066: Time Is Not Money: Why Working Harder Makes You Poorer
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Hello friends, and welcome back to the Cashflow Multipliers podcast! Wherever you’re tuning in from, we’re glad you’re here! 😘😘
If you’re anything like us, you’re probably multitasking right now. Between work meetings, taking the kids to school, figuring out what’s for dinner, and when you can finally squeeze in that workout, our minds are constantly thinking about what’s next.
Yup, we’ll be the first to admit it, it’s hard to live “in the moment.” But honestly Nan, I blame our terrible societal conditions for our overworked brains 🧠 and stuffed schedules. The hustle culture we live in is real; everyone is vying for that moment when they feel like they’ve “made it.”
But Palm what does “making it” even mean?! As two people who grind so hard, we basically turned into dust, we’re here to tell you that hustle culture is a scam. There is no reward when you’re working so hard you can barely see straight.
Oh gosh, I’m with you Nan, but also bear in mind that it’s not so easy to quit and break out of the hustle mindset. Think about it, our whole lives we’ve been conditioned to believe that time is money. Everyone’s story is different. Maybe you grew up in a home where your parents spent more time at work than with you.
Or you lived in a home where resources were scarce, so you had to find a way to pitch in to help with groceries. Or you’ve been working since you were 14,15,16 years old and haven’t stopped since. We get it, over-working to provide is how we were raised too.
But we’re here to provide a different perspective. Your time 🕰 does not equal money 💰 . In fact, working harder is making you poorer.
Yup, you heard that right. All those hours you’re putting in, the late nights you’re sacrificing, and the early mornings to get a head start on emails, are not putting you ahead, they’re keeping you stagnant. And you wouldn’t want to hear, your bank account as well.
Would you say Palm that today’s American workers are among some of the hardest working individuals in history?
Yep, they are while simultaneously seeing their wages stagnant or declining.
Of course, our working conditions are a lot better than the ones documented in journalist Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. A novel 📖 written in 1906 that exposes the harsh and cruel working conditions of the meat packing industry from the point of view of an immigrant family to America.
However, we would argue that harsh and cruel working conditions have morphed into the hustle and burnout we are seeing that permeates our entire society starting with Fortune 500 CEOs, to high-level entrepreneurs and trickling down to lawyers, dentists, chefs, teachers, maintenance workers, and so on.
Palm, you know I love cooking and baking shows, and I would hear it all the time that those talented chefs sacrifice so much of their time to provide for their families.
All of this is done under the guise of professionalism, or being a team player.
Yes, yes, yes…
How many of us said ‘yes’ to more work knowing it did nothing to further our career? Or make us more money? No industry is unscathed. No profession is completely immune to the burnout hustle culture creates.
And yet we continue on–all of us–in some way, shape, or form as we are scrutinized by our work performance and measuring our value against key performance indicators to make someone else, something else, more money.
All the while knowing this is deteriorating our mental and physical well-being 😰. Not to mention driving wedges in our most personal and sacred relationships with those we love and value the most. Yet we soldier on, grinding away and turning our society into a miserable and overworked shell of itself.
The saddest part Cashflow Multipliers? For most of us, this mentality won’t change. Many people believe this way of living will make them more prosperous. They just have to work a little…. Harder.
If you’re thinking to yourself “well, this episode is already depressing me,” 😨 we get it, but it’s only to illustrate the severity of this issue. And, most importantly, let you know that the opposite of what we just described can be true. You don’t have to trade your time for money.
How? We wouldn’t be the Kitti Sisters without giving you concrete steps to show you how you can bust out of this trap and start living the life you were meant to have. Leave hustle culture at the door and walk through the other side to experience the sweet relief of financial freedom. Let’s get into what we mean.
Workin’ It
Letssss get into a little history, shall we?
I love history. ❤️️
Okay, let’s do it.
The year was 1900 and the world was changing. And fast. For the first time in history, we saw what we now recognize as a modern working economy in an urban environment as opposed to the country.
You see, before the 1900s, many people did not work in large corporations, instead, they worked for themselves or for other family members on farms, the family store, or other small businesses in the town they grew up in. But the rise of this new phenomenon to work for a large company also came with the promise of a stable income and more opportunities.
Factory work, at the time, was found to be relatively well-paid with a consistent income people could support their families with.
That totally makes sense Nan.
From an economics standpoint, they recognized that working at a factory produces a higher marginal return.
