Speaking notes
You may have heard about the mythical concept of time management.
I can hear you say, Wait a minute! I use time management all the time.
I work hard to manage my time so I can have work/life balance!
If you missed Monday Morning Mindset from 2 weeks ago (Sept 5) I explain that work/life balance is also a mythical concept.
You can’t manage time.
I first came to the realization that time management is a myth when I wrote my first (and only) book. How to Be Your Own Boss – available on Amazon Kindle and in paperback.
So let’s think about this idea that you can manage your time.
When you “manage” something, it suggests that you have some amount of influence over it.
Manage other people – they are supposed to listen and do what you ask them to do.
You don’t have complete control, but you make decisions that affect what they do.
So how much influence do you have over time?
Can you tell it to slow down or speed up?
Can you get it to wait for you?
“Time and tides wait for no one.”
No, you can’t “manage” time.
You can only manage yourself and the decisions you make as you move through time.
Well, isn’t that the same thing?
No. It’s not.
The words you use to describe a thing affect the way you think about it.
And the way you think about a thing determines the way you interact with it.
When you use the word “time management” there is a subtle shift in your mind.
Your mind creates a separation between “you” and “time.”
What you’re actually trying to is to manage yourself.
Actually it’s more like creating a budget. You have only so much time, and you’re choosing how to spend it.
What difference does it make?
When you’re “managing” time, your mind separates you (just a bit) from full responsibility.
Interruptions, distractions, cat videos, & Facebook.
What I’m supposed to be working on VS what I’m doing right now.
Managing yourself – puts all the responsibility on you and your decisions.
Yes, it’s a subtle difference.
But often the difference between success and failure comes down to tiny changes.
Consider the story of Natalie Bickers from Ep. 76.
She entered the Moab 240 trail race.
Cutoff time: 113 hours – 4 days 17 hours.
She crossed the finish line in 112:59:58
Two seconds before the cutoff.
You may not be in competition, but
The way you think about time does influence how you act.
So shift your mindset about your relationship to time.
Don’t try to manage it.
Manage yourself. Get that slight edge, and go for success whatever you’re doing.
If you want to make a shift in your mindset, schedule a free 25 minute conversation with me – ultramindsetpodcast.run
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