Hurry the fuck up
The other day I was reading this post (it’s from the blog I recommended last week, written by the writer of Pirates Of The Caribbean and Shrek).
It really struck a chord with me, especially the part where he calculates the number of days he has left before he turns 60 (the age after which no one is that surprised if you happen to drop dead). He’s 42, so it turns out he has around 6,500 days left (and bearing in mind that column was written a good decade ago, he’s down to less than half that now). Of course, he might live to be 120, but then again he might not, and it’s far better to err on the side of caution, because if you get it wrong the stakes are pretty high.
I was chatting on exactly this subject to Mark Denton. He then gave me a way of looking at it that was for more chilling/inspiring:
if you think about your whole life as a week, what day are you on?
I know life expectancy is increasing, but if you divide your seventy years into a decade per day, are you, like me, coming up to bedtime on Thursday? Or have you perhaps reached Friday teatime?
Whichever it is, maybe that’ll sharpen your thinking enough to swap the odd evening of GTAV for a few hours progressing that much-ignored screenplay.
The clock is ticking…
Physically, Saturday afternoon at a decent football match; mentally, Tuesday evening.
Hey Ben, I heard you’re selling your penthouse in Los Santos? How much you’d want for it?
I haven’t got that far in GTAV. I’m wasting my time addicted to Friday Night Lights (and revising my novel in between episodes).
I saw the days of the week/lifespan chart in a crap self-help book I bought at an airport. It was the only thing in it that was any use.
I told my mate Andy Dymock about it and explained that I was on Saturday morning.
He made me laugh when he said he was watching the wrestling.
….(anyone of our generation would know that was on World of Sport just before the football results).
It’s been very useful in getting a bit of focus…..I’m still wasting an inordinately large amount of time playing ‘The Last of Us’ though (and writing treatments).
Mark, that’s the only title I was almost willing to buy a PS3 for. Almost.
Role on Friday.
Mark, what are you writing treatments for? Why don’t you make a movie?
The works of Shakespeare, and of Plato and Descartes, and Bowie and yorke, and turner and Picasso. These tell us that life is long enough. It’s our talent that is too short.
I’m worried I’ll be given a half day on Friday.
Who cares about dying? You’ll be dead so it won’t matter. And who cares about what you did before you died? You’ll be dead. It won’t matter.
The manner of your death is what you should be worried about.
If you want to slow life down, start pottering. It’s great. I’m doing it now instead of working.
Rather worryingly – I can hear ‘welcome grapple fans’ ringing in my ears…
Were you in the Leicester Square gents last night too?
There’s a watch that counts down your life.
http://mashable.com/2013/10/06/tikker/
Are we starting the week from Sunday (officially first day) or Monday?
I thought GTAV was spending my time productively. Damn.
Monday. Or Sunday and move back a day.
@steakandcheese….buy a PS3 just to play ‘The Last of Us’……you won’t be disappointed.
Mark, I might just watch a “let’s play” of it on Youtube. If it’s very story driven the gameplay probably won’t matter too much.
Thanks Ben for keeping us on track. I’ve never thought of our life as a week. I like it. And I like the idea that our golden years are the weekend.
Kurt!
Great to hear from you.
And that’s a great perspective on the week of life.
I don’t know what GTAV or The Last Of Us is?
Should I be worried?
You should be worried if you don’t know how to find out what they are within ten seconds.
Ben, you may have turned me on to this, but it seems apropos ala this post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1MvKFTkL1s