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- Issue #1: One Billion Seconds ⏳
Issue #1: One Billion Seconds ⏳
Transitioning from Sleepwalker to Timekeeper
⚡ TL;DR
Having spent too much time on autopilot in the past, I decided to build Chronos Letter as a personal newsletter focused on reclaiming our most precious resource – time – and using it to build a more meaningful life. By combining honest reflections on time with practical tools and templates, I hope to help both of us take back control of our days.
💡 The Realisation
I still remember the evening the truth hit me. I was mindlessly scrolling on my phone (as usual) when a thought stopped me cold: If I’m lucky, I have around one billion seconds left on this earth.
One billion seconds – roughly 50-odd years (excluding sleep) if everything goes well. It sounds like a lot, but I felt a pit in my stomach. I hadn’t done anything truly meaningful with the first billion seconds of my life.
How could I waste so much time without even noticing?
That wake-up call didn’t come out of nowhere. I’d been reading On the Shortness of Life by Seneca, and one line especially rattled me: “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.” Those words sank in deep. I realized I had been living as if time was infinite – procrastinating, chasing the wrong goals, or just drifting.
Around the same time, I stumbled on the concept of The 5 Types of Wealth (from author Sahil Bloom). In his framework, “Time Wealth” is the ultimate wealth – the one thing you can’t earn back once it’s spent.
Between ancient philosophy and modern wisdom, the message was clear: time is my most important asset, and I’d been squandering it.
Sitting there that night, I felt equal parts terrified and motivated. Terrified because the clock is ticking and I can’t rewind it; motivated because now that I’m aware, I can’t go back to sleepwalking through life. I decided then and there to change how I approach my time on this planet.
🧟 The Archetype: The Sleepwalker
Looking back on my life up to that point, I realized I had become what I now call a “Sleepwalker”. This is the archetype of a person oblivious to time slipping away day by day.
A Sleepwalker shuffles through life half-awake, and I was definitely one of them. I want to introduce this archetype because maybe you’ll recognize some of these traits in yourself too:
Reactive: Living on autopilot, always reacting to whatever comes up instead of proactively steering the day. I’d grab my phone in the morning and boom, suddenly it was evening and I had no idea where the day went.
Distracted: Easily pulled away by every notification, email, and shiny object. My focus was constantly fragmented – a few minutes of work, then a quick peek at social media, then down some rabbit hole. I was busy, but not with anything that mattered.
Drained: By the end of each day I felt exhausted and burnt out, yet I had accomplished little of significance. Ever have one of those days where you’re tired because you did a thousand tiny things, none of which brought you joy or progress? That was me, every day. My energy was leaking out through countless small cracks.
Drifting: Perhaps the scariest trait – I had no clear direction. I was letting days and years slip by without working toward a purpose that excited me. I told myself I’d figure it out “someday,” but meanwhile I was drifting wherever the current of life pulled me, like a zombie with no destination.
In short, the Sleepwalker is unaware of how precious each day is. They’re alive, but not really living – just going through motions, stuck in loops of low-value habits. I was unaware of how much time I was wasting, and that ignorance was costing me my life in slow motion.
🤔 A Problem of Awareness and Control
Becoming aware of this problem was the first step – but awareness alone isn’t enough. I wish I could tell you that the very next day I transformed my habits.
The truth? The next morning I woke up full of resolve… and by afternoon I caught myself falling down a YouTube rabbit hole again.
Knowing isn’t the same as doing.
Realizing I was a Sleepwalker did not magically cure the years of ingrained behavior and distractions pulling at me.
I started noticing just how stealthy the drains on my time and energy were. It’s frightening: most people (my past self included) have no idea where their time really goes. Hours vanish in inboxes, mindless clicks, streaming binges, or doing favors we should’ve said no to. I’d often end the day wondering, “Why am I so drained?” – completely unaware that I’d given my best hours to things I didn’t actually value.
Even once you do become aware, regaining control is a whole new challenge. It’s like finally seeing all the junk food you’ve been eating – great, now you know, but resisting that next cookie is another battle.
I found myself struggling with discipline despite my newfound clarity. I’d promise to spend the evening working on a passion project, but a single notification could derail me. I lacked systems to back up my intentions.
It became clear that awareness without control meant frustration. I knew I was wasting time, but I felt powerless to stop the habits and interruptions that bled my time dry.
The core problem is this: we often overestimate our control when we have none, and underestimate our control when we actually could change things.
I finally admitted to myself that I needed help – not just more willpower (which fades) but better structures and tools to support the changes I wanted to make. I needed a shift in mindset and method.
🔄 The Shift: Toward Reflection and Tools
That’s why I’m here, writing this newsletter – to spark a shift in both of us. I refuse to remain a Sleepwalker. Instead, I’m committing to two things: deep reflection and practical action. Chronos Letter is my way of combining the two: each issue will hold honest reflection on how we use our time plus tangible tools or templates to help regain control of it.
Reflection is crucial.
