Time is your most valuable asset, and the most easily lost. We measure it. We optimise it. We chase it. Yet, in the always-on rhythm of digital life, time often slips away unnoticed, swallowed by scrolling, fragmented by notifications, consumed by content we barely remember.
But time isn’t just a resource to manage. It’s the material from which we build our lives. How we use it—especially our free time—shapes what we learn, what we value, and ultimately, who we become.
And this is exactly the question Professor Chiara Succi brought to the table at the welcome speech for students in the Master in Management at ESCP Business School in Turin:
What are you doing with your time? Do you truly comprehend how much of our time and attention is given to technology?
Owning Your Time
Today, we navigate a world where distraction has been monetised. Social media platforms, built to capture our attention rather than enhance our wellbeing, have turned time into our most undervalued currency
To spark reflection, Prof. Succi began her welcome speech by showing an excerpt from a TEDx talk by Dino Ambrosi, The Battle for Your Time. In it, Ambrosi invites the audience to visualise a human life, month by month, represented as dots on a screen.
If you’re 18 today and live to 90, you have about 864 months ahead of you. At first glance, that may sound generous. But subtract sleep, work, commuting, errands, cooking, and personal care, and what remains is just 334 months of free time.
“This is where you tick the boxes on your bucket list,” says Ambrosi.
“This is where you pursue your passions and leave your mark.”
These are the months you have to love, explore, rest, create, learn, and connect. And how you use them isn’t just a matter of preference, it’s a reflection of who you are becoming.
It’s not just about how you spend time. It’s about how you invest it.
Choosing the moments that matter
This idea resonates with a deeper perspective Professor Succi shared with students: the ancient Greeks had two words for time. Chronos is clock time—the hours, the schedules, the routines. But Kairos is different: it’s the right moment. The meaningful one. The time that transforms.
“School life is full of Chronos—deadlines, alarms, assignments,” she said. “But what will define you most are the Kairos moments—the ones where you choose courage, curiosity and connection.”
These are the moments that shape leaders. And in an age where constant connectivity competes for our attention, recognising and protecting these moments has become a radical act.
Intention Over Distraction
We live in what researchers are now calling the attention economy—a landscape where every platform competes for your focus, not your money. Time is the product. And people are paying with hours they didn’t even realise they were giving away.
This isn’t about demonising technology. It’s about using it intentionally, not impulsively.
As Prof. Succi reminded students, multitasking is a myth. The brain doesn’t handle multiple cognitive demands simultaneously—it just switches between them, weakening focus and memory along the way. And the more we divide our attention, the more we lose our ability to be fully present.
“The real question isn’t whether you use technology,” she explained. “It’s whether you’re using it deliberately. Are you choosing where your attention goes, or has someone else already made that choice for you?”
Small Choices, Lasting Impact
At ESCP, education is not just about mastering frameworks or case studies. It’s about learning how to lead yourself before leading others. And that begins with your relationship to time.
We live in a culture that glorifies urgency. But sometimes the most radical act is to stop, take a breath, and be fully where you are.
Choosing presence over distraction isn’t a one-off decision. It’s a daily commitment to protect your focus, to create space for reflection, and to engage fully with the people and experiences in front of you.
That might mean:
- Saying no to mindless scrolling
- Turning off notifications during lectures
- Taking real breaks—not just digital ones
- Listening deeply without multitasking
These are not grand gestures. But they are wise choices.
The time that defines you
You won’t get more time, only the chance to use it differently.
Those 334 months, if you’re fortunate, are where your choices take shape, where your ideas grow, where your path begins.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what matters. Set boundaries. Protect meaning. Choose presence. Because at ESCP, we believe that the way you live your time today will define the leader—and the person—you become tomorrow.