Time Billionaire

The term “Time Billionaire” was coined by investor Graham Duncan:

“A million seconds is 11 days. A billion seconds is slightly over 31 years…I feel like in our culture, we’re so obsessed, as a culture, with money. And we deify dollar billionaires in a way…And I was thinking of time billionaires that when I see, sometimes, 20-year-olds — the thought I had was they probably have two billion seconds left. But they aren’t relating to themselves as time billionaires.”

The point he was trying to make was: Time is our most precious asset.

When we’re young, we’re literally rich with time. At age 20 (assuming we live to 80), we probably have about two billion seconds left. By 50, just one billion seconds remain.

But as Graham Duncan pointed out, we don’t relate to ourselves as the “Time Billionaires” that we really are. Most of us fail to realize the value of this asset until it is gone. Treat time as your ultimate currency — it’s all you have and you can never get it back!

“Time Billionaire” isn’t necessarily about having the actual time, but being aware about the precious nature of the time you do have. It is about embracing the shortness of life and finding joy in ordinary daily moments of beauty.

Sahil Bloom recently shared this data via twitter on who we spend our time with over the course of our lives:

Time spent with Children:

It’s scary to look at the data on the short time parents get with their children. It peaks in the 30s and declines sharply thereafter. The “Magic Years” will fly by if you let them.

Be present in every moment. Slow down and embrace the sweetness.

Time spent with Family:

Time with parents and siblings is no better. It peaks in childhood and declines after age 20. Time with family is limited.

So we have to prioritize and cherish every moment.

Time spent with Partner:

Who you choose as a partner is the most important decision you’ll ever make. Find someone you genuinely enjoy spending time with.

Never settle for less than love.

Time spent with Coworkers:

You’ll spend a lot of time at work. Who you choose to work with is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.

Find work — and coworkers — that create energy in your life.

Time spent Alone:

Diminishing time with family and children is replaced by more time alone. It steadily increases throughout your life.

Embrace solitude. Find joy in the time you have to yourself — there will be a whole lot of it as you get older.

We spend most of our lives playing a game: Everything we do is in anticipation of a future. When it comes, we just reset to the next one:

• “I can’t wait until I’m 18 so I can [X].”
• “I can’t wait until I’m 25 so I can [Y].”
• “I can’t wait until I’m 45 so I can [Z].”

It’s natural, but it’s a dangerous game — one that we will lose…eventually.

We waste a lot of energy on past and future when present is all that’s guaranteed. We push for more — but really, we need to find our enough.

Never let the quest for more distract you from the beauty of enough.

Key Takeaways:

1. Family time is limited — cherish it.
2. Friends time is limited — prioritize real ones.
3. Partner time is significant — never settle.
4. Children time is precious — be present.
5. Coworkers time is significant — find energy.
6. Alone time is highest — love yourself.

There’s a saying that goes like “The days are long, but the years are short.”

Treat time as your ultimate currency — it’s all you have and you can never get it back. Spend it wisely, with those you love, in ways you’ll never regret!