I recently read a blog post that concluded with:

When I'm on my deathbed, I won't look back at my life and wish I had worked harder. I'll look back and wish I spent more time with the people I loved.

Setting aside that some people don't have the economic breathing room to make this kind of tradeoff, what jumps out at me is the implication that you're not working on something important that you'll endorse in retrospect. I don't think the author is envisioning directly valuable work (reducing risk from international conflict, pandemics, or AI-supported totalitarianism; improving humanity's treatment of animals; fighting global poverty) or the undervalued less direct approach of earning money and donating it to enable others to work on pressing problems.

Definitely spend time with your friends, family, and those you love. Don't work to the exclusion of everything else [...]

---

First published:
May 1st, 2025

Source:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/cF6eumerCq8hnb9YT/prioritizing-work

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

How to Democratize 3-D Content Creation With Advancements in AI Architecture, with Ben James @ 404-GEN (Audio)