What Would You Do If You Had the Perfect Time Management System?
Monday, January 17, 2022 at 23:25 This was originally a comment which I put on a Forum discussion about expressing one’s values. As it was tagged onto the end of the discussion I don’t think many people saw it. Here it is, slightly edited.
The ideal time-management system would not only help you to reach your ideals and goals, but would also help you to find out what your ideals and goals are. As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Imagine for a moment that you found the ideal time management system which banished all resistance and unerringly pointed you to the right thing to be doing at every successive moment in order to achieve your ideals and goals as easily and painlessly as possible. Having found this perfect system, what would you use it for?
You probably wouldn’t use it to watch every series on Netflix while drinking endless six-packs of beer. Or am I being too optimistic?
And most of you (I hope) wouldn’t turn into Dr. Evil with dreams of world conquest, shortly to become reality.
My guess is that once you’d started to realise the potential of this amazing system you would try it out on some fairly easy things which you’d always wanted to do, and then, as you gained confidence and experience, you would extend your range while getting a clearer picture of what you were capable of and what you wanted to achieve.
So to me, the sequence is System > Ambitions, rather than Ambitions > System.
Reader Comments (34)
Likwise, after we discover the "superpower" of effective time management then we are confronted with what we want to use this superpower for, as Mark is saying.
Not sure how fitting this analogy is, haha.
Although I guess there are people who are spurred on by not being able to achieve what they want and turn to time management methods, sort of how like one of the villains in Spider-Man gained powers in order to fight Spider-Man lol.
I agree with your general assessment here regarding System > Ambitions.
The thing that doesn't quite site well with me, and maybe in a few other posts of yours, is the idea of a system that makes things "easy." I think a part of the value of life is the fact of the value of choice, which comes because of the costs associated with it. I think a system that cut out all of the unease and discomfort that comes with assessing and pursuing something, even if it doesn't cut out the discomfort of the thing itself, might somehow inherently represent either a paradox or undermine itself.
I can't help but feel that if I could pick anything I wanted easily, it wouldn't make doing it worth it. I think the implications of that ease are too far ranging and deadly to my worldview of growth and change to make me comfortable with the idea of a system that is truly so effortless. In a sense, I believe that the fears that we face through tackling something that is hard to choose to do is valuable in itself, somehow. It's almost like it is as much the choosing as the doing that makes it worthwhile. Cheapening the choice feels...underwhelming somehow.
I think that different than a sense of calm and peace, though. I'm not sure exactly how the emotional map would lay out.
<< The thing that doesn't quite site well with me, and maybe in a few other posts of yours, is the idea of a system that makes things "easy." >>
"Easy" is very much a relative term. A world-championship tennis player would find things easy, which I would find impossible. And even as a child when first getting into tennis it would be a much easier choice for them to take tennis seriously than it would have been for me.
And the result of them making the relatively easy choice (for them) to make tennis into a career would have been an unimaginable amount of extremely hard work.
I'm sure you don't mean it that way, but what you say sounds as if tennis would have been too easy a choice for them, so they should have tried to be a professional football player instead.
Yes, your ambitions could exceed your system, but then of course those ambitions couldn't be realized, so you better up your system to meet.
Mark is right that Easy is relative to ability, if the task is held constant. But Aaron is also right that lobbing a ball over the net may be a worthy goal for Mark, but not for