Where Does Your Life Go While You're Not Looking?

As I began fine-tuning my Neurographica online presence—shifting focus, adding new tasks, and streamlining the process of offering classes, editing videos, and reviewing student work—I decided to track my hours for a while. I wanted to see where my energy was truly going, and how I could bring more ease and efficiency into the flow of my daily activities.

Where did the time go?

For the past two weeks, I’ve been tracking my time almost to the minute. I wanted to see where it really goes—those invisible moments that slip away while we’re just “doing a little something.”

A twelve-minute photo edit here. A quick ten-minute reply there. Thirty minutes writing and sending a class reminder. Twenty-five minutes to review a drawing. Fifteen to think. A cup of coffee and stretching for seven minutes.

Nothing huge. But added up, it paints a picture of an average day: around five hours of focused work; close to four hours of house duties, cooking, and eating; four hours of recreation and rest; eight hours of sleep, plus getting ready to sleep and waking up.
Three hours? Not sure…

And here’s the part that really struck me:
It’s not just about time.
It’s about life.

Every light conversation, every kitten video, every mindless scroll—none of it is “wrong.” The mind sometimes needs to soften and wander.
But I ask myself: Is this where I want to invest my life?

When we’re younger, we hear “time is gold.” But it’s more than that. Gold can be counted, spent, and replaced.
Time can’t.

It’s not a bank account. It cannot be replenished.
It’s the quality of the moments we spend, and how much of our attention is actually present.

There’s a kind of clarity that comes with age and spiritual practice. A knowing that mindfulness isn’t about control—it’s about reverence.

This realization both enlightens and slightly horrifies me. Because I see how easy it is to drift…
And how precious every moment is.

So here’s my gentle invitation:
Be mindful where you’re spending the currency of your life.
Not from guilt—but from love and attention.