Redefining Success Through Time
My conversation with Kara got me thinking about time — how we spend it, how we protect it, and what it says about what we value.
She said something that hasn’t left me since:
“Success, for me, is full autonomy over my time.”
That kind of freedom doesn’t come early. It comes with experience, when you’ve lived enough to realize that control over your hours is the real luxury.
When we’re young, success feels loud. It’s often tied to money, titles, or recognition. But the more you hear from people who’ve built meaningful lives — not just impressive ones — the clearer it becomes that what we’re chasing might not be what we truly want.
So this week, I sat down to ask myself: What am I actually chasing?
An exercise by Codie Sanchez helped me find clarity.
She says there are three people you need to outwork:
Your past self — the one who got comfortable. Do the things they didn’t want to do. Wake up early. Show up when they wouldn’t.
Your role model — study them, learn from them, and then do 10% more than them.
Your doubter — the one who believes you can’t do it. Don’t argue. Don’t explain. Just keep showing up until they can’t ignore you.
When you understand those three, your goals start to realign. You stop chasing validation and start chasing growth — the kind that makes your time, your energy, and your story fully your own.
Because at the end of the day, success isn’t about doing more. It’s about becoming someone your past self wouldn’t recognize — and your doubters can’t deny.
A Reminder of Time in Numbers
The other reminder came from Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO, where he lays out how many days we have left. When you see that number, it adds real perspective.
Here’s what time looks like in days, based on an average life expectancy of 77 years:
Look at those numbers. Really look at them.
The time we’ve lost is never coming back. What we have is the future — and seeing it quantified like this puts a completely different lens on everything we do.
It’s not about being morbid. It’s about being honest. Every day you spend doing work that drains you, staying in situations that don’t serve you, or waiting for “someday” — that’s a day off the right side of this table.
The question isn’t whether you have time. It’s what you’re doing with the days you have left.
How I’m Protecting My Time
Understanding the value of time is one thing. Actually protecting it is another. Over the coming weeks, I’m implementing a few techniques to make sure my days count:
Time Blocking — I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s one of the most effective methods I’ve found. By assigning specific blocks of time to specific tasks, I eliminate decision fatigue and ensure my priorities actually get done.
Eat the Frog — Tackle your hardest, most important task first thing in the morning. Everything else feels easier after that. It’s about building momentum and making sure the day doesn’t get away from you before you’ve done what matters most.
Task Batching — Instead of switching between different types of work throughout the day, I’m grouping similar tasks. Respond to all emails in one block. Handle all calls in another. It reduces the mental cost of context-switching and helps me get into a flow state faster.
The 1-3-5 Rule — Each day, I’m committing to completing one big thing, three medium things, and five small things. It keeps me realistic about what’s achievable while ensuring I’m making progress on what matters. Not everything can be urgent, and this framework helps me stay grounded in that truth.
These aren’t just productivity hacks. They are ways of saying: my time matters. My attention matters. And I’m going to treat both with the respect they deserve.
Because when you realize how finite your days are, you stop letting other people’s priorities dictate how you spend them.
What I’m Reading
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Parenting lessons that go beyond kids — on empathy, repair, and giving yourself grace.
Indistractable by Nir Eyal
A framework for reclaiming focus in a world built to steal it — and learning to spend attention like it’s currency.
What Else Dropped This Week
Off Script
Confidence isn’t about volume — it’s about clarity. The truth about leadership when you’re figuring it out as you go.
→ The Truth About Leadership Confidence
Under the Hood
How two founders turned acne into a $90M fashion statement — and built a cult brand by rejecting beauty’s old rules.
Note to My Future Self
You don’t need to sprint to prove you’re moving. Slow can be powerful when it’s intentional. Consistency and belief in yourself are what matter.
Keep building in silence. Keep showing up even when it’s not glamorous. And keep remembering that freedom isn’t found in doing everything; It’s found in doing what matters to you.
“ Don’t count the hours,make the hours count.”
Be bold. Be real. Be Anomalous.
— Sai Menon