Because life is short

Randy Pausch came into my radar because of his ‘Last Lecture‘.  That was not his last lecture. In November of that year, he talked about time management.

One of his stories that really struck me was about making the most of the limited time he had. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told he had a few months to live. While doing his grocery, the self-service machine for checking out his purchase charged his credit card twice. Instead of spending 15 minutes of his time filing the complaint,  he opted to just go home and spend time with family.

We often forget that time is a valuable entity. Banks use it a variable to make your investment grow. Science has its theories; using it as an important factor to be taken into consideration. In life, we sometimes take time for granted.

Yesterday, I went to buy a small can of paint. My aunt told me that this particular hardware store sells such paint for Php16. My experience at that store was never pleasant. Service is always slow. Still, I gave them benefit of the doubt. Maybe I always go there when there are plenty of customers.  I was hopeful when I saw that there were only two customers waiting and on the left side of the store, there were three salesladies sitting, chatting and writing something. They did not look like they were doing something urgent. Instinct told me to ask them first. I told them I want to buy paint. One lady told me to transact it on the other side of the store where two salespersons were busy entertaining the other customers.  So, I waited. I was already, for more than 5 minutes, standing and waiting to be served. From what I observed, the customers ahead of me on that area had so many orders. I remembered Randy Pausch and walked to the hardware next door. My order was entertained the minute I entered the store. The paint they sell cost Php2 more than the other store.

It was Php2 I gladly spent. In fact, I think I saved more. Minimum wage in my region is Php258 for an 8-hour work.  This means the monetary value of a minimum wage earners minute is Php258/8 hours/60 minutes = Php0.5375/minute. If I were a minimum wage earner, the 5 minutes I spent waiting in the first store cost Php2.68. Moreover, by choosing the other store, I saved myself from headaches, frustration and anger.  Money well spent.

Here are the links to read more (and buy) Randy Pausch’s books: (Just click on the images below)