The world's scarcest resource isn't money. It's time.

Your best practice starts with accepting insurance

When looking for a mental health provider, over half of patients want one who takes their insurance.

Headway helps you do it with ease. Get credentialed, secure better rates with top plans, and earn a steadier income with bi-weekly payments.

It's all on one free-to-use platform, no commitment required.

Join our network for free

Everyone gets 24 hours a day. No exceptions.

You can't save it, store it, or stretch it. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

Yet most people trade their irreplaceable time for replaceable money, then use that money to buy back fragments of time, often at a terrible exchange rate.

A growing movement rejects this math. They're called "time millionaires."

These individuals have engineered their lives to maximize control over their hours, often making unconventional tradeoffs to achieve this freedom.

What Is a Time Millionaire?

A time millionaire isn't measured by hours accumulated (we all get the same 24 per day) but by hours liberated from external demands.

They've designed their income, work, and lifestyle to give them extraordinary autonomy over their schedule, often accepting less money in exchange for greater time affluence.

Profiles in Time Wealth

Stefan Sagmeister: The Sabbatical Designer

Renowned designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio completely every seven years for a full year's sabbatical.

During these planned breaks, he explores new ideas, travels, and recharges—creating the mental space that later produces his most innovative work.

The financial cost is significant. Each sabbatical represents roughly 14% of his potential career earnings sacrificed.

Yet Sagmeister claims this deliberate time wealth strategy actually increases his creative output and client value over the long term. His sabbatical-inspired designs attract premium clients who appreciate his fresh perspective.

"Financially, taking time off is stupid. Creatively, it's essential."

Daniel Norris: The MLB Pitcher Who Lived in a Van

When MLB pitcher Daniel Norris signed a $2 million bonus, he made a decision that baffled teammates: he bought a $10,000 VW van to live in during the off-season.

While fellow players purchased luxury homes, Norris optimized for time freedom. The van meant minimal maintenance, no mortgage, and the ability to travel wherever his curiosity led.

"I'm actually wealthier than my bank account suggests," Norris explained. "I can surf when the waves are good and climb mountains when the weather is right. That's the kind of wealth most people trading hours for dollars don't have."

Kristin Toth Smith: The Seasonal CEO

Former tech executive Kristin Toth Smith pioneered a different approach to time wealth after burning out in a traditional CEO role.

She now works intensely 8-9 months yearly, then takes 3-4 consecutive months completely off to recharge, spend time with family, and explore other interests.

This "seasonal executive" model required negotiating unconventional arrangements with boards and investors, but Smith maintained her executive-level impact while reclaiming massive blocks of time.

"I realized I could earn 70% of my previous income working 65% of the year, but with 100% more joy."

The Time Wealth Strategy

What patterns emerge from these time millionaires?

1. Value-Based Trade-offs

Time millionaires make deliberate trade-offs with clear eyes. They don't simply reject consumption—they selectively choose what matters.

Some live in tiny homes but travel extensively. Others drive old cars but never miss their children's events. The pattern isn't deprivation but prioritization.

2. Schedule Moats

Time millionaires build protective barriers around their schedules. They:

• Create non-negotiable "time blocks" for their priorities

• Batch similar activities to minimize context switching

• Design automatic "no" systems for low-value commitments

• Use constraints to force efficiency in necessary tasks

3. Income Design

Rather than maximizing total earnings, time millionaires optimize for hourly value. They engineer income streams that:

• Require minimal oversight

• Scale without proportional time input

• Leverage skills that create disproportionate value

• Allow for significant periods of complete disengagement

4. Relationship Curation

Perhaps most importantly, time millionaires surround themselves with others who value time over status. They build communities where simplicity and freedom are admired more than material displays.

The Surprising Economics

The financial sacrifice of time wealth is often overstated. Research from Harvard economist Juliet Schor found that time millionaires typically:

• Spend 65% less on status goods

• Reduce lifetime healthcare costs by 40%

• Need 37% less retirement savings due to lower consumption habits

• Experience 58% less financial stress despite lower income

When calculating the true hourly rate of high-consumption lifestyles (factoring in commute time, maintenance of possessions, and stress recovery time), time millionaires often achieve a higher effective "life wage" despite lower gross income.

Becoming a Time Millionaire

Time wealth isn't binary. Even small shifts toward greater time affluence yield measurable benefits:

• Start with time tracking: Where are your hours actually going? Most people drastically underestimate the time spent on low-value activities.

• Calculate your real hourly rate: Not just what you're paid, but what you keep after commuting, decompressing, and maintaining your lifestyle.

• Identify one-time leaks to fix: Which regular activity gives you the least value per minute invested?

• Design one friction-breaking experiment: Test a mini-sabbatical, a four-day workweek, or a two-hour morning block protected from interruptions.

The journey to time wealth begins not with grand gestures but with a simple question: "Is this hour exchange worth it?"

Until next time,

Raihan | Mindful Maven