Why Many Opportunities Have An Expiration Date: Lessons From Tetris Part 2

Written By: Brad Pedersen

Last week, I shared the first lesson of Tetris: you can't control the blocks you get, only how you place them. If you want to catch up you can do so by clicking HERE.  Today, we will explore the second lesson, one that's even more critical and often more painful to learn: life and order matter, with some opportunities having an expiration date.

Tetris was created in 1984 by a Russian software engineer named Alexey Pajitnov. He was working at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, developing a simple puzzle game to test new computer hardware. The game was meant to be a minor project, a quick test of the system. 

Pajitnov couldn't have known that his simple game would go on to become one of the most played video games in history. But in designing the game, Pajitnov understood something profound about timing and sequence. He knew that the order in which blocks fell, and the order in which players placed them, would ultimately determine either success or failure. 

And I believe that is an important lesson that can also be applied to how we live our lives.

Patience and Urgency

In Tetris, we can't just place blocks anywhere and hope for the best. We have to be thoughtful and intentional about not just the placement and orientation but also in getting the order right. Sometimes we hold out for the perfect piece to fill a specific gap, stacking everything else to the side while we wait. But when that ideal block doesn’t come, we eventually feel forced to place the wrong piece in the space, creating a gap that becomes a permanent problem; buried under everything that comes after.  Life is no different. The problem is, most of us don't realize this truth until we've already stacked years of misaligned decisions that create buried regrets.

We tell ourselves there will be a better time; a season when things slow down and we'll finally invest in our health, our families, or the adventures we've been putting off. We promise ourselves that when we retire…..when we make enough money…..when things finally calm down…...then we'll live the aspirational life we've been postponing.

The Cost of Waiting

Bill Perkins, in his book Die With Zero, explains that experiences carry different values at different stages of life. He explains that backpacking through Europe in your twenties is a rite of passage; doing it in your fifties becomes a logistical and physical challenge. The cost isn't just money; it's energy, margin, and flexibility. And those things tend to diminish with time, no matter how much financial wealth you accumulate. 

This isn't just philosophy; it's reality. While I still love to travel and explore, there is absolutely no way my wife would stay at hostels at our stage of life. The adventures that were effortless in our 20’s require planning and recovery time in our 50’s.

Between the time our kids are born and when they reach the age of ten, we are the most important people in the world to them. That short window shapes the trust, tone, and depth of our lifelong relationship. It is during those years that our kids simply want our time and attention. They are asking us to play, to read stories and to tuck them in at night.  If we miss that window, no amount of financial means later on, can ever buy back what was lost. 

I've experienced this type of regret personally and I have watched many accomplished leaders wake up when their kids are leaving home, suddenly wanting to be involved, only to discover their children have already learned to live without them. The invitation to be present was extended years ago, and it quietly expired when it went unanswered too many times.

A marriage left on autopilot for many years while we build a company doesn't suddenly spring back to life when we decide we're ready to focus on it. A body neglected for decades doesn't recover easily when we finally have time to address it. Friendships that fade because we were always too busy don't automatically resurrect themselves when our schedule clears

The biggest lie we can tell ourselves is that we have more time than we do. We treat our most important relationships, our health, our dreams, and discovering our purpose as if they can wait indefinitely on a shelf marked "someday." Meanwhile, we remain distracted and pour everything into building, accumulating financial wealth, and achieving “wins” that look impressive on paper. Sacrificing what matters the most on the altar of what will ultimately at the end of our lives will matter the least.

I am not against building companies, working hard or striving. There is a time and season for everything but also needs to be balanced in the context that not all time in your life is equal so choose wisely.

A Reflection: Getting the Order Right

The truth is that the window for certain experiences in life will close whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not.  Getting the order right means honoring the timing. It means knowing what fits now, and what windows are closing…..not just relegating the decision to “someday.” 

It also means recognizing that some investments, like time with young children, are irreplaceable. It means understanding that your body at thirty can do things your body at sixty cannot, regardless of how much you're willing to spend on personal trainers and doctors.

It also means being brutally honest about what season you're in right now and what that season uniquely allows.  Each season has its own blocks, its own opportunities, its own requirements. The tragedy isn't that we can't do everything; it's that we put off the right things that we should do, until it's too late to do them well or if ever.

Take a moment and ask yourself honestly: what am I putting off until some future date that might be too late to do the way I want to do it? What season am I in right now, and what opportunities does this season offer that won't be available in the next one?

The hard truth is this: there is no perfect time coming. There is only the season we are currently in, with its unique opportunities and constraints, and our choice about what matters most right now.  And with that awareness, it is about choosing to get the order of the blocks right.

Next week, I'll share the third and final lesson that Tetris can teach us: The game speeds up as you progress, and how this influences our decision making.

Until then, remember like Tetris: life and order matter. Some blocks must be placed now, not later; get the timing right, or risk creating gaps you can never fill.

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