When you buy an option, time works against you every single day. When you sell one, time works for you. That one flip — from buying hope to selling time — is the whole idea behind "theta gang." You stop predicting the market and start getting paid to be patient.

Theta decay isn't even linear — it accelerates into expiration. Gentle at 45 days out, a cliff in the final week. Hold short options through that steep part, harvest the fastest decay, and close early once you've banked most of it.