Yes. This means the income a person makes is directly correlated to the number of widgets, pieces of clothing, or materials they can make. Thus, putting in more hours to get paid more. 🕰
Wow… Back in the day, it took a human to make just about anything– and humans cost. We have now entered a society where efficiency is the name of the game. Take a watch, for example. Constructing a watch at one point in time took human precision and an eye for detail.
And now?
Now, most watches are built with AI and robot 🤖 technology, not even touched by a human until it hits a wrist.
So true… Back in the 50s and 60s, people predicted that the level of efficiency would eventually take over and humans would work 10 hours a week or less since machines would continue to increase and manpower would decrease to produce products.
While this has been the case in some areas, not all. In fact, in the two decades that followed 1913 the average working hours of an American dropped from 58 hours a week to 37 hours per week, and we’ve seen a steady uptick in working hours since.
Why is this? Don’t we have the technology by now? We’re sending billionaires to space, surely we can figure out how to reduce the working hours of the average US citizen. Right?!
We have to think. What emerged during this time? The middle class and businesses that wanted to cater to this sector of middle-income consumers. The vicious cycle starts with these consumers who are now working longer hours around the clock.
And these same consumers tend to be the heads of the household– mom and dad. Thus, creating businesses that catered to their schedules by opening on weekends and later into the night.
Low and behold, the 24/7 era that permeates our work and life culture. It has become the expectation that today’s employees are to take weekend calls and answer late-night emails. If you can get Taco Bell at 1 am, you can also reply to that Slack message. Both can be done easily on your phone, right? Wrong!
Sadly 😞, our society’s salacious need for convenience and ease has dire consequences for society itself. We have upped the expectations we set on ourselves! Amazon Prime 2-Day shipping? Not fast enough. Try 2 hours via drone. Food deliveries in 20-30 minutes? Make it 15 or feel the wrath of a one-star review!
That’s you plam lol! We now work longer hours, sit in more traffic, come home to do chores, make dinner, take care of the kids, and try to squeeze in a few hours of sleep. Every. Single. Day. And that two-day weekend starts to feel as long as a sneeze. That is, of course, if you’re not working during it. 😰
Do you see the slippery slope of a more in-demand society creating a more on-demand workforce to serve it? If you’re sitting there thinking you understand the reality we work in nowadays but– hey– at least we’re getting paid more to work these unimaginable hours, right?
Wrong again. Let’s explain what we mean by looking at the macro level. When we look at the nations that are a part of the OECD (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) you’ll notice the wealthiest countries have the lowest working hours. Coincidence? We don’t think so. 🤔 🤔
Let’s take Germany for example, home of some of our favorite carbs– beer, and bread. Germany is the wealthiest nation in Europe with a workforce that works an average of 1,363 hours per year. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway trail behind with a 1,500 hours per year workforce.
The US? We work an average of 1,783 hours per year. 😱
So what’s the difference? Work culture. In Germany and other wealthy European nations, efficiency is highly valued with less value being placed on the customers and putting them on a pedestal so the workers are expected to break their backs to meet their needs.
Instead, it’s the worker who is celebrated and praised not for how many hours they clock in, but rather for how much they’re able to get done in the least amount of time and effort.
In fact, these European cultures frown upon putting in overtime because they view putting in extra hours to complete the same task as a sign of inefficiency rather than the badge of honor we see it as in the US.
What? You couldn’t complete that presentation to stakeholders in less than a few hours? You really thought you were doing something but adding extra slides and information until midnight, didn’t you?
Nan do you In did you know that in Germany, if you want to impress your boss, to do so is by working more efficiently in less amount of time than by sending them a text or email over the weekend.
O….
So what does this look like for the US?
It honestly reminds me of that meme that was going around for a while that reads “The US is just a developing country with a Gucci belt on”. In my humble opinion, We really aren’t progressing in any significant way when it comes to work/life balance like other countries are.
While US workers are putting in more hours, in the macroeconomics sense, they are less productive per hour they are working.
For true Nan… We are a culture of workers working towards results rather than rewards. We hope for a reward, better pay, a bigger house, and more flexibility with schedules. But are we really getting those things?
In Europe, even if people wanted to pick up a second job they probably could because they will be far more refreshed and efficient to put in more hours.
In America, people pick up second jobs so they can afford Christmas gifts 🎁. While we don’t see any major shifts in American working culture happening too soon, on a macro-level perhaps the answer for the US workforce lies in how we make our money.
Cashflow Multipliers, if we take time to pause, think, and strategize how to pursue a greater opportunity to build a better life for ourselves we might realize the answer can come from better investment strategies, knowing the market, and what assets have a higher return.
All of this to say, these are strategies that will help grow your wealth rather than drain you from working till you die. There is another way. Another option.
Does it involve moving to Germany?
And no, it doesn’t involve moving to Germany.
Go Mental
Okay, let’s get down and dirty with what we mentioned at the top of this episode that will help you escape this rate race for real. The first step to any change starts with your mind. Your mind is a muscle and for so long we’ve been working that muscle to believe money is the most valuable resource. 😌😌
But how wrong we are! You must value your time and treat it as the most valuable and non-renewable resource it truly is. Don’t easily forsake time in the name of the grind because you think it’s necessary to make more money. No one ever looks back on their life wishing they had worked more, they wish they would have lived more.
It all starts in your mind. Start believing better for yourself. Start believing you don’t have to trade your time for money to reach any level of success. Start believing you are capable of more. ✨✨
Take Matters Into Your Own Hands
Moving on, The Kitti Sisters’ second piece of advice is going to require you to face some hard truths. For starters, you’re not going to escape the rate race cardio by saving 10% of your income every month. Simply put, there is no amount of money you can store away for a rainy day that will provide you with the financial freedom you deserve after working so hard for so many years.
And you shouldn’t be foolish enough to believe your company’s pension plan or the government will take care of you when you’re older. Those fallback plans are never guaranteed.
Dear Cashflow Multipliers, hear us 👂 when we say you need to set up your own clear roadmap, strategies, and tactics that will bust you out of the rat race wheel so that your life and your time will be based on your schedule.
Not your bosses or customers or clients. The wealthiest people aren’t afraid to get specific with their goals– and neither should you. Being wealthy is a matter of setting specific goals and pursuing the goals with specific actions. And take it from us, you can do this! 🙌🙌
Develop Wealthy Habits
Next, Do you want to start making some serious money? This is a real question. Then get serious with your routine. Wealthy people are built differently. They’re disciplined, dedicated, and driven. 😉 And it doesn’t always involve money. How we live and move about in this world is a direct correlation to how we view and care for ourselves.
What are your morning habits like? What is your evening routine like? No one is asking you to take on the Tony Robbins 4 am wake-up call and eat raw eggs for breakfast. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.
No way! But maybe you’re a journal junkie or a manifestation maven. Yep… Whatever healthy habits you set in place for the care, we promise will permeate into how you build wealth. It all starts with habits! 😇😇
Get Rich. Quick.
Up next, get ready to get rich. Quick.
Of course, there is no such thing as a “get rich quick” fool-proof plan. However, when you start investing in multifamily apartment real estate through a vehicle that we love like apartment syndication– get ready to see your profits skyrocket. Long gone are the days of the 3-4% raises.
We’re talking about potentially hitting that 15, 50, 100% return on investments.
And those are just rookie year numbers. Focus your efforts on things that will help increase your output without you having to sacrifice your time or put in more hours. Aka think like the Germans– be more efficient with the same 24 hours we’ve all been given. 😘😘
From Zzzzs to $$$
Lastly, here’s a misconception most people won’t tell you. Getting rich is not just about increasing your income. The true secret to wealth is building sustainable equity. This is the beauty and joy that comes with multifamily apartment syndication. You’re able to put your money out there so it can work for you 24/7.
And when it does come back, you’ll see it in the form of returns because money in the right hands multiplies– and fast. Of course, there are many steps to get to this place of seeing those returns come your way. And luckily for you, you’re tuning in to the right podcast if you want to take a deeper dive.
One of those crucial steps is working with the right sponsorship team. Working with the right sponsorship team is like being on the ultimate All-Star team. Think the ultimate girls’ group consisting of greats like Beyonce, Gaga, and Adele– all dedicated to preserve and grow your wealth. 🤩🤩
Of course, all of this is done while you’re focus is on spending your newfound efficient freedom relaxing, resting, and recuperating before the next big deal. After all, you’re a big deal yourself– and you’re well worth the wealth you bring in.
Cashflow Multipliers, as always we love hanging out and being with each and every one of you. If you found this episode helpful, hit that share link with a friend, and don’t forget to leave us some glowing reviews wherever you’re streaming from. 💪💪
But don’t miss us too much! We are online on Instagram @thekittisisters and thekittisisters.com where you can learn more about how to invest with us!
Until next time, Cashflow Multipliers!
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