Telling people to live one day at a time does not really help much, does it?

I mean, it’s such a broad stroke that the day-to-day can still remain out of focus.

My advice would be to simply do your best.

Maybe say a prayer about what you should be doing?

Try focusing on things that will outlast your time on this earth…

Less TV, more writing.

Less golf, more volunteering.

Less evenings playing on your phone, more evening walks with your daughter.

Let’s put away frivolous things – and squeeze this short time we have.

Grand illnesses are supposed to be life-clarifying. Instead, I knew I was going to die—but I’d known that before. My state of knowledge was the same, but my ability to make lunch plans had been shot to hell. The way forward would seem obvious, if only I knew how many months or years I had left. Tell me three months, I’d spend time with family. Tell me one year, I’d write a book. Give me ten years, I’d get back to treating diseases. The truth that you live one day at a time didn’t help: What was I supposed to do with that day?

-Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air (Amazon)