// Debugging my `Time Usage`

For a long time, I mistakenly measured my days by how busy I was.

Especially right after 12th grade, read to completely dive into the tech world, I felt constantly engaged – learning, building, chasing projects. But looking back now, I can see that a lot of that intense activity didn't translate into meaningful forward momentum.

It took me a while to grasp why, and the simple, powerful truth hit me: it wasn't about how much I was doing, but how I was truly spending my time – the one resource more precious than anything else, because once it's gone, it's gone.

---

A Bit of My Story

Let me get real for a second about myself.

After finishing with high school final exams, I dove straight into the tech world — working on projects, learning like crazy, and figuring things out mostly on my own.

→ Sounds productive, right? ←

Well, sort of.

Because alongside all that "learning," I also wasted tons of time.

I enrolled in random online courses that promised "ultimate mastery"... and barely finished a few modules. I spent hours on YouTube, hopping from coding tutorials to cat videos faster than I care to admit. Oh, and gaming? Let’s just say I might have completed more side quests in video games than in real life some months.

Looking back, it wasn’t that I wasn’t doing anything.

It was that I wasn't doing what actually moved me forward and not being actually obsessed with my passion.

---

How I (Slowly) Flipped My Script

It didn’t happen overnight (no magical montage moment for me).

But over time, I realized something powerful: the best "hack" for my life was managing my time well.

Here’s what helped me:

• Brutal prioritization: If something doesn’t align with my goals, it’s a polite "nope."

• Setting mini-deadlines: Because future me loves to procrastinate unless there’s some pressure I set.

• Self-audits: Every 1-2 weeks, I ask myself — "Am I spending time or just spending energy?"

And honestly, once I started respecting my time, everything changed for me.

Better projects, better skills, better mindset.

Sure, I still relax (I'm not a productivity robot), but now it’s intentional — not just endless doom-scrolling or mindless gaming marathons.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." — Chinese Proverb

(This quote is great because it's about starting, taking action despite delay, and the present moment being the most important time to begin.)

---

Why Time Is My Real Currency 💰

I started imagining my life as a bank account.

Every morning, I get 86,400 seconds deposited into my "time account."

I can't save it. I can't transfer it. I can't borrow from tomorrow.

Whatever I don’t spend wisely? Poof — it’s gone by midnight.

If someone handed me ₹86,400 every day, I'd be very careful about how I spent it, right?

But with time? I used to treat it like unlimited free samples at a mall. Now, I try to be more mindful.

---

A Little Perspective I Gained

If I'm 20 today, I know I have around 18,000 days left (give or take).

Not years — days.

Feels different when I say it like that to myself, doesn't it?

Every "I'll do it next year" costs me something I can't replenish. Every mindless hour now is an opportunity cost later for me.

"Either you run the day, or the day runs you." — Jim Rohn

---

Final Thoughts: I'm Spending It Like It’s Gold

At the end of the day, I realized I'm not rich or poor based on money —

I'm rich or poor based on how I've spent my time.

I want to build a dream career? Write a book? Finish that YT-videos watch later backlog ?

It’s all just a matter of where I choose to invest my hours.

I'm trying to make time my ally — not my excuse.

Because at the end of life, I know I won’t wish I had made more money.

I'll wish I had made more memories.

---