Living Like Time Actually Matters
I’ve been thinking a lot about time. Not in the color-coded calendar way, but in the quiet moments where you feel your life moving and recognize you’re not getting any of it back.
Brad Prendergast and I talked about this in the latest episode, and it brought up something I’ve been sitting with for a while.
Most of my life, I lived in the “when I finally” mindset.
When I finally get through this season.
When work slows down.
When I catch up.
Then I’ll rest. Then I’ll enjoy. Then life can begin.
But “finally” never shows up. Something else always fills the space. There is always another deadline, another goal, another thing to get done before we can breathe.
4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman “Whatever compelled your attention from moment to moment is simply what your life will have been.”
That line hit hard. It’s an audit moment to check in and ask, “Is this really what I want my life to add up to?” “Is this where I want my time to go?”
I don’t want the story of my days to be a blur of rushing and scrolling. I want to remember the people I showed up for. The conversations that moved me. The moments that actually felt like a life.
Reading that line made me pay attention differently. It made me put my phone down more. It made me take stock of who I’m giving my minutes to. If attention is the currency, I want to spend it well.
There’s another question this conversation surfaced. “When is it enough, and what is enough?”
Enough looks different for everyone, but for me, it’s pretty simple.
Enough is time with my people.
Enough is work that lets me contribute and still live.
Enough is curiosity, learning, and the chance to create memories that feel like mine.
And if those things don’t show up in how I’m spending my time, something’s off.
This episode isn’t about guilt or perfection. It’s about awareness.
It’s about noticing what you’ve been giving your life to.
It’s about taking inventory and asking yourself if your time lines up with what you say matters.
