On the Shortness of Time

"There is so much time left in the day!"
"I have 10 hours free this Saturday. I’ll get so much done!"

"The day went by so fast…"
"I can’t believe it’s already 8PM…"

These expressions of elation and dismay are commonplace in the modern world. For those who wish to achieve anything of significance, time truly is of the essence. We are overwhelmingly excited by its abundance and routinely alarmed by its finitude.

Time is our most valuable resource. We freely waste time every single day because we are often uncomfortable or unwilling to confront its bounds. We give away time cheaply, and then long for it when we find ourselves short. Our bias toward short-term gratification siphons our attention in small, forgettable moments that add up to years of lost time and unmade memories.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Together, let’s dissect the hours of my average weekday:

• The day starts with 24 hours.
• I commit 8 to sleep. We’re down to 16.
• Throw in another 30 minutes each for wake and sleep routines, and we’re down to 15.
• Can’t forget work. Consider it at least 8 hours. We’re down to at most 7.
• Exercise is a priority. To exercise in the gym, swim laps, and shower takes me about 2.5 hours on a non-recovery day. We’re down to 4.5.
• I should probably cook and eat, now that you mention it. Call it an hour each for lunch and dinner, and let’s pretend breakfast doesn’t exist for fun. We’re down to 2.5 hours.

Allow me to re-iterate. After the bare essentials of living are subtracted, I have potentially 2.5 hours per weekday to complete, or enjoy, all other aspects of my life. This includes writing, reading, learning, cleaning, speaking with my family, spending time with friends, working on personal projects, walking, shopping, going out to eat, listening to music, brainstorming, journaling, planning, and beyond.

For the record, the weekends alone are not enough to do all of this either.

Notably, my time breakdown also excludes many unplanned parts of our lives that inevitably come up. We can’t forget unexpected social calls, medical appointments, figuring out one’s finances, a social gathering that runs long, late nights at work, vacations, emergencies, spontaneous conversations with strangers, bad days, commitments we’ve made to help others, and many, many more.

And somehow, we still find time to waste time.

How much time do you really have to spare? How much of your precious time are you losing online? Wake up to the reality that time is short. The same cycle of elation and dismay that applies to any given Saturday will carry over to our lifetimes. Time may feel plentiful now, but we will inevitably experience its brevity as we run out the clock.

I admit, it is much easier to live in ignorance of the shortness of time, for then we can abstain from having to make tough choices about our priorities. Are you comfortable resigning yourself to that?

As a well-known Chinese proverb beautifully illustrates, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." We have let comfort and convenience numb us to how often we choose the easy hour over the important one.

And yet, today begins like every other day: with a choice.

The past is already spent, but your next hour isn’t. You will need to put in the work. You will have to make sacrifices. Complete the same exercise that I did above for yourself. Choose your priorities, and make time for the important things. Accept that you cannot control all of your time, and take the reins to seize the rest of it.

Let’s get started. Right now.