The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.
Intentionally doing nothing—no phone, no thoughts, no stimulation—can be deeply restorative. This practice, akin to mindfulness, helps reset mental clarity and appreciation for the present moment.
“I sometimes literally do nothing and I think it's very valuable.”
Time, like money, is a finite and non-renewable resource. Every minute spent on one activity is a minute lost for another. This scarcity forces individuals to make deliberate choices about how to allocate their time, similar to financial budgeting.
“We can only spend a minute or an hour or a second once and we if we spend it on one thing we can't spend…”
Opportunity cost refers to what you give up when choosing one action over another. For time, this means every moment spent on one activity is a moment not spent on something else. This concept helps clarify why we should be more deliberate in how we use our time.
“The opportunity cost is what you do not do when you do something else.”
Just as people use mental accounting to manage money—dividing it into virtual budgets—we can apply the same principle to time. By assigning time blocks to specific tasks, we become more intentional and avoid wasting it on low-value activities.
“We can dedicate time to a certain activity and not use it for something else.”
In a behavioral experiment, Estonian police offered speeding drivers a choice: pay a modest fine or wait by the roadside for one hour. About half chose to wait, revealing how people implicitly value their time. This real-world test highlights the psychological cost of time versus money.
“They gave him a choice between paying... or they could wait for an hour... and then they could be... they could go get didn't have…”
“About half of the people they stopped opted to wait... you can imagine from that how much these people value their time.”
A study found that people view donated time as more praiseworthy than equivalent monetary donations, even when the money could achieve more impact. This reflects deeper social values around effort and visibility.
“In the eyes of others, the donation of time was seen as much more valuable.”
When asked which three mental models he’d take to a desert island, the guest chose cost-benefit analysis for decision-making, optimism bias for morale, and mindfulness for presence and resilience.
“I would take cost-benefit analysis... optimism bias... and mindfulness.”
Being aware of how we spend time allows us to make better decisions. Without awareness, we fall into autopilot mode, wasting time on low-value activities. Deliberate planning and mindfulness help us use time more effectively.
“It's about being conscious of time, being conscious that it's valuable and that you need to use it well.”
While deadlines make time salient and help focus effort, being too rigid can lead to suboptimal decisions. It’s important to weigh the true cost of missing a deadline versus the benefit of extra time.
“We should be careful not to treat [deadlines] as something that then becomes the dictator.”
Planning isn’t about rigid schedules but about deliberate control over time. Whether using digital calendars or mental tracking, the key is intentionality—knowing what you’re doing and why.
“It's about being in control of what you do when.”