It's later than you think

Time is of the essence. Time flies, and it's later than you think

A giant hourglass beside a person working late under a lamp, illustrating that time is running short
Time is of the essence. Don't wait to follow your dreams! Image generated using DALL-E

This piece was originally published as part of the 57th edition of my newsletter.

Throughout our lives, we often find ourselves thinking "I'll do that later", "There's still time", "It can wait", "Next year we'll...", etc.

In reality, when we think like that, we're just making bets against an unknown future. It's impossible to know what the future might hold. Yes, we might have time later. Yes, we might be able to X a year from now. But it's all hypothetical.

"Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think ... The years go by, as quickly as a wink"

We shouldn't gamble our future mindlessly. Instead, we need to make the best of our most precious resource: our time.

You might want to become an expert at the piano, an opera singer, a famous author, a rock star, a wealthy businesswoman, a jet pilot, or a politician. You might actually reach some of those goals, but there's only so much we can do during our ~4000 weeks on earth. Lots of people keep dreaming and acting as if they were immortal, but none of us are (and it's probably for the better).

The bigger the decision, the more fear-inducing it is. That's where decision-making power, gut feeling, and optimism are decisive.

Choisir, c'est renoncer (Choosing is refusing)

Making decisions requires choosing. Choosing to live a life that is more in line with our aspirations and desire for freedom. Daring to hope for a brighter future amidst uncertainty and doubt. Choosing means inviting life. It's preferring to make tough calls rather than to refrain, living in fear, and having regrets.

Choosing an absolute order between important life goals is the toughest part of our personal journeys. It implies consciously choosing what we might never get to do and being at peace with that, knowing that there's no time for it all.

We all grow up thinking that time is infinite, and often realize too late that it really isn't. Life is shorter than we imagine.

Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, It's later than you think

That's it for today! ✨


Go Further

How to fight against decision fatigue
Our decision-making power is limited. Each day, it quickly depletes as we make decisions. Learn more about decision fatigue and discover tips to avoid it
Chasing Joy Over Career: Why Happiness Should Be Your Priority Now
Stop optimizing for money and status. Focus on happiness instead.
Why The Right Time is Now
Waiting for the right time is an illusion. Let me tell you why

Want to go deeper?

Clarity 101 Workshop - Stop Drifting, Start Designing Your Life
1-hour video workshop teaching the complete framework to find your direction, define your values, create your Personal Manifesto, find your Ikigai, and make decisions you won't regret. €19.99

About Sébastien

I'm Sébastien Dubois, and I'm on a mission to help knowledge workers escape information overload. After 20+ years in IT and seeing too many brilliant minds drowning in digital chaos, I've decided to help people build systems that actually work. Through the Knowii Community, my courses, products & services and my Website/Newsletter, I share practical and battle-tested systems.

I write about Knowledge Work, Personal Knowledge Management, Note-taking, Lifelong Learning, Personal Organization, Productivity, and more. I also craft lovely digital products and tools.

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