The importance of most things tends to follow a time-based function:
Some things tend to increase in importance over time, like relationships or high-impact projects.
Other things tend to decrease in importance over time, like a one-off heated disagreement with a colleague or a bad customer experience with a company.
In general, the time and effort you give to something should be proportional to how much it will matter over time.
Is it worth harboring negative emotions about an interaction that you will soon forget? Probably not (if you’ve ever had a moment of road rage, you know what I’m talking about).
Is it worth committing your energy to relationships that you expect to grow in significance in your life? Probably a worthwhile investment.
Life constantly presents these dichotomous situations — to focus on This or That.
A simple rule for using your limited time and effort wisely: focus mostly on what will matter a year from now; less on what will not matter a week from now.
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