Leonardo da Vinci was not only an artist and inventor but also a master of discipline and curiosity. His words — “Time stays long enough for those who use it” — remind us that time feels abundant when it’s used meaningfully. For business owners, that’s the antidote to burnout: purpose makes time expand.
I used to feel like there were never enough hours. I’d wake up overwhelmed and go to bed unfinished. Then I realized it wasn’t the hours that were lacking — it was clarity. When I started aligning my daily actions with what truly mattered — client value, creativity, strategy — time began to stretch.
A major pitfall is letting your schedule fill with unimportant work. Busyness compresses time; focus expands it. To avoid this, I now audit my week: what drained me versus what moved us forward? Anything that doesn’t align gets cut or delegated.
Another mistake is multitasking — the silent thief of time’s quality. Leonardo worked deeply, one project at a time, and his results still shape the world. I’ve tried to emulate that — deep work over divided attention. When I’m fully present, an hour feels twice as long.
Da Vinci’s line is both poetic and practical. Time won’t slow for anyone, but it will stretch for those who live intentionally. When you use it well, even fleeting hours can hold whole worlds.