If time is money, that means I’ve got 24 hours in my pocket to burn on any given day – well, except tomorrow when I’ll be forced to hand one of my hard-earned hours over to the DST (Daylight Savings Time) and get nothing back for it except a better lit morning.

That’s what I call a poor return on investment.

Married some twenty years to my Finance-major college sweetheart, here’s what this English major grad has learned: money management is pretty straight-forward.

1. Balance how much you earn against how much you typically spend in any given month.
2. Pay yourself first by allocating dollars for savings.
3. Right or wrong, anticipate that the IRS is going to pocket some tax dollars (but you may get some back in a refund).

The payoff for properly managed dollars? Zero-debt and a hefty rainy day fund.

Time management is similar.

1. I balance my daily to-do list against 24 hours.
2. I pay myself first by allocating 8 hours right off the top for sleep.
3. Right or wrong, the DST is going to pocket an hour each March when we “spring ahead” (but I’ll get it back in October when we “fall back”).

The payoff for properly managed time? Zero to-do’s and a good night’s sleep.

Monday through Friday, my time budget is relatively fixed. The weekends, however, are similar to a futures market.

Like a stressed-out trader, I try to anticipate the impact on my time against things that are largely out of my control. If a good night’s sleep is akin to a well-stocked savings account, then stress is like credit card late fees or the cost of unanticipated car repairs (after the warranty has expired).

Compounding matters is the fact that I usually start the weekend in the red. If I charged things on a credit card, knowing full well I didn’t have the money to cover the expenses, I would dread the day the balance is due.

More often than not, I wake up with that same dread on Saturday mornings when all of the tasks I put off during the week come due. As a result, the word count on my weekend to-do lists can usually rival that of “Gone with the Wind”.

Nonetheless, I’ll keep managing my family’s time while my bean counter spouse manages the cash.

Fingers crossed, one of us remembers to set the clocks ahead before we go to sleep tonight…