We spend much of our lives chasing after the next goal, never content with where we are right now. It’s easy to get so caught up in our aspirations that we never stop to appreciate what it took us to get here and how nice it is to be alive in the moment.

I am no exception. I remember when I was in school, there was always a source of constant dread, whether it was upcoming assignment deadlines, the perpetual sleep deprivation from overwork, the loneliness from not knowing how to make friends, or the recurring thought that I had no idea what I was doing with my life. Nowadays, I’m more established in my career, I have medications for my insomnia, I can leave work at work, I feel like I’m decently well-adjusted, and I’m generally satisfied with where my life is going—yet I’m still constantly focused on the future. Children! Financial independence! Retirement! The M3 Pro MacBook Pro! There’s always something around the corner.

I made this visualization so I could step back a bit and look at the bigger picture. I was surprised to find that, at the age of 26, I have already lived a third of my expected lifespan! Where has all the time gone?

It’s been a long journey to get to where I am today. I think it’s time for me to enjoy it, too.

Legend

Each tile represents one week of my life. Each row is 52 tiles wide. There are four thousand weeks in total, representing the expected lifespan of a person living in the United States.

Inspired by Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and other blogs that have similar visualizations.

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