How do you like to spend your time?
Have you noticed that many of the words we use to talk about time are also used when talking about money?
In today’s episode, Lindsay and Aubrey explore the meaning behind the famous saying “time is money.”
They share five useful expressions you can use when talking about time at work.
Time is money in American business culture
Aubrey shares that time is very important in American business culture.
They both share details about how they spend their time.
In English, we spend time, save time, buy time, and invest time.
These expressions reflect an interesting aspect of American business culture, where time is often treated as a valuable resource.
The famous expression “time is money” means that time is a valuable resource, just like money.
It suggests that wasting time can be similar to throwing away money because that time could have been used to work, earn, or accomplish something productive.
The saying is famously associated with Benjamin Franklin, who wrote about the value of time and labor in his 1748 essay, “Advice to a Young Tradesman.”
The connection between time and money continues to influence how people think about business today.
In the article “Five Important Ways the Time Value of Money Is Shaping the World” by Edward Chancellor, the importance of time in economic decisions is explored through areas such as production, investment, valuation, and risk-taking.
In American workplaces, this way of thinking often shows up in conversations about productivity, deadlines, and efficiency.
Spending time
Lindsay and Aubrey share five common expressions that connect time and money.
Learning these expressions can help you move beyond basic vocabulary.
They will make your conversations more engaging and help you express your ideas more naturally in English.
#1: Buy time
To buy time means to delay something temporarily so you have more time to make a decision, prepare, or solve a problem.
You aren’t literally purchasing time. Instead, you’re creating an opportunity to do something before a deadline or decision.
Examples:
- We asked the client for more information to buy some time before making a final decision.
- Let’s schedule another meeting to buy us some time while we work on a solution.
#2: Spend time
To spend time means to use time doing something.
Just as you spend money on something, you can spend time on a task, activity, or project.
This is one of the most common expressions used when talking about how we use our time.
Examples:
- I spend a lot of time responding to emails every morning.
- She spent several hours preparing for the presentation.
#3: Save time
To save time means to do something more efficiently so that less time is needed.
This expression is especially useful when discussing ways to improve processes, simplify tasks, or increase productivity at work.
Examples:
- Automating these reports could save us a lot of time.
- Using a template will save you time when preparing the proposals.
#4: Invest time
To invest time means to deliberately spend time on something because you expect it to produce a valuable result in the future.
Similar to investing money, investing time often involves putting in effort now to gain something later.
This expression is commonly used when talking about training, professional development, and building relationships.
Examples:
- It’s worth investing time in training new employees.
- We need to invest more time in developing relationships with our customers.
#5: Waste time
To waste time means to use time inefficiently or spend it on something that isn’t worthwhile.
You might hear this expression when discussing unnecessary tasks, unproductive meetings, or activities that don’t contribute to an important goal.
Examples:
- We don’t want to waste time arguing about something we can’t change.
- I spent the whole afternoon wasting time on unnecessary meetings.
Roleplay
Here’s a roleplay showing how these expressions might come up naturally in a workplace conversation.
In this scenario, Lindsay is a product development manager, and Aubrey is a senior software engineer. They’re preparing to launch a new mobile app feature.
Lindsay: How are we looking on making the Friday deadline?
Aubrey: Not good. I’ve been spending a lot of time fixing some bugs. Could we ask the client for another week? That would buy us some time to review everything properly.
Lindsay: I’d like to avoid that if we can help it. I worry they’ll feel like we’re wasting their time.
Aubrey: Good point. What if we automate some of the data analysis? That could save us a lot of time.
Lindsay: That’s a good idea. I think we should invest some time in setting up the system properly. It could make things much easier in the long run.
Takeaway
In American business culture, time is often treated as something valuable that should be used wisely.
However, being productive doesn’t always mean doing things as quickly as possible.
Sometimes, spending more time on a task today can save you hours of work in the future.
Taking the time to train a coworker, improve a process, or build a professional relationship may not produce immediate results, but it can create long-term value.
The next time you’re making a decision at work, think about whether you’re simply spending time or investing it in something that will benefit you later.
Understanding this mindset can help you communicate more naturally with American colleagues while also making more thoughtful decisions about how you use your time.
Check out BE 635: How Piggybacking Can Boost Your Performance at Work for more practical business English expressions.
What’s one thing you think is worth investing more time in at work?
Share your answer in the comments below!
