The One Question That Resets Your Priorities Instantly
Life has a way of filling itself with noise. Meetings, errands, inboxes that breed overnight. Some days feel like a sprint where you cannot even recall what you were running towards. Then something happens. A friend gets bad news. Someone younger than you passes away. A routine health check shows a number just out of range.
In those moments you remember that the to do list is not life itself, it is just scaffolding. What matters most comes into sharp focus in seconds. The real question is whether you have to wait for a crisis to get that clarity or whether you can call it up on demand.
One question can turn a confused day into a deliberate one. Share on XThe answer is yes. You can. There is a single question that cuts through the static, the small stuff and the false urgency. It is not complicated or poetic, yet it has weight. It works because it bypasses your polite excuses and gets straight to the point.
That question is, “If this were the last year of my life, would I still do this?”
Let it sit for a moment. It might feel dramatic at first. That is the point. You are not trying to micro-optimise your diary, you are trying to stop wasting your life.
Why This Question Works
When you picture a finite timeline, your brain shifts out of autopilot. It stops treating the day as disposable. Suddenly that tense meeting or boring project does not feel like the hill you want to die on. Instead, you start asking what would actually make you proud, what would make this year meaningful.
Unlike generic goal setting, this question is time bound and emotional. It adds a sense of gravity that spreadsheets cannot. It also exposes how much of your schedule is default mode behaviour. Things you do because you always have, not because they serve you.
When life feels noisy, ask yourself what truly counts. Share on XYour brain does not like cognitive dissonance. When you realise you are spending hours on things that do not matter, there is an urge to adjust. That discomfort is the reset button at work. It is not always pleasant, though it is effective.
The Clarity Shock
People who try this often report a jolt. Suddenly the errands, the arguments, the endless scrolling look different. If you would not choose to spend your final months on them, why are they filling your days now? This is not about becoming reckless. It is about refusing to hand over your life to activities that do not matter.
One woman I know had been holding onto a friendship that felt more like an obligation than a joy. When she asked the question, she realised she would not spend her last year keeping up appearances with someone who drained her. She let the friendship go. The result was not lonely silence, it was more space for the people who genuinely made her feel alive.
That is the point. It is not just about cutting out the bad, it is about making room for the good.
Where This Question Hits Hardest
There are a few areas where this question does its best work. Work itself is a big one. If you would not spend your last year in endless status meetings, why are you still in them now? It might not mean quitting tomorrow. It could mean speaking up, negotiating for better projects or drawing boundaries.
Relationships are another. They are the first to get neglected when you are busy, yet they are usually what people miss most when time is short. Ask yourself who you would call, visit, write to if the year was ticking down. Then call them now.
Clarity comes when you face the finiteness of time. Share on XHealth habits, too. If you knew this was your last lap, would you fill it with junk food and late night or with choices that let you feel strong and present? No need to become perfect, just intentional.
Turning Insight Into Action
Asking the question is one thing. Acting on it is another. Start with a short list. Write down three things in your life that get a clear yes. The things that would stay even in your last year. Then three that get a no. The ones that drain you, waste your time or leave you feeling flat.
Do not overthink it. Your gut knows the answer faster than your head. Then pick one thing from the ‘no list’ and make a small move. Cancel a commitment. Say no to a request. Decline a meeting invite. Each action is proof that you are steering the wheel again.
You do not need a grand reinvention. Tiny course corrections are powerful because they add up over time. Before long, your days start looking more like something you would choose, even under a countdown clock.
Dealing With the Resistance
Do not be surprised if the question stirs discomfort. Your mind will try to bargain. It will say you cannot just drop things, that people will be upset, that you are being selfish. That is normal. It is a sign you are getting close to something important.
The truth is you are already making trade offs, whether you acknowledge them or not. Every yes to something meaningless is a no to something meaningful. The question just makes that trade off visible.
The point is not to fear death, it's to fear wasting life. Share on XThere is a kind of liberation in facing that honestly. You stop living as if life is a dress rehearsal and start living as if the curtain is already up.
Living Without the Waiting Game
Most people wait for a crisis to force a reset. They wait for burnout, for a loss, for a wake up call. You can skip that part. You can let the question do the work before the crisis arrives.
When you ask it regularly, you build a kind of muscle memory. Decisions get simpler. The fear of missing out fades because you are no longer chasing everything, just the things that count.
This also builds resilience. When hard times do come, you already know what matters most. You do not flail, you focus. You have already been living in alignment with your values, so the crisis does not throw you off as hard.
The Side Effect Nobody Talks About
Something surprising happens when you live this way. You stop resenting your life. Even the hard bits feel different, because you chose them. You stop being a passenger. You start being a participant.
This does not make you immune to stress, it makes stress feel more worthwhile. Struggle in service of what you love is easier to carry than struggle that feels pointless.
The best filter for decisions is imagining no more second chances. Share on XYou also stop chasing fake urgency. That frees up mental space. You notice more. You breathe more. Your days have a different texture.
A Year Is Long Enough
Some people push back against the question. They say a year is too short, too dramatic. A year is long enough to matter. It is long enough to love deeply, to finish projects, to make memories. It is short enough that you cannot keep postponing.
A year forces you to strip life to its essentials. No more someday lists. No more waiting for the perfect time. You stop acting as if life will start later and start using the days you have.
Make It a Ritual
The power of the question multiplies when you ask it regularly. Try it at the start of each month. Ask yourself if your calendar reflects what you would choose if time was short. Adjust as needed.
You can also use it for decisions big and small. Before saying yes to a project, an event, even a purchase, run it through the filter. If you would not want it in your last year, skip it.
The point is not to be morbid. The point is to stop sleepwalking through your life. To be awake, here and now, in the one year you always actually have, this one.
The Reset Is Always Available
You do not need perfect timing or a clean slate to start. The reset button is available every morning. Ask the question. Listen to the answer. Act on it, even in small ways.
One powerful question asked daily is worth a thousand someday plans. Share on XIn time, you will find that your life is no longer a blur of obligations. It is a series of deliberate choices. The urgency shifts from frantic to meaningful. Yes, the clock is ticking. However, you are finally using the time for what matters.
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Hi, I'm Thea Westra at Forward Steps (forwardstepsblog.com)
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