Carolyn, 50

“When I think of time, I think it’s the only thing we have. I’m very grateful for what’s gone before, and I am looking forward to what time I’ve got in the future. The thing is, I’ve got a lot more behind me than I’ve got in front of me. A lot of people think we need to turn around at 50 and look back at what experiences we’ve been through. I am very grateful for the time I have had so far. And like I said, I’m looking forward to what’s to come, but there is always that uncertainty. Because none of us know what is coming.

“I’ve reached the point now where I make the most of my time. I don’t waste my time on things I don’t want to do anymore. I make decisions very quickly. I don’t hang about; I’ll jump, not worrying about the consequences so much. I find it exciting because the best part of my life is now. The quandary is you don’t know how much you’ve got, but you’ve got to carry on living as though you’re always going to be here.

“I hate wasting time on negative things and I tend to cut to the chase – that could be my age, it could be because I have lost friends who have waited all their life to retire and then didn’t get to enjoy their retirement. I don’t procrastinate like I used to as a younger woman. I tend to very much go on instinct and gut feeling. Not wasting time is definitely a theme for me. I like to get up early in the morning, and seize the day. I don’t waste time on people, relationships, friendships, or tasks that I deem unimportant and a waste of my time. I don’t do things just for vanity.

“I like to focus on things that spark joy in me. Just this year, I’ve taken up cold water swimming, and doing a little bit more yoga and exercise. I am trying to lengthen my life by trying to be more healthy. I see life a little like an egg timer – when you get into the bottom quarter, you try to squeeze out more and more of the things that you enjoy and less of the things that you don’t.”

Carolyn is founder of the CLEAR method.

“I realised that time is finite and life is short”: 11 women on their relationship with time