Life is short. If you're lucky, you got around 80 years. Let's deduct the first 20 years, where you're lost in your little bubble, and another 10 years where you're figuring out how to survive outside this bubble. So let's say you're 30, you got around 50 years left, which might seem like a lot, but it's not actually as much as you think.
As you get older, you'll start seeing your parents and family a lot less. Maybe just once or twice a year during the festive break. So in reality,
you'll only see them another 10 to 20 times, and even then you'll probably be on your phone, rather than being fully in the moment. Because the problem is, we act like we're going to live forever, and waste majority of our time chasing the wrong things, or thinking about the past, and worrying about the future, rather than actually living in the moment.
So if time is our most valuable resource, how do we spend it more wisely? Well, here are three things which will change the way you think about time. Imagine yourself on your deathbed taking your last breath. In that moment, will you think, I wish I worked extra hard in my career and had the words senior or chief in my job title? I highly doubt it. Instead, you'll probably think, I wish I spent more time with my family and friends. But by then it'll be too late.
The only people who will remember your long hours is your family, not your boss or coworkers. In fact, by then they probably won't even remember your name. So learn to prioritize your time. Don't waste it on things that won't matter at the end of your life. Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're being productive.
Now speaking of family and relationships, according to our world and data, as kids we spend most of our time with family, as we enter adolescence, we start spending more time with friends. Then fast forward to adulthood, we spend majority of our time with our partner, and maybe with kids of our own. Around the same time, we spend a significant amount of hours with our coworkers.
But as we age and reach post-retirement, our social circle starts to reduce. Maybe our kids have moved out, and our partner is no longer around. So we end up spending most of this time alone. If this isn't how you want your life to play out, then you need to start investing in relationships that bring you the most joy,
because those you love won't be around forever.
Now spending your entire life chasing money, just so you can buy a slightly bigger box is probably the easiest way to waste your life.
However, if you use money wisely, it can provide the best leverage against time. For example, if something takes you 10 hours to complete, but someone can do it in half the time, or they're just better than you in that particular thing, then outsourcing these tasks would be a pretty good return on investment. Especially if your 10 hours are worth more than the cost of the service.
Either literally in monetary terms, or in terms of peace of mind, knowing you've got an expert doing the job, rather than you taking shortcuts. Similarly, when you start viewing time as a currency, you'll think twice before spending 15 million on a flashy car. As in reality, you're not just paying 15 million. You're giving away one to three years of your life just to pay for a fancy logo.
So maybe the old saying, time as money wasn't so wrong after all. In short, your time here is limited. You can either waste it chasing the wrong things, or invest in things which make life a bit more meaningful. Ultimately, if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. So choose wisely.