David Senra & Planning the Next 24 Hours

Borrowed

“Don’t look ahead. Look behind. Look back from your old age at the life you hope to live. Know that you need to be happy now, to enjoy your friends and family, to follow your dreams. You are here. You can get there. Let the journey begin.”

From “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter [Book]

Learned

A while back, I listened to an interview with David Senra on episode #828 of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast. Senra is best known for Founders, a solo podcast where he talks through highlights from books he’s read, mostly biographies and memoirs of founders. He’s read hundreds over the years, often more than once, and as of this writing is on episode 407. What’s fascinating, after spending so much time inside the thinking of so many accomplished people, is the way he connects ideas across time. It’s not surprising that certain patterns and frameworks reappear among many of history’s greatest founders.

Later in the conversation, after a deep dive on ambition, obsession, and what it takes to stay committed to something for decades, Ferriss asks Senra more personally how he thinks about time and direction in his own life. His reply was simple. “I don’t really plan years anymore. I plan the next 24 hours. That’s the only unit of time I actually live inside of.” He wasn’t dismissing long-term vision. He was explaining how he stays grounded and keeps moving. He adds, “Years only really make sense in hindsight. You can reflect on them, but you can’t operate inside them.” What you can operate inside, he explains, is the day in front of you. That’s where decisions get made, where momentum either builds or stalls. I was in the middle of a workout when I heard this and stopped to jot it down, thinking it might be useful down the line.

Sure enough, I came across those notes again over the weekend, and they felt particularly resonant for the season I’m in. This time of year naturally brings a lot of reflection. At Barrel, we’re closing out the year and planning for the next one, which means looking back at how this year compared to last. What moved things forward? What got in the way? What’s starting to show promise? Those reflections help inform how we think about next year, from what to let go of to what deserves more focus to what big goals will push us forward.

The same thing is happening at home. Amid the holiday buzz, Dana and I are preparing to welcome our second child, a baby girl. She’s due in a matter of days. Over the past few weeks, my mind has drifted back to what it was like bringing Mylo into the world. The things that surprised us. The things we overthought. The things that ended up mattering far less than we expected.

In either case, none of this fully prepares us for what’s ahead. Much to Senra’s point, reflection can show us how we arrived here and give us confidence that we’ve navigated hard seasons before. It can offer perspective and direction, but it can’t replace today's work.

When I zoom out and take it all in at once, it can feel like a lot. Not overwhelming in a negative sense, more a recognition that there’s so much I want to do that it can’t possibly happen all at once, right now. Without fully realizing it until recently, I’ve found real steadiness in Senra’s mindset. I’m still thinking long term. I still care deeply about what I want to build. But all I can do is look at the day ahead and decide how to use it well.

Lately, that’s shown up in small, practical ways. Asking myself, what would make today a good day? During the workweek, a good day might mean having a tough conversation or finally wrapping up a proposal. It might also mean having enough mental space left to be present for decisions with Dana or to play with Mylo before bedtime without feeling pulled elsewhere. On the weekends, it often looks like focusing on projects around the house or doing the research needed to make a decision, like finalizing a big purchase. None of these feel particularly notable while they’re happening, but they have a way of setting things up when you look back.

The nuance here is that this isn’t about presence or the compounding effect of habits. It’s about narrowing the frame to the next 24 hours. Being intentional about how time is spent now, not just on the work that moves things forward, but also on the moments that bring energy and joy alongside it. When you focus on 24 hours at a time, it keeps you from coasting on yesterday’s wins or getting stuck in today’s setbacks. You do what you can to fall asleep feeling satisfied, and when you don’t, you take a moment to reflect on what would make tomorrow better. Being focused matters. Practicing good habits matters. But using today well, in service of tomorrow, feels like the bedrock underneath everything else.

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If you’re a fan of Founders, I highly recommend this episode for a peek inside the world of David Senra. You can listen to it here.

Thought

What would make tomorrow a good day?