Last week was about 401(k)s, the company match, and understanding what “match” you offer to others.  This week is about the importance of diversifying.  Any financial article I’ve read or expert I’ve spoken with has mentioned the importance of diversification within a portfolio and across investment vehicles.  The primary reason you diversify is to minimize risk and enable better outcomes. 

What does this have to do with anything?  What if we thought about diversifying the way we invest our time the same way we thought about diversifying our financial investments?  Are we diligent enough to diversify how we spend our time across the different aspects of life?  Whether diversifying financial investments or time investments, you primarily to it to reduce risk and enable better outcomes.  In the finance world, if you dump everything into one investment and it goes wrong you lose your money.  In the non-finance realm, if you dump all of your time into one thing, you lose out on so many aspects of life that make it worth being human.

Have you ever allowed yourself to be totally consumed by something?  For me, it can be work.  Last week I hit a wall, because I realized I was putting all my time into work and neglecting the other aspects of life.  This realization inspired this week’s blog.  Throughout my life I’ve seen individuals who put all of their eggs into the work basket, and then never find the fulfillment and joy they were looking for because they didn’t diversify their time investments.  The most content happiest people I know are the ones who diversify their time across aspects of life.  They invest some in work, some in their partner and/or family, some in friends, some in a cause larger than themselves, and some in themselves and their hobbies (even if the hobbies have no “payoff”). 

Challenge 1 : How are you investing your time?  Are you diversifying enough to be the best human you can be?

Challenge 2:  Especially if you are an official leader with authority, are you taking the time to let others know you are diversifying your time?  Are you taking the time to let them know it’s okay to step away from work to spend time on themselves, their spouse, their kids, their friends, etc.?  In case you don’t know, the act of you sharing could go a long way coming from you.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry