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Time is finite. Let's see how much is left.
Assuming an average life expectancy based on your demographics, here is what your remaining time looks like measured in events, rather than years.
We live life acting as though key people, traditions, and simple pleasures will always be there. But the math tells a different story. If you've already left your childhood home, you've likely spent the vast majority of the in-person time you will ever have with your parents. By the time most people graduate high school, roughly 93% of their lifetime in-person parent time is already behind them.
We’re in the tail end. Spend your remaining time with intention.
Hours per day, based on averages from surveys in the US (American Time Use Survey 2009–2019). Slide the age line below to explore how time distribution changes into the future.
Early life is dominated by family and friends. Through our 30s and 40s, coworkers, partners, and children take center stage. By our golden years, time spent alone climbs significantly.
Notice that narrow middle window: the busiest, most chaotic chapter of your life might just be the only time you ever get to share the world with both your children and your parents simultaneously.
Based on your age (), sex, and location (), here are the estimated probabilities of what might end your timeline.
| Cause of Death | Probability (Next 12 Months) | Probability Within Next 10 Years |
|---|
Total probability of dying this year:
Total aggregated probability of dying within the next 10 years:
Mortality isn't here to frighten you; it's here to give your choices meaning. The dots above are blank for a reason. Go fill them. One day at a time.
Author Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a complex skill.
Look at the screen time you entered above. If that exact same time was applied to practicing a new skill instead, let's see what it would look like on your timeline.
Disclaimer: This tool is for educational/philosophical purposes based on Tim Urban's "The Tail End".
Mortality probabilities and archetypes are illustrative estimates generated in-browser.
Data Source: Regional baseline life expectancies and cause-of-death archetypes are modeled after global health trends provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Time use data modeled after the American Time Use Survey (ATUS, 2009–2019).
A 90-year life sounds like a long time. But when you break it down into weeks, it looks remarkably finite. There are exactly 4,680 dots below, representing every week of a 90-year lifespan. The dark dots are the weeks you've already spent.
By marking the major chapters of life, you can clearly see where you've been and the blank eras still waiting for you. When you look at the empty dots remaining, remember: they aren't guaranteed. They are just potential.