One Sentence That Explains Everything

In 1961, the physicist Richard Feynman asked his students to ponder what sentence would contain the most scientific knowledge in the least number of words. At the end of his lecture, he gave his answer:

“All things are made of atoms — little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another.”

This sentence provides the foundation of the scientific method, physics, chemistry, biology, and energy. Yet it’s incredibly simple and easy to understand at a high level.

I wanted to see how others applied Feynman’s search for simplification to non-scientific domains. Here’s what I found:

“You will die, and that’s the most important thing” — Caitlin Doughty, Mortician

“The only things you’re innately afraid of are falling and loud noises. The rest of your fears are learned and mostly negligible.” — Cord Jefferson, Journalist

“You are not your next thought” — Sam Harris, Neuroscientist

“Emotions change” — Matthew Hussey, Relationship Coach

What about time management & productivity? How can the effort to make the most of our lives be summarized in one sentence? Here’s what I’d say:

”You don’t have time, you are time.”

The first half of the sentence challenges the assumption underneath modern productivity ideas — that we “have” time. This makes us act like we can spend, invest, and make plans with the time that we own. We feel entitled to live to be at least 75 years old. We feel victimized when we “lose” time due to a distraction, traffic, or death.

The second half of the sentence is a reminder that time is a convention. Time helps us make predictions and gather. It helps break our lives into sections. It helps us reflect on the past and adjust for the future. But time, as an experience, doesn’t exist. As a matter of experience, there is only this moment. And this one…. and this one.

If it’s true that time is a convention, then our identity is, too. We are not a personality type, a salary, or a GPA. We’re not the projects we’ve finished or those we hope to accomplish. We’re just here in this moment, along with everything else. In that sense, we are everything that is here right now, including time, thoughts, smells, and fears.

OK, Mr. Philosophizer. But what should i do with that??

…Not much 🤷‍♂️ (sorryboutit). The fact that we don’t have time doesn’t mean we need to stop making plans or being ambitious. Simply being more aware of how you view “your” time can change everything. Do the same tasks, but with the awareness that there is no past to correct and no future to strive for. There is the task you’re working on right now. And let that be enough.

Your turn, snappy pants! How would you summarize productivity in one sentence?