When you look closely at your life for an extended period of time.

Be it months, years, or even decades.

You become aware of something.

The only constant in life is change.

But change doesn't come in consistent, calculated, predictable doses.

"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"- Lenin.

Some changes don't affect you at all.

Others affect you for a while.

But a few of them, alter the whole trajectory of your life.

Things like

• Moving to a new city
• Switching career paths
• Meeting someone new

With each change comes new possibilities, but also new responsibilities.

• Getting settled in a new city and setting up your phone, apartment, and car. Maintaining those things for months and years.
• Adapting to your new profession and learning what you need to move it forward.
• Making time to meet those who matter to you and like to create memories with.

As we build a more advanced society and complex civilizations, this "survival tax" keeps increasing. Maintenance tasks to keep things at the standard we would like.

But there's a problem. Eventually you will get consumed by these tasks, you will try organizing them, remembering them, setting reminders, writing lists...

But somehow conflicts will keep showing up, stress will increase, and the pressure will keep rising.

The reason is you are trying to absorb all the change, instead of using a system that can survive shocks.

“All civilizations suffer shocks, yet only those that absorb the shocks survive” - Stewart Brand

How do systems handle change and absorb shocks?

The answer is in how their parts that have different change rates interact. Fast-moving parts absorb shocks, while slower parts keep things steady. This balance between fast and slow parts makes the system strong and flexible.

How can you do that in your life?

With one page. Let's call it a Time Map.

This page can serve you for the rest of you life.

You can create one for your personal life, and one for your business.

To keep track of change, whether fast or slow, whether now or later.

I use the acronym PARAGON for practical reasons. From fast to slow:

• Progress - work in progress this week
• Areas - routines for your life categories
• Reference - reviews to keep PARAGON updated
• Assets - knowledge and media as support material
• Goals - short term objectives
• Overview - long term vision
• Northstar - ultimate purpose, values and principles

To make things easier, I created a Lifeboard in Notion that follows this model. It allows me to keep my calendar, todos and notes very light, because this is the system that keeps track of all the changes that are happening at all time scales simultaneously.

For those of you who wish to apply for a private session. I will work with you and guide you step by step to set up a Time Map for you or your business that serves you for life.