Modern Wisdom #1047 - Jonathan Swanson - The Obvious Strategy to Take Back Your Time
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Jan 17, 2026 
Jonathan Swanson, co-founder of Thumbtack and creator of Athena, dives into the art of buying time instead of things. He shares insights on effective delegation, emphasizing that using assistants—both human and AI—can supercharge productivity. Swanson discusses the pitfalls of delegation, offers practical first steps for hiring help, and illustrates how time sovereignty impacts health and ambition. He also outlines the process of building a supportive assistant relationship, ultimately advocating for a strategic life with less clutter and more focus.
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Time As The Ultimate Currency
- Time is the primary, non-renewable asset and the true currency of meaningful life choices.
- Controlling your time enables all higher-order goals like family, health, and entrepreneurship.
Offload Monotony First
- Offload monotonous, low-cognition tasks first: passports, calendars, inbox, and bills.
- Removing those drains frees energy for planning, goals, and creative work.
Beat Pride, Guilt, And Half-Measures
- Overcome delegation blockers: stop pride (doing it faster yourself), reframe guilt as gifting jobs, and share access.
- Commit long-term and give detailed feedback to compound the assistant relationship.
