Time is the currency of life. From the moment we wake up, our days and schedules are ruled by time. Another beautiful anecdote of time is that it’s truly the ultimate equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re Jeff Bezos, Oprah, or just Jenny from the block, everybody has 24 hours in the day, no more and no less.

Which leads me to a wonderful question I’ve been thinking about and asking my close friends and family: at the end of the day, when you sit back and think, “wow, today was really great!” what comes to mind? What does it actually mean and look like to spend our time well?

The answers I get to this question are most enlightening and humbling. Never have I ever heard, “I had a great day endlessly scrolling my apps on my phone” or “Watching five hours of television.” The answers I usually get to the question of what a great day looks like are basic things like: time with close friends and family, enjoying my favorite hobby, accomplishing fulfilling or challenging work, or selfcare.

When I did this mental exercise recently, I became painfully and suddenly aware how easily distracted I had become. For example, my weekly screen time report on my phone embarrassingly showed me that I’d been averaging close to 3.5 hours every day staring into my device. After some quick back-of-the-napkin math on that stat, this is about 53 full days per year of just looking at metal and glass.

No wonder I was feeling slightly hollow at the end of my days, like I never had enough time to get to the good stuff, or if I did, I was all out of mental energy by the time I got there. I’m willing to bet there’s a lot of people out there (maybe you) that feel similar. It’s not like my days weren’t full or busy, but they were lacking substance.

What’s the solution to this problem? The answer is both beautifully simple but incredibly difficult. To get back to doing what’s most meaningful and fulfilling, you must ruthlessly remove your distractions. To find them (distractions), all you need to do is reflect on how you like spending your days. Then, compare that answer to what you’re honestly doing. The contrast between those two should point you in the right direction.

If this resonates with you, I’d love to read your thoughts via email reply or in the comments below. Until then, keep making time for what matters most deeply to you, because if time is the currency of life, then I want mine well spent.