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12 Oct, 17 tweets, 3 min read
9 Lessons from Seneca on how to manage our Time Effectively

- thread -
We tend to measure our time in terms of quantity.

But Ancient Stoic Seneca suggests that what matters is quality.
Time is only short if you waste it

Contrary to the popular perception of life is short,

Seneca's view is that we have enough time to accomplish our goals and live an extraordinary life,

as long as we treat time as our most precious resource.
Create immediate rewards for long-term goals

Your future self values discipline and long-term rewards.

When it comes time to take action, your present self values short-term gratification.

Counter this problem by making rewards for your long-term goals immediately.
Contemplate Death

Seneca believed the real reason why we waste so much of our time isn’t poor time management.

It is that we often forget that we are going to die:

The further away we perceive our death to be, the more likely we’ll take today for granted and waste time.
Recognize that busyness is the ultimate distraction

Seneca argues that busyness is an illusion of productivity that actually steals our valuable time:
We often blame external triggers, people, social media, emails

for our inability to stay focused and avoid distractions.

But in reality, it’s our internal state of emotions that influences our productivity.

Busyness is simply a symptom of a negative internal state of emotions.
Avoid wasting time planning for the future

Often we postpone our happiness until the future,

but Seneca argues that ironically this “future” we obsess about doesn’t exist

only the present does.
Don’t be overambitious

This is the vice of the consumerist culture we live in today.

We strive to work harder and longer, to acquire and achieve more things.

Yet, we experience more anxiety, burnout, stress, and unhappiness.
Spend time reflecting on your past.

Seneca argues that reflecting on events
and lessons from your past will not only prevent time-wasting mistakes in the future

but also provide clarity on how to live a better life.
Prepare for the worst-case scenario

Seneca suggests that one of the best ways to overcome procrastination is to practice what Stoics refer to as Premaditatio Malorum.

In layman’s terms, it’s simply visualizing what could go wrong in the future.
Be true to yourself

When we’re young, we tend to settle for mediocre jobs, relationships, finances, and so on,

because we fear failure and worry about what others will think about us.
And when we’re old,

we realize the folly of this thinking, but it’s too late to go back in time and live fully.

It’s no coincidence that the biggest regret of the dying is living the life others expect of us,

instead of living a life true to ourselves.
I will share more valuable Lessons from Stoics in my upcoming newsletter.

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To read further: Check out this post from Mayo Oshin

smarterbraininsider.com/seneca-on-how-…
TL;DR

• Time is short
• Immediate rewards for long-term goals
• Contemplate Death
• busyness is the ultimate distraction
• Avoid planning future
• Don’t be overambitious
• Spend time reflecting on your past
• Prepare for black swan
• Be true to yourself.

• • •

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-- thread -- [2 min read]
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Read this

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Self-Tracking a powerful strategy for Self Awareness

- thread -
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Read 16 tweets

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