Without regularly checking in on how I’m living, I know I’ll slip back into old patterns. So I’ll be asking hard questions: What did I actually spend my time on this week? Does it align with what I say my values are? Why do I procrastinate on things I claim are important?
I’ll share these personal insights, no matter how uncomfortable, because I suspect many of you struggle with the same questions. This is the philosophical side of the letter – drawing on wisdom from folks like Seneca or modern thinkers – to challenge our assumptions about time and prompt a fresh perspective.
But I don’t want this to be just navel-gazing. The other half of the equation is action: developing systems, habits, and tools to take back control.
Awareness must be followed by strategy.
In upcoming letters, I’ll include actionable templates and experiments I’m trying: things like a time-tracking journal to pinpoint where the hours go, a template for planning my week around what truly matters, or tips to minimize digital distractions (because let’s be real, our phones are often the real zombies, chewing up our brains 😅).
Some tools will work, others might flop – but I’ll be brutally honest about the journey. The goal isn’t to become a productivity robot or attain some perfect routine. The goal is just progress, not perfection – inching closer to a life where my seconds are spent intentionally, on things and people I care about.
Already, this shift in approach has given me a spark of hope. Instead of feeling helpless, I feel empowered knowing I’m actively working on change. And by writing it down here, I’m also keeping myself accountable.
Consider Chronos Letter an ongoing documentation of transformation – with you along for the ride. We’ll reflect deeply, implement slowly, fail occasionally, and keep moving forward.
🚀 The Timekeeper
If the Sleepwalker is one side of the coin, what’s on the other side?
I like to think of it as the Timekeeper. This is what I aspire to – to become a person who treats time not as an enemy or something to kill, but as a partner in creation. The opposite of a Sleepwalker isn’t just a “time management guru” or a hyper-productive hustler; it’s someone who is conscious of time’s value and uses it deliberately to craft a meaningful life. Instead of being a passive consumer of hours, I want to be an active protector of my days.
Here’s how I envision someone as a Timekeeper (the kind of person I’m striving to become):
Proactive: Rather than reacting to each day’s whims, they plan and prioritize their time around what matters most. They don’t let the week just “happen” to them – they design it. This means they notice where their hours are going and make conscious choices, instead of running on autopilot.
Focused: A keeper guards their attention fiercely. They know attention is a limited resource, so they set boundaries against distractions. Notifications, trivial errands, pointless meetings – they minimize these when possible. By saying “no” to what doesn’t matter, they can say “yes” to what does. Their respect for time shows in how they won’t carelessly give it away.
Energized: Unlike the sleepwalker who is constantly drained, the time-conscious keeper manages their energy wisely. They align their tasks with their natural energy levels, take breaks to recharge, and invest in their health. Because they spend more time on fulfilling activities and less on soul-sucking ones, they actually feel more alive. (Even their leisure is chosen intentionally, not just doom-scrolling out of fatigue.)
Purposeful: Most importantly, a timekeeper lives with purpose. They have a sense of direction – goals or passions that guide how they spend their days. Big or small, there’s something they’re building: a business, a craft, a family, a community, an legacy. Every day is a building block toward that vision. They aren’t drifting; they’re deliberately creating a life that means something to them.
This Timekeeper is not about being perfect (I’m sure even the best of us fall into zombie mode now and then). It’s about being aware and intentional enough that the majority of our time is spent living, not just existing. I’m done with drifting aimlessly.
I want to be the kind of person who knows that time is life – and who acts like it.
🔮 What’s Next?
This first issue is just the beginning of a long journey to reclaim time. So where is Chronos Letter headed?
In future issues, I’ll be exploring time’s relationship to money, relationships, energy, and choices. Time touches everything: how we hustle for a living, how we nurture our loved ones, how we take care of our bodies and minds, and how we decide what we say “yes” or “no” to.
I want to reflect on all these facets – for example, how chasing money can cost us time (and whether it’s worth it), or how being present with friends and family can be a greater wealth than any bank account. Expect some philosophical dives into these topics, always tied back to the practical question: What can we do about it now?
Alongside the reflections, I’ll share templates, tools, and systems I’m experimenting with to make the most of my time. Think of things like automating or delegating low-value tasks that eat up hours, so we free that time for high-value activities. I’m talking about simple hacks or resources – from scheduling tweaks, digital minimalism tips, to mindset shifts – anything that helps automate the trivial stuff and amplify the important stuff.
If I discover a way to save an hour on chores or emails, you’ll hear about it. If a new app or habit helps me stay focused on my creative work, I’ll break down how it works. The ultimate aim is to spend less time on what drains us and more on what fulfills us.
Thank you for reading this far and for joining me as I launch Chronos Letter. 🙏
I’m genuinely excited (and a bit nervous) to share this journey with you. Writing these words is my way of solidifying my commitment to change, and I hope it inspires something in you as well.
Time is the one thing we can’t get back, but it’s also the canvas on which we paint our lives. Let’s reclaim our time, little by little, and use it to craft something that matters.
Until next time, remember: every second counts. Let’s make the next ones count together.
Cheers,
Joesurfio