Why I'm Counting Down The Weeks To My Death

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Imagining the weeks of my life falling off into darkness is one of the most powerful philosophical practices I’ve adopted. I designed a Memento Mori calendar for my wall to make it hard to ignore my own mortality and miss out on the benefit of acknowledging it.  

It may seem morbid, but there’s nothing more clarifying than being reminded that our time is limited, and we have to make the most of it. 

When I don’t do this, I fall back into living like I’ll live forever — wasting time and making less-than-ideal choices. 

So I hung this calendar to help me remember. Each week I check off a box and ask myself If I’m satisfied with what I thought, said, and did that week. If the answer is no for too many weeks, I know I need a change. 

If you take nothing else away from philosophy than the act of regularly reflecting on your own mortality, you’ll be way ahead of the game. 

If you’d like one of these calendars, I’m making a printable version available in a few different sizes. You can buy one here. If you don’t have a viable printer, Office Depot or any similar store can print it for you.