---
aliases: ["On the Shortness of Life"]
Is A: Note
Author: "Seneca"
Topics: ["[[topic-mental-health]]"]
URL: "https://example.com/shortness"
---
# On the Shortness of Life
*Seneca*

Seneca's central argument, written nearly two thousand years ago, remains devastatingly relevant: life is not short; we make it short by wasting it. We squander our time on trivial pursuits, on trying to please people who do not matter, on accumulating things we do not need, and on postponing the activities that would actually give our lives meaning. The essay is a direct challenge to anyone who claims to be "too busy" -- Seneca would argue that busyness is not a sign of importance but of poor prioritization. The person who spends their life preparing to live, but never actually living, has wasted the only resource that cannot be replenished.

What makes this essay hit differently for a founder is the specificity of Seneca's critique. He is not talking about lazy people wasting time. He is talking about ambitious, accomplished people who fill their days with activity but never step back to ask whether that activity is aligned with what they actually value. This is the default mode for anyone building a business: there is always another email to send, another feature to ship, another metric to optimize. Seneca would say that if you cannot articulate why you are doing any of it, you are not living -- you are merely occupied. The question is not "are you busy?" but "are you spending your time on what matters?"

I re-read this essay every December as part of my annual review. Each time, different passages land differently depending on what I have been doing that year. The core message -- that time is the only truly scarce resource and that how you spend it is the most consequential decision you make every day -- is simple enough to understand on first reading but takes a lifetime to internalize. Seneca is the antidote to the "hustle culture" that pervades the startup world, not because he opposes hard work, but because he insists that hard work without reflection is just a more respectable form of wasting time.

## Key takeaways

- Life is not short -- we waste it through poor prioritization, social obligations, and failure to reflect on what matters
- Busyness is not a virtue; it is often a sign that you are avoiding the harder question of whether your activities are meaningful
- Time is the only truly non-renewable resource -- money can be earned back, time cannot
- The "preoccupied" person (busy but unintentional) is Seneca's primary target: they are always preparing to live but never actually living
- Philosophical leisure (time spent in reflection, reading, and meaningful conversation) is not wasted time but the highest use of time
- Most people would not give away their money freely, yet they give away their time -- the more valuable resource -- without a second thought
- Annual reflection on how you spend your time is essential for staying aligned with your values

## How I apply this

- Every December, I do an annual time audit inspired by this essay. I look at how I actually spent my time over the past year (using calendar data and journal entries) and compare it to how I wanted to spend it. The gap is always humbling, but the exercise consistently redirects my priorities for the coming year.
- Seneca's critique of social obligations gave me permission to say no to events, dinners, and "coffee chats" that do not serve a genuine purpose. I no longer feel guilty about protecting my time -- I feel responsible for it.
- The distinction between being busy and being productive has become a daily filter. Before starting any task, I ask: "Is this important, or does it just feel urgent?" If the answer is the latter, it goes to the bottom of the list or gets eliminated entirely.

## Related

- [[on-founder-energy-management]]
- [[on-consistency-in-creative-work]]
- [[the-two-types-of-hard]]
- [[sleeping-more-is-a-superpower]]
- [[note-man-search-for-meaning]]
- [[note-the-obstacle-is-the-way]]
- [[note-essentialism]]
- [[note-the-effective-executive]]
- [[topic-mental-health]]
- [[topic-productivity-systems]]
