We have (the) Time

In my latest blogs, doubt suddenly hit me. I started to seriously question whether the content still met the idea behind 'luxury living.'

Steph then reminded me of a list I once shared with her—a list from social media that I fully endorse and borrow to share on our site. It contains keywords on how one could describe (a) luxury (life).

According to the social media source, luxury further means:

• Time (my interpretation: especially the ability to manage your own time)

• Health

• A calm mind

• Chilling without guilt

• The possibility to travel

• A good night's sleep

• Relaxed and 'boring' days

• Meaningful conversations

• Home-cooked meals

• People you love

• People who love you

Some of these are no-brainers, and the list is not exhaustive—it can be different for everyone. I do want to add something that also represents luxury for Mil and me: being able to be outside. And that can mean anything from walking and exercising outdoors to sitting on a terrace to hanging laundry (even in the winter!).

In this context, my concerns about my sleep were entirely plausible to mention.

What is certainly also luxury—and something you don't always think about—is time. Because no matter how you look at it, we are always short on time. Therefore, I consider time to be a real luxury only when you can manage it yourself. Time to chill (without guilt), time to spend on a relaxed and boring day. Let's face it, if you’re in the peak of your life, building your career while starting a family, other people mainly have control over your time: employers, children, and eventually parents...

Having the time and using it to read a book and expand your mind is also luxury.

Last week, I finished reading the book 4000 Weeks. This will be the last time I mention the book or quote from it... The friend who visited last week asked me afterward to name the top 3 actions I would now implement for myself, but also the top 3 actions I would discard. I thought it was a great question, but I couldn’t provide a ready-made answer. Maybe I could name one thing. Besides the fact that I don’t read quickly, I had highlighted many passages while reading. So I thought I’d be able to answer my friend's question quite quickly. It turned out I was wrong. So the question really made me think.

A few days ago, my wife and daughter played a prank on me. Mildred has now also started reading the book, and Steph asked if she had her own copy of the book. When Mildred denied it, she was asked whether she wouldn’t be influenced by the highlighted passages of mine.

So now I’ve started summarizing my highlights...

222 pages and 71,000 words later, I have to condense everything into a top 3 of Do’s and a top 3 of Don’ts. Before sharing both lists, I want to describe one passage because it’s so relatable, and the explanation really resonates with me:

Do you also find that as you get older, time seems to pass faster? And that when you were younger, time seemed to last forever?

The author’s reasoning is that when you’re young, you’re constantly confronted with a wealth of new experiences. We remember this as eternity. When you’re older, your days (and thus your life) become more filled with routine. You’ve experienced everything already. This means that you create fewer memories, and "the increasingly empty years are compressed."

With this in mind, I eventually came up with an answer for my friend. If time seems to go faster as we get older, the solution might be to consciously create moments that stand out and linger.

'Hell Yes':

• Create (consciously) new experiences

• Practice daily a short period of 'Doing Nothing'

• Stay curious (‘Embrace uncertainty’)

'F!# No':*

• Scrolling, whether it’s social media (which I barely do) or reading the news a few times a day

• Procrastinating because the result might fall short (of your own imagination). "You can never deliver work according to the criticism of your own imagination, so you might as well just start"

• Letting go of endlessly chasing your future

Reading will remain an important part of my daily life, and this book has truly impacted me, opening my eyes. Now it’s important to actually do something with the real lessons for myself.

Sunny regards, 

Carlo 

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Key points:

• Sleep is a luxury: Good sleep enhances your health, creativity, and mood.

• Change habits: Small adjustments in your routine can improve your sleep.

• Listen to your body: Pay attention to your body, create balance, and stay flexible in your approach to sleep.

Click below to continue your journey towards better sleep and ensure that the key points from this blog remain woven into your life.

Life Inspiration (book recomendation /food for the brains): Die With Zero, here

Life Hack (exercise): number 05, here