Why look at a life in weeks
A 79-year life has only about 4,120 weeks. That number is small enough to picture, which is what makes the grid useful: each row is a year of your age, each dot a week. Seeing how many are already filled, and how many remain open, is a reminder of what is worth doing with the next few.
The idea was popularised by Tim Urban's "Your Life in Weeks" poster. We add your own birthday, so the filled dots are exact, and a life-expectancy setting you control.
Weeks and weekends by age
| Age | Weeks lived | Weekends left at 79 years | Share of life lived |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1,043 | about 3,080 | 25% |
| 30 | 1,565 | about 2,560 | 38% |
| 40 | 2,087 | about 2,040 | 51% |
| 50 | 2,608 | about 1,510 | 63% |
| 65 | 3,391 | about 730 | 82% |
About the life expectancy setting
The default is 79 years, US life expectancy at birth in 2024 according to the CDC, the highest on record. It is an average across everyone born that year, not a forecast for you. Your own number depends on your current age (people who reach 65 live longer on average than newborns are expected to), health, sex, income and where you live. Change the setting to whatever feels right; the grid redraws instantly.
What people ask next
- How much of my life is commuting? counts the weeks that go to the trip to work.
- How many days have I been alive? gives the day count and the next 1,000-day milestone.
How we calculate
Weeks lived = whole days since birth ÷ 7, rounded down. Total weeks = life expectancy × 365.2425 ÷ 7. Weeks left = total − lived. One weekend per week.
- Default life expectancy is 79 years, the US average at birth in 2024. Change it: yours depends on health, sex, income and where you live.
Sources: CDC NCHS — Mortality in the United States, 2024 (Data Brief 548).
Every formula is checked by automated tests. Methodology · Updated · Reference data checked September 29, 2026