Remember when it felt like there was more time in a day?

As kids, it felt endless; Saturday mornings felt like they’d last forever. But now, time slips away like sand through your fingers.

Yet, there are people who seem to master it.

People who, somehow, do it all.

They look like superheroes, gliding through life—effortless, productive, and calm.

I’ve often wondered: What’s their secret?

How do they navigate time so differently?

The Sliding Door Theory

There’s a theory inspired by the movie Sliding Doors.

No matter how small, each decision sets you on a new, entirely different path.

Every day, we stand in front of countless sliding doors. Decisions that seem small, almost invisible. But they’re not.

Every choice is a door swinging open or shut. Every moment is a chance to step into a different version of your life.

The question is: Are you walking through the right doors? Are you saying yes to the things that matter most or letting distraction pull you down paths you never meant to follow?

And the hard truth: We often hesitate to open the most important doors.

But they’re also the doors that change everything.

So how do we identify the doors that bring us the greatest happiness and rewards?

The Hardest Thing You’ll Ever Do

Steve Jobs once said, "Focus is about saying no."

It’s not just about ignoring distractions, that’s easy; it’s about turning down the ideas that pull you away from what really matters—even the ones you’re most excited about.

Focus is saying no to something you think is a phenomenal idea, but you say no because you are focusing on something else.

How can something be so good, but you still have to say no to it?

Recently, someone asked me how I manage my days.

Here's the simple, brutal process I have learned works for me.

I open my journal and unload every chaotic thought on the left page—my to-do list, my worries, my ideas.

On the right, I write one single guiding question.

Here are some of my favourites:

• “If this were my only achievement today, would I be proud?”
• “What one task would make this week meaningful?”
• “What is my highest priority?”

(Feel free to create your questions or use mine)

And then, in a small box, I allow myself to write down ONE action.

It’s ruthless, and it’s hard. But it works.

I know multitasking is a myth—focusing on one important task beats doing ten trivial ones any day.

I’ve never been a superhero. I procrastinate, lose focus, and sometimes hide from the things I need to do. But momentum builds when I return to that one priority, day after day.

Slowly, the clutter clears, and real change happens.

Doing lots of unimportant tasks DOES NOT have the same impact as doing ONE HARD TASK, that you keep putting off.

“What you do is more important than how you do everything else, and doing something well does not make it important.”

That’s it. My big task today was to write this Elixir to you. Now that it’s done, I can move on to the other to-do’s.

But not before.

We all fear doing the things we need to do.

But they’re never as bad as we imagine.

Time isn’t slipping away—it’s waiting for you to take control. Identify what matters, block out time for it, and do the hard things.

And if you’re feeling lost, remember that simple spark I mentioned in a previous Elixir, “Point Again.” Follow what excites you, and chase that feeling.

So, what’s your ONE thing today?

Point. Act. And go.

Kia Kaha & Love,
Chris