Be Frugal About the Right Things

Many great leaders quote Seneca as one of their biggest influences. Seneca is said to be one of the great Stoics. Below is a passage shared recently by #TaiLopez in his blog.

Seneca then reminds us to be more frugal with our time than our money: “You will find no one willing to share out his money; but to how many does each of us divide up his life! People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.” 

It’s so true. I know people who will get five quotes on a piece of furniture, walk the mall looking for the cheapest cup of coffee, only buy beer and wine when it’s on sale and skirt the shout until it’s a necessity. Yet they flit away their time on social media, watching rubbish television, reading a book that’s adding no value or enduring meetings that have no real purpose or plan in mind. These same people are the first people to complain that they haven’t got time to read, listen, plan, learn and get ahead.

​I think this quote from Seneca is so powerful it’s worth re-reading. We’re frugal regarding our personal property but when it comes to wasting time – the one thing we have a right to be stingy about – we’re not.