We talk a lot about money. We track portfolios, obsess over income, and worry about retirement. But there’s a quieter, more fragile form of wealth we rarely measure - Time Wealth - the ability to spend your time on what truly matters, with the people who matter most, while you still can. As Sahil Bloom reminds us in The Five Types of Wealth, money can come and go. Time only goes. Yet most of us act like it’s unlimited. We load our calendars with meetings, notifications, and “just one more thing,” promising ourselves that we’ll make time for what matters later.

• Later with your parents.
• Later to play with your kids.
• Later to do the creative work, the travel, the healing, the rest.
• But later is not a guarantee. Later usually means never.

Time Wealth invites us into a different way of living—one where we treat time as our most valuable asset and design our lives around it. In Bloom’s framework, that starts with three pillars:

• Awareness.  Realizing time is finite and noticing how you’re actually spending it.
• Attention – Directing your focus toward what really matters instead of letting distractions run the show.
• Control – Proactively shaping your schedule so you own your time, instead of renting it out to everyone else.

Let’s walk through each pillar with practical tools you can use this week.

We all know time is limited, but most of us live as if we have an endless supply. The first pillar—Awareness—is about letting that reality actually shape your choices.
Bloom uses a powerful example: If you see your aging parents twice a year, and they might realistically live another 10–15 years, you don’t have “15 years left.” You might have 20–30 visits. That’s it. Suddenly, “Maybe I’ll go next year” feels very different.

This awareness echoes ancient wisdom: 

• Stoic “Memento Mori” – Remember your mortality so you stop wasting time on the trivial.
• Buddhist impermanence – Everything is changing; nothing is guaranteed. That makes the present moment more precious, not less.

Awareness isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant to wake you up. Create a “Visit Chart”
where you list total possible visits left with someone you love, visits you’ve already had, and  visits remaining (a small section at the end). Seeing that tiny remaining slice is a visual gut check. Conduct a Time & Attention Audit where you track your time every hour (or block of time) for 3-7 days. Then review your blocks, labeling each one of your blocks as high value
(meaningful, aligned with your priorities), necessary (admin, chores, basic maintenance), or l
low-value (scrolling, distractions, “killing time”).  Compare reality to your values. Ask yourself, "How much time is actually going to what you say matters?"

The Energy Audit. Not all hours feel the same. Bloom suggests mapping your energy, not just your activity. Create three lists with one list noting what was life-giving, a second list noting what was "neutral, and a third list indicating what was life-draining. Seek to reduce or redesign draining activities and to protect and expand energizing ones. Once you see where your time and energy go, you can start pruning.

You can also try Warren Buffett’s Two Lists Exercise where you write down your top 25 goals or projects, then circle your top 5, then seeking the remaining 20 as your avoid list.

Ask yourself:

• Where is there a clear gap between what you say matters and what your calendar reveals?
• Which “draining” activities could you delegate, redesign, or drop altogether?
• What relationship or activity would you regret not making time for in the next 12 months?

If You Want to Change Your Life, Change Your Focus. Awareness shows you the truth. Attention helps you do something with it. Many high-achievers live in a constant state of mental “split screen”: Work, notifications, messages, social feeds, quick tasks, tiny fires. They look productive on the outside, but inside they feel scattered and oddly empty.
The problem isn’t a lack of effort; it’s fragmented attention.

Use your time as you would a flashlight rather than a disco ball. A flashlight concentrates light in one direction with strong impact. A disco ball scatters tiny beams everywhere → lots of activity, not much depth. Most of us are living like disco balls. To reclaim your attention, try:

• Write three most important tasks on a small index card - just 3! These are the things that, if done, would make the day meaningful or move your life forward.
• Notice how Parkinson’s Law  shows up in your life - where work expands to fill the time you give it. Instead of “I’ll work on this all afternoon,” state, “I’ll give myself 45 focused minutes to draft this.” Shorter, focused sprints often beat long, fuzzy marathons.
• Experiment with batching & time blocking - where you batch similar tasks (i.e. emails, phone calls, planning, etc.) Block specific times for deep work—no meetings, no notifications, no multitasking.
• Practice saying "no" more often. Every “yes” to something trivial is a hidden “no” to something meaningful.

Ask yourself:

• Which distractions steal the most of your attention each day?
• If you could only accomplish three things tomorrow, what would they be?
• When you feel “busy but empty,” what pattern do you notice in how you’re using your attention?

Own your time Instead of renting it out.  Awareness and attention are powerful. But control is where time wealth becomes real: you intentionally shape your days instead of letting other people and emergencies do it for you. Most people’s calendars are fully booked—but not by them. Their time is rented out to urgent requests, recurring meetings, and obligations they never consciously chose. Time Wealth asks: What would it look like to own your time?

Rate yourself from 1 (rarely) to 10 (consistently):

• I deeply understand that my time is finite and live like it matters.
• I have identified my 2–3 most important personal and professional priorities.
• I can regularly focus my attention on those priorities.
• I feel that I control my schedule more than it controls me.

Control – Action Steps

• Give yourself a Time Wealth Score using the four questions above.
• Run the Energy Calendar challenge for 7 days.
• Choose one draining activity you’ll reduce, delegate, or redesign this month.
• Block one recurring time slot each week for something that truly matters (a walk, date night, reading, creative work, spiritual practice).

Control – Discussion Questions

• If you were truly in control of your time, what would your ideal week include more of? Less of?
• Which obligations on your calendar feel “non-negotiable”—and are they, really?
• What’s one boundary you could set that would instantly increase your sense of time freedom?

FINAL THOUGHT
Ask yourself: "What Will You Do with Your Time?"
Most people only start thinking seriously about Time Wealth when something shakes them awake: a loss, a diagnosis, a burnout, a birthday that feels too big. You don’t have to wait for that moment. Begin by:

• Growing your Awareness (time is finite),
• Sharpening your Attention (focus on what matters), and
• Claiming Control (shaping your days intentionally), you can begin reclaiming your life from the productivity trap—one decision, one boundary, one calendar block at a time.

Your next step:
What’s one small action from this article you can take today to increase your Time Wealth?
Write it down. Do it. Your future self will be grateful you didn’t wait.