula for some or relatively simple for others – regardless, it will be personal to each person’s journey. The consistency to each of our evaluation of ROIT though will be:

1)      Align time and energy with areas of our life we’re striving for better and,

2)      Ensure the time and energy we’re giving is to something that will make us uncomfortable such that we can seek the growth we desire.

Take your step: take time this week (preferably each night) and reflect on where hours were invested throughout the day. How much time and energy were pulled from your growth to a distraction? Be vulnerable and honest with a mindset not of failure but of opportunity to identify more time throughout the day to fuel your fire. Our time and energy are limited so work to identify times throughout the day to increase your own evaluation of ROIT.