A debt can make tomorrow feel partly owned before it arrives.

Debt takes a claim on time you have not lived yet. Part of next year’s work is already allocated, which changes how you can respond to a job you want to leave or an opportunity that requires risk. The money is spent and what has actually been mortgaged is your freedom of movement.

When considering borrowing, ask what it commits your future self to doing rather than only what it costs. Where you already carry it, knowing exactly what portion of your income is spoken for is better than a vague heaviness. Precision here reliably reduces the weight.