By Bill Clinton

Think of how stingy you are with your money:if someone on the street asks for$10,you're not giving it to them.There's no way you're giving a 30%tip for a normal dining experience.And so on.

And yet so many of us just waste ungodly amounts of our time.We throw it away,every day.I know I do unless I'm careful.What helps me to not waste time is to see it as an investment,and to keep track of the returns I get for my investment.

This approach has led me to recognize that some things offer incredible immediate return on investment:a night spent learning a new song on my preferred instruments,for example,gives me a lifetime of being able to play that song.That's an incredible return.Other investments are more like low-interest,high security,long-term investments:going to the gym,eating right,etc.Some,like reading good books,are kind of a combination of both.

But many activities are worthless from an investment perspective:whatever benefit they seem to give doesn't last any longer than the activity itself.“Price is what you pay.Value is what you get.”—Warren Buffett.This applies to everything:money,relationships,time.Knowing this changes your life.

想想你在花钱上是多么地吝啬，如果有人在街上问你要10美元，你是不会给的。普通的一顿饭要收你30%的小费，那也是没门。诸如此类的事情还有不少。

但是我们大部分人都肆意挥霍着时间，对于时间的浪费，每天如此。除非我们刻意留心，不然我们还是明知故犯。怎样做才能不浪费时间?不如将它看成一种投资，看看它能带来多少回报。

在某些方面，让我觉得(投资时间)会有不可思议的即刻回报。比如，花一个晚上的时间，在我喜欢的乐器上学会一首新的曲子，那我今后的一生中就都会弹奏这首曲子。这是多么不可思议的回报。还有一些低利率、高安全率的长期投资，比如：去健身房锻炼、健康饮食等等。还有一些，包括阅读有意义的书，算是两者的结合。

但是有很多的活动从投资的角度来说是毫无价值的，除了活动本身的价值，其他的任何利益都不会得到延续。“你付出的是价格，买来的是价值。”这是沃伦·巴菲特的名言。这条定律适用于所有事物，即金钱、关系、时间。知道这个会改变你的人生。