To save time, don't simply manage time

To save time, don't simply manage time. Manage your mind instead.

So argues David Kadavy, in his book "Mind management, not time management."

That makes perfect sense to me.

Are you in a time crunch?

It was an extremely stressful week some years back. Poor instructions on an already tight project left me with a seemingly impossible deadline.

Though barely started, I now needed to finish writing over 10,000 words for an 80-page white paper by the end of the week. I briefly mentioned this last year: https://lnkd.in/g9VSJSFt

I calculated the hours and figured it could be done. But I'll have to push hard, working late into the night. Fine. I've committed and I'll finish it - even if the goalposts weren't where I thought they would be.

However, I didn't spend every single waking moment on the task.

Mind over matter

I established limits and set boundaries.

• Tucked kids into bed.
• Took breaks when tired.
• Didn't skip cell meeting, church.
• Still had my meals with the family.

Partly, I wanted to ensure that I never lose sight of what truly matters. And making an exception is a slippery path to more exceptions.

The second reason, though, was because I knew simply sitting longer in front of my workstation wouldn't help me produce more.

Mind over matter isn't just about determination, willpower, or mental strength. It's about finding balance and achieving the right state of mind.

Achieving mindfulness

Are you caught up in an endless rat race and burning yourself out on both ends of the candle?

• Thinking of work problems over weekends?
• Constantly multitasking to save time?
• Optimising processes to death?
• Replying emails during calls?

Instead of trying to figure out how to do more in less time, perhaps it might be time for a pitstop.

Allocate some moments for relaxation and self-care and come out stronger than before.

Don't just manage time. Manage your mind.