Misconcept

16th May 2025

#004

Read this if you feel like you never have enough time

When was the last time you asked someone how they were and didn't hear some version of "busy"? Being busy has become our default state—even a badge of honour—as if our packed schedules prove our worth and importance to the world. While we outwardly joke about our perpetual busyness, inwardly we feel exhausted and stuck.

The problem isn't about having too many things to do and too little time. It’s the stories we tell ourselves about what we should do with our limited time. In reality, the “things you have to do” are actually “things you think you have to do” based on an unexamined set of narratives about tradition, success and what it means to be a “good person” that you’ve accepted and feel obligated to live by, creating your own invisible prison.

Here's a terrifying yet liberating truth: Unless your life is in danger, you don't actually have to do anything.

Every "must do" on your list is a choice you made, consciously or not. When you believe you "must" attend that family gathering or complete that task, what you're really saying is that the consequences of not doing it outweighs the cost of doing it. But how often do you deliberately examine these trade-offs against what truly matters to you?

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Here’s how you can start taking control:

1. Define your unique life goals

When you fail to define your own life goals, others will gladly define them for you. You’ll inherit a haphazard collection of “shoulds” that pile up on your todo list but may have little to do with what truly matters to you.

2. Make conscious opportunity cost decisions

Even with clear goals, you must make peace with time’s finite nature. Every moment spent on one thing is inevitably a moment not spent on another. When you accept this reality and are guided by your unique life goals, you can make better decisions on what to spend your time on.

Oliver Burkeman on the real problem with managing time

The practical path forward

If you want to stop feeling like you never have enough time, start by recognizing that you always have a choice in how you spend your time. The moment you realize that almost everything you think you 'must' do is actually a choice, you regain the power to choose differently.

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What's one activity you feel obligated to do but, if no one knew or cared, you wouldn't want to do at all?

Thanks for reading!

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