As a Christian, there is a concept of giving called tithing. Based on examples in the Old and New Testaments, it is an intentional action of reserving a portion of your earnings and giving it back to God. Typically, it is 10%. Yet there is also an attitude of a generosity of the heart. “God loves a cheerful giver” is often used.
This is an acknowledgement that all things are God’s already and we are simply giving back to Him what is already His. Another phrase that is often bantered about is, “Giving of your time, treasure, and talents.” A reminder that it is not just about writing a check or giving Money, but tithing is about more than just cash.
For those who struggle with their use of time, asking to find more to give can add to an already stressful situation. Whether you tithe or not, what if you could find 10% more time in your life to pursue activities that bring more meaning to you? Read on and find out.
In reality, we can’t create time. It is constant and fixed. Yet, we can realign our current use to free up 10%. Unlike other generic approaches, time tithing is for diverting current consumption of time into life enhancing pursuits.
Across the Time Management Analysis (TMA) data, the average participant understands the value of time but struggles with consistency. Nearly 50% of participants fall into a “Time Modest” category. They plan with good intentions, but execution breaks down under distraction, multitasking, and fatigue.
Focus and personal care are the weakest areas, not motivation or effort. In practical terms, that means time isn’t lost to laziness, it’s lost to leakage. Interruptions. Reactive days. Overcommitting. Saying yes when a pause would be wiser.
When people intentionally reduce just one of those pressure points, they routinely free up 30–90 minutes a day. Over a week, that’s more than 10% of discretionary time already restored.
The Retirement Time Analysis (RTA) tells a similar story, but with higher stakes. Participants expect to spend 20–25% of their entire life in Retirement, often 20+ years. Yet fewer than half report having a clearly defined life purpose outside of work, and only about four in ten feel confident managing time without the structure of a job.
Time abundance is coming but meaning is not guaranteed. That gap matters. Because without intention, extra time doesn’t automatically become fulfilling time. It often becomes fragmented, overfilled, or quietly empty.
Most time leakage isn’t obvious. It shows up in your calendar.
The Calendar Time Analysis (CTA) asks you to evaluate how well you use your calendar based on personal, planning, and process related scenarios. Please respond to all items.
Tithing your time isn’t about doing more. It is reprioritizing to setting time apart is important and desired. I am a big fan of planning every hour during the week. This proactive approach allows me to negotiate with others when their demands conflict with mine.
If that feels unrealistic, understood – what if the goal wasn’t to optimize every hour but to intentionally reserve 10% of your time for what renews you spiritually, relationally, and emotionally?
Time for reflection, evaluation, Meditation, or prayer. Time for important Relationships with no agenda, just engagement. Time for service more on your timeline. Time for rest, not because of exhaustion, but because of renewal.
In Scripture, the tithe was never about scarcity, it was about alignment. A reminder of who provides, and what truly matters. The RTA and TMA data supports the same truth. When people align their time with purpose, structure improves, Stress declines, and satisfaction rises. Not because life gets simpler, but because priorities get clearer.
So, whether you’re still in career, approaching retirement, or already living post-career life, the invitation is the same, you don’t need more hours, you need more intentional hours.
If you Sleep 6 hours a night, 10% of that is over 12 hours a week. You might be thinking there is no way I can do that. Remember at the beginning when I mentioned the generosity of the heart? Be generous to yourself. Start small and grow into it. An hour here or there. Make room for more tithing time and let your life be richer in time.
David Buck is the author of the book The Time-Optimized Life, coauthor of The Retirement Collective, and owner of Kairos (Time) Management Solutions, LLC. Learn how to apply the concepts of proactively planning and using your time. Take the Time Management Analysis (TMA), the Retirement Time Analysis (RTA), or all the other free resources offered to help bring more quality time into your life.
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