This may freak you out ...

This poster is hanging in my bathroom …

It is a visual representation of my lifespan, through my 88th birthday to be exact.

Each square represents one week.

And each Monday, I fill in a square with a black Sharpie.

Why am I engaging in this seemingly morbid madness?

I am embracing my finitude.

Think of it as a mash-up between two of the books that have changed my life (dramatic, perhaps … but true): Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity and Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.

How often do we casually say things like “You only live once,” “Live life to the fullest,” and “Life is short”?

Yes, we all understand that we, every one of us, will eventually die.

But … how do we actually translate that intellectual awareness into appreciation for every day? Into truly being present for the moments we’re actually alive, instead of being in our minds elsewhere? Into emotionally feeling the truth that our lives are finite so that we can change the way we live today and every day? Into creating a sense of urgency to truly live this, to quote Mary Oliver, “one wild and precious life”?

This kind of crazy, maybe morbid poster is one tool in my toolbox to help me do all those things.

In Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman writes, “It is by consciously confronting the certainty of death, and what follows from the certainty of death, that we finally become truly present for our lives.” Burkeman clarifies by referencing the Swedish philospher Martin Hägglund, writing, “If you really thought life would never end, [Hägglund] argues, then nothing could ever genuinely matter, because you’d never be faced with having to decide whether or not to use a portion of your precious life on something.”

I’m choosing to be intentionally mindful about how and where I spend the moments of my precious life.

Paradoxically, it is by embracing your finitude, the fact of your eventual certain death - rather than by avoiding that truth (and you, by now, hopefully know how we think about avoidance around here!) - that allows you to truly live your truest, happiest life.

What next?

Peter Attia, the author of Outlive, also has this poster. He has a short Instagram video about how he’s using it, if you’re curious.

If this approach resonates with you, and you want to buy your own ‘My Life in Weeks’ poster, you can do so from 4KWeeks.

Does this sound crazy to you? Or, does it ring so true it blows your mind? If you’d like to share, I’d be interested in your thoughts!

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