Visit your hometown: the days with family you have left
Moving for work or study often means seeing family back home only a few days a year. This counts those days, so you can choose more of them.
Your numbers
Common answers are filled in. Change the ones you know.
Typical: 70 years. Put in yours.
Leave it at 0 to use the average for their age in India. Many people live far longer than the average.
It only changes the order on your statement.
What waiting costs you
89 days left
At this pace, about 89 more days together
That's 7 days a year for about 12.7 years. Your plan of 20 days a year would add about 165 days.
Your small stepLook at your calendar tonight and pick the dates for your next trip home.
How we worked this out
- Years: about 12.7, the average at age 70 in India. It's a group average, not a prediction.
- Days together now: 7 a year × 12.7 years = 89.
- With your plan: 20 a year × 12.7 years = 254.
- Missed while it waited: (20 minus 7) × 12 months ÷ 12 = 13 days.
- How much it matters to you: 7 out of 10. It only changes the order on your statement.
Fixed figures
- Average years left at 70: 12.7 years
Sources
- Tim Urban, The Tail End (2015): Counting the days you have left with someone, instead of the years, shows how much of that time may already be behind you.
- WHO Global Health Observatory (2020): In India, a person who reaches 60 lives about 17.8 more years on average.
- UN World Population Prospects (2024): In India, a person who reaches 80 lives about 7.6 more years on average.
How it works
We multiply the days a year you spend at home by the years ahead. For the years, we use the average for your family member's age in India, or your own number.
In India, a person who reaches 60 lives about 17.8 more years on average, and at 80, about 7.6. Many people live far longer than the average.
The idea comes from Tim Urban's essay The Tail End.
Sources
- Tim Urban, The Tail End (2015): An idea, not data. The numbers come from your answers and the averages below.
- WHO Global Health Observatory (2020): A group average, never a prediction for one person. The 2021 figure dipped to about 15.6 during COVID, so we use 2020.
- UN World Population Prospects (2024): A group average from a secondary site. Between 60 and 80 we draw a straight line.
Questions people ask
Why use an average?
Because nobody knows anyone's future. It's a rough guide for a large group, never a prediction. You can use your own number instead.
What if I can't visit more often?
Calls and video calls count too. Even one more short visit a year adds up.
Putting off more than one thing?
Pick up to five and get your Delay Statement: what to do first, what can wait, and one small step for today.
Want a nudge to act on it?
The app turns what you're putting off into a short list for each day: your Top 3 and one small step at a time. It's free.
We show what waiting costs on your own plans. We never tell you what to buy or invest in. Rules and averages change, so check the official pages before you plan anything.