"I don't have time...

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...to stop for gas."

...to talk with my coach in the middle of this crisis."

...to charge my mobile phone."

...to take time off to learn how to organize my life."

...to stop and organize my desk and put things where I will know where they are."

...to take time away from my work to nurture my marriage."

...to take time to ensure I get a good night's rest."

...to take the time to organize my kitchen so that I only have healthy food available."

...to plan ahead to have healthy snacks on my trip so I don't have to rely on fast food."

...to I don't have time to plan my day since I have so much to do."

...to I don't have time to ask questions and find out what's really going on."

...to I don't have time to think deeply about changing my life direction; I've got to earn a living."

...to listen deeply to what's bothering my children."

...to try to understand why my employee is upset; we've got to meet this project deadline."

...to understand why people keep disappointing me."

...to take care of myself; everyone else's needs are more urgent than mine."

...to have a partnership conversation with my wife; she should just realize she's wrong."

...to figure out how to enjoy the process of doing my job; it's something I've just got to tolerate."

...to take time to enjoy being with my children; just caring for them is a handful."

...to take a nap even though I'm tired; I've just got so much to do."

...to take a five-minute break from my work every twenty-five minutes; I can't waste that time."

...to schedule buffer time in my day; too much must be done."

...to put that in the schedule list to ensure I see it later; I probably remember it when the time comes."

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What loan-sharking interest are you incurring against yourself and your relationships?

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People desperate for money in the mob world are reputed to be willing to accept up to a 50% interest rate per week in order to secure an immediate loan.

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There are very few of us who would be willing to subject ourselves to this level of future cost against immediate benefit, especially with the added risk of incurring physical harm if we are unable to pay those costs when they come due.

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Yet many of us incur this level of "interest" or more, often chronically, in many life areas

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Yes, you can say "It's not such a big deal when my mobile phone battery runs out," but if you compare the costs that you incur (including your reputation that takes a hit whenever others get cut off in your phone call with them) against the short term benefits you get by "saving the time" by not having to stop and charge your phone whenever the battery gets below 40% (which you end up having to spend anyway later), you're loan sharking yourself.

 

More consequentially, when you don't take that extra time (that you think you don't have) at the beginning of the day to plan your day, including scheduling buffer in your day and prioritizing what there is to do, then the time and effectiveness you end up squandering later in the day might easily reach a loan-sharking rate of over 500% for that day.

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The level of loan-sharking interest we're willing to exact upon ourselves and our relationship often makes the 50% weekly that some of those mob bosses charge their victims seem weak-kneed.

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Inventory your self-loan-sharking habits

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With this new awareness, review each of the examples above. For each one, ask yourself what percentage of daily/weekly/monthly/life loan-sharking interest are you incurring against yourself whenever you indulge in one of these lies by believing, "I don't have time to..."?

 

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