The Time Value of Time: How Life After Cancer Changes What an Hour Is Worth

by Cynthia Dano

Time is money...or is it? Actually, it's worth a whole lot more

The Time Value of Time (and the Money Value of Time Too)

We’ve all been told that time is money. But let’s be honest — most of us treat money with far more respect than time. We budget our dollars. We save and invest. We track spending. We’ll research which oat milk saves us 23 cents a serving over the course of a year.

But our time? We give it away like it’s on clearance.

We hand it over to meetings that could’ve been emails. To emails that could’ve been… not sent. To distractions that quietly eat the hours of a life we fought hard to keep. If you’ve lived through cancer, you know this truth in a way others may not:

Time isn’t just a resource. It’s personal. It’s precious. And it’s not guaranteed.

I learned that firsthand after getting cancer — twice.

The Time Value of Money

Why Financial Planners Love Today More Than Tomorrow

The time value of money is simple: a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow, because it has the power to grow. We can invest it. Stack it. Compound it. (And if you’re like me, spend it on a latte and a moment of joy, which is a different kind of ROI.)

It’s a foundational truth in finance.

But rarely do we apply that same wisdom to our most finite resource—time.

The Time Value of Time

Why Now Beats Later—Especially After Cancer.

Maybe you've heard the saying, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Well, the same goes for time. Time today is worth more than time tomorrow. Not just because we’re alive now (although yes, that’s pretty important). But because our current energy, focus, health, and relationships are in play now. Today’s time has momentum. It can be invested in things that ripple outward—skills, memories, healing, joy, impact, becoming the version of ourselves that cancer clarified. It’s high-value, high-return, and highly perishable.

Tomorrow’s time? It’s uncertain. It might be booked. It might be distracted. It might be hijacked by fatigue, fear, or mood swing or taken up with a plumbing emergency. Time doesn’t just pass—it expires. And you can’t roll it over like vacation days. Think of today’s time as a perfectly ripe avocado. If we don’t use it now, it’ll either be mush or mold by the time we get back to it.

This is where the living forward mindset taps us on the shoulder and whispers:

Don’t wait for life to feel less chaotic. Don’t wait for permission. The time you have now is the most valuable it will ever be. Spend it on what matters.

The Money Value of Time

Why You’re Not Saving Money by Doing Everything Yourself

There’s a major fallacy baked into how we think about time and money. Let's say wew earn $40/hour doing work we love. Then we spend four hours cleaning the garage, editing a video, or trying to fix a leaky faucet to avoid paying someone $50/hour. We think, I’m saving money!

But are we?

We're actually losing time we could’ve spent making $160 doing something we enjoy—or even better, using that time to rest, reconnect, heal, or or do something meaningful, like simply being alive. When we ignore the value of our time, we become our own cheapest labor and harshest boss. And after cancer, that question becomes even sharper: Are we being “responsible”…or are we undervaluing the life we fought to protect?

When we look back at how we spent our hours—not just our dollars—those choices can quietly stack into a pile of regrets... because we never questioned what those moments were actually worth.

Funny Math, Real Consequences

Let’s break this down with some playful examples:

• You spend two hours comparing flights to save $20. That’s $10/hour. Do you really want your brain doing overtime for that rate?

• You say yes to a meeting you know is pointless, but it feels “nice.” That’s 60 minutes of your life you’ll never get back, donated to the black hole of Zoom.

• You “multi-task” by folding laundry while on a call with your mom, your client, or your therapist. You end up giving none of them your full attention—including yourself.

On paper, it looks efficient. In real life? It quietly creates distance, depletion, and regret.

What If We Budgeted Time Like We Budget Money?

Imagine opening our calendar and asking, “What’s the return on investment for this hour?”

• Is it creating connection?

• Is it helping me heal or grow?

• Is it bringing beauty, healing, or fun into my day?

• Is it rest that restores me or distraction that drains me?

If not, then we might be paying premium time prices for bargain-bin experiences.

When we budget time with intention, we stop treating our days like junk drawers and start treating them like portfolios. We invest in what matters. We cut the time-thieves. And we don’t feel guilty paying someone else to do the stuff we hate, because we’re reclaiming time to live.

This is where Timefulness—mindfulness applied to time—comes in. It's about quality over quantity, depth over breadth. It's not about filling our calendar with color-coded productivity. It's about asking: Am I spending my time in ways that I won’t regret later and Future Me will be grateful for?

Witty Financial Advice for the Soul: Spend Like You Mean It

So here’s your cheeky-yet-sincere financial advice for your calendar:

• Treat your hours like hundred-dollar bills.

• Fire the inner accountant who thinks time spent resting is “unproductive”

• Calculate your true hourly value—emotional ROI included.

• Swap money for time when you can. It’s not lazy. It’s legacy (and sanity.)

• Remember that busyness is not the same as richness or fulfillment.

When you spend money recklessly, you can usually recover. When you spend time recklessly, you create regret.

But here's the good news: you get to make different choices — starting now.

You get to realign your time with your values, your energy, and build a life portfolio rich with meaning so that your life after cancer is thriving, not just surviving.

Living Forward

The goal isn’t to have it all. It’s to look back and say:

I’m glad I spent it that way.

That’s what living forward is about. And that’s how regrets quietly lose their power.

Cynthia

If you’re navigating life after cancer and feel called to live more intentionally — not busier, not harder, but truer — my Life Reimagined coaching supports women survivors in clarifying what matters now and shaping a meaningful next chapter. You can learn more at www.cynthiadano.com.

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I am a two-time ovarian cancer survivor, mom, wife, entrepreneur, certified health and Radical Remission cancer coach and proud GG to seven grandkids. I love road trips and National Parks.