Poking Holes in the Time Bucket

Almost everyone would agree that time is the most precious thing we have. Every minute that passes is gone and can never be retrieved. It is gone forever. 

Less time to learn. 

Less time to love. 

Less time for experiences. 

Less time to serve others. 

And because time is so precious, most people would say that what they seek most is freedom. They want to be free to do what they want, when they want. They pursue money to buy their freedom but it usually has the opposite effect.

When they examine how they spend their days and especially their weekends, the thing they waste the most is … time. It is a slippery slope.

There is a natural tendency in our society to pursue happiness through addition. More stuff. I love luxuries as much as anyone - the point here is not that more stuff won't make you happy. The point is that if time and freedom is what you seek, some of those things actually hold you back. They poke holes in your time bucket.

In the last several years, I’ve come to realize that my own personal fulfillment and happiness is improved more by taking some things away than by adding. As a result, I am getting more time to love, to learn, experience and serve by getting rid of things and I'm living a truly extraordinary life, even if you can't tell that from the car I drive or where I live.

Before we moved to LA, we had a fairly large house that we designed together with an architect and had built on spec. It had four acres, a pool, a hot tub. In the winter, I built a huge skating rink. It was an idyllic place when we had young kids. Bonfires, huge parties, bands, people camping in the back yard. No regrets. But as the kids grew up and some of our friends got old and boring it became a time sink, a huge contrast to our life now.

When we sold our house and moved to LA from Ottawa we decided to move into an apartment complex in Playa Vista California near Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles. A small 1,400 sq ft apartment from a huge house. Our two older daughters aged 23 and 21 actually share a room because we couldn’t find a bigger place here. 

But it was worth it. It is a beautiful complex with two pools, two hot tubs, a gym, a yoga room, shared BBQs everywhere. 10 minutes from the beach. Everything within walking distance and since both my wife and I work remotely, we don’t have an office to commute to. 

Zero time doing the lawn. 

Zero time buying stuff for the house.

Zero time fixing things around the house.

Zero time cleaning the garage.

Zero time commuting (except when I bike to a coffee shop).

Zero time testing the pool and going to the pool store to buy chemicals.

Zero time painting walls.

Zero time rebuilding the deck.

Zero time at Home Depot and other stores.

Virtually zero time cleaning (apt is 1,400 sq ft).

Virtually zero time shopping - we don’t buy stuff cause we don’t need it and there’s nowhere to put it anyway + we prefer to spend $ on travel and adventures.

Virtually zero time watching TV - 30 minutes max before bed

Instead I:

Bike 1-2 hours on most days

Have early mornings and evenings to work on our meditation company side hustle.

Weekends consists of working on the meditation company early in the morning then hiking, swimming and exploring California with my wife and three daughters who are now young adults.

I’ve lost 37 pounds and the healthiest and youngest I’ve been in 20 years.

I have dinner with the family every night and we sit and chat (to be fair we always did that) but now that they are adults, it is even more special.

My wife and I hang out all the time and we go an adventures nearly every week.

And I’m about to start surfing.

I have TIME to:

Live

Love

Experience 

Serve

despite being an exec in a fast growing tech company and running a meditation company on the side. 

It’s all a question of priorities, knowing what you want and living with INTENTION. 

I know this sounds self serving in a "look at my life" kind of way. It really isn’t intended to be. I’m trying to wake people up. You don't have to be rich to have freedom.

You HAVE to take some quiet time every day so you can get some clarity about what truly matters to you. 

For me it is having amazing experiences, loving, serving people, living fully and having TIME to do so. For you, it might be something else but TIME is still the key currency.

There are sacrifices. I don’t have millions in the bank, I don't have a big house on the beach and I don’t drive a Porsche (though I do love my Jeep). Sometimes there are things I can’t afford. I have to say no more often than I’d like.

But if TIME is the most precious currency, sometimes you have to take things away because every extra square foot of space and every item you buy could be poking a hole in your time bucket and it’s so easy not to notice until it’s too late. 

Take some time. Get clear.