Giovanna Bongiorno is pursuing a law/commerce degree at Curtin University. She currently serves as treasurer of the Curtin Student Law Society while working as a consultant on the employment team at KPMG.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Bongiorno underscored the significance of dedicating time towards nurturing valuable connections, even with the multitude of responsibilities legal professionals encounter.

Bongiorno, who describes herself as a “toxic over-committer”, understands the challenge of juggling numerous responsibilities while trying to cultivate authentic connections.

She adamantly contends that everyone possesses the same 24 hours each day, indicating that the problem lies not in a lack of time but in how individuals prioritise their commitments.

“I think rest and time is a concept that I’ve really been wrestling with recently. But everybody has 24 hours in the day.

“I think if you’re someone who’s sitting here listening to this saying, I just don’t have time to form genuine relationships or invest in people. I don’t have time to be mentored. I would argue that maybe you’re just putting your time in the wrong places or prioritising the wrong things,” she said.

Bongiorno encourages individuals to reflect on their values, examine how they spend their time, and identify what truly matters to them. This self-awareness helps them make informed decisions about where to invest their energy.

“Maybe you’re just someone who doesn’t have time to have friends. And I hope that nobody would want to be that person if we all have 24 hours in our day. And there are some people who can have awesome relationships, and some people who don’t. Maybe those people with incredible relational structures are just putting more value on that,” she said.

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Bongiorno emphasised how individuals can carve out space for nurturing connections amid their hectic schedules by reassessing priorities and identifying what truly matters.

“I would encourage you to think about how you spend your time, and maybe they’re all good things. Maybe you’re spending tons of time studying, and you’re working heaps, and you’re volunteering and whatnot. But why don’t you have a little think about, OK, what do I value?

“I do value this, and if you’re someone who’s thinking, ‘No. Maybe I do need to put a little bit more time and build strong relationships’, you might have to take some time from something else and invest it into building that community,” she said.

She emphasised the need for relaxation, but she noted that the excessive time many of us spend on our phones represents a significant opportunity cost.

“Maybe think about the time that you’re wasting. There’s definitely a space for downtime, there’s a space for being on your phone, and there’s grace for watching movies. But yeah, phone time’s pretty tragic. We all have a lot of it. Maybe you commit an hour to work in the car, and you could use that time. An hour on the train,” she said.

Bongiorno advocates for a mindful approach to time management, suggesting that even seemingly insignificant pockets of time can be used for building relationships.

“When I finish from work, I catch the train home, and normally I’ll spend that half an hour, 45 minutes calling one of my youth girls in high school who I mentor, and I’ll just ask them how their day was, what’s going on at school, what’s worrying them, what’s on their mind, how I can help them or maybe offer advice,” she said.

Drawing from her own experiences, Bongiorno highlighted that despite the temptation to indulge in leisure activities, she invests her time in mentoring high school students, recognising the profound impact of genuine connections.

“Some days I clock off from work, and I’m like, what I want to do right now is nothing. I just want to stare into space, or I want to go on Instagram, I want to watch TikToks of people Dyson air wrapping their hair.

“But instead, I choose to put that time aside and say, ‘No. I’m actually going to invest into people because people invested in me and also because I care about these girls.’ So, it is [a] sacrifice, but just maybe think about your priorities and how you can realign them,” she said.