That doesn’t really happen.
Time is a constraint, not a resource. You can’t use it, store it or even exchange it for something else.
As such, you can’t invest it into doing something.
Just as you can’t charge for it (that’s why hourly billing is nuts).
What we get to confuse with time is actually the opportunity cost: the fact that if you do something, you’re choosing not to do other somethings.
Here’s the thing
Choosing to put your effort into something you find valuable in a timeframe is a judgement call of what the positive outcome of said effort might look like in the future.
You can choose if that investment feels like something that will return a greater positive net in the future. Or if it’d be of better use now.
All investments are judgement calls. Some more informed than others.
A sidenote: when you see VC’s, investors and all other ones who have made investments with great returns (eg. Google, OpenAI, Walll Street, unicorns and so on), take into account that they do have a portfolio of investments, where they invested in several options, having the big majority a way-too-long to see the results or at loss, and a very few ones who return this great outcomes. Thing is, you only talk about the positive, big ones.
So, how do we get to train our judgement?
A great tool, and a first question, to lead your thinking (over a borrower/investor mindset) on what’s worth:
Is this a *distraction* or an *opportunity*?
Rochelle and Jonathan deep dive into it here. Give it a listen.