Benjamin Franklin — inventor, writer, and pragmatist — understood the cost of delay. His reminder that “lost time is never found again” hits especially hard for entrepreneurs. Once an hour passes unused, it’s gone for good. In business, that loss shows up as missed chances, stalled momentum, or fading relevance.
In my early days, I spent too much time chasing every lead instead of focusing on the right ones. I called it “hustle,” but really, it was fear — fear of missing out. That lost time taught me that not all effort has equal value.
One common trap is over-planning. We wait for the perfect moment, the perfect hire, the perfect product launch — and the clock keeps ticking. Perfection is just procrastination in disguise. The way around it is to start small and adjust as you go. Action creates clarity.
Another pitfall is trying to “make up” lost time by working longer hours. That only leads to exhaustion. The smart move is prevention — using the next block of time intentionally instead of regretting the last one.
Franklin’s wisdom is blunt but freeing. You can’t reclaim lost time, but you can stop losing more of it. That’s where progress begins.
