We’ve all said it: “There’s just not enough time in the day!” But have we ever stopped to think about what it is we are actually doing with the time we have? In his recently released book, On the Back Burner, author and financial planner Lee Stoerzinger shows his readers that by figuring out what we want to leave behind, we can enrich the lives we have today. In short, we should all be living a life dedicated to the things we care about most. (Spoiler alert: Most of us aren’t doing that.)

For example, you say your family is a priority. If your mother was sick, you would drop everything to be with her. Why not re-prioritize now while she is healthy, so you can enjoy the time you have together? When your mother does get sick, do you know how she wants to spend her final days? These are just two examples of how we don’t prioritize the things that are important to us on a daily basis or make the most of the time we have now, rather than waiting until it is too late.

I’ve always been a fan of the saying, “I work to live, not live to work.” However, I do find myself in the company of those who claim, “I’d love to, but I don’t have time for that.” Though we work to live, most of us are not living because we aren’t spending our time on the things we care about most. Imagine: If we didn’t have society telling us we need to make this much money, join this group, do this and that, what would be do with our time? How would our lives be different? According to Stoerzinger, we live in a society that has us operating on the idea that whatever we do is never enough – not enough time, not enough money, etc. “Hunger and frustration over having more seems to be the acceptable norm, and it’s exhausting,” he writes.

According to Stoerzinger, we have a choice, and each choice affects the way we live our lives. Stoerzinger offers several topics that we often put on the back burner, including focusing on family, giving back to the community, evaluating our health, engaging in politics and planning for the future. Stoerzinger suggests we take a step back, define what is most important to us and live our lives with dedication to those things.

On the surface, this might seem like a utopian idea, but making small changes can make a difference. We all have to work to pay our bills, but that’s just eight or nine hours out of the 24 hours we are given each day. We so often lose sight of what’s important in life, like watching Chopped reruns rather than going for a run because it’s been a long day (who, me?). Perhaps reading On the Back Burner (it’s a quick 184 pages, you have time) might just help put you on the right track.

For more information, visit www.leestoerzinger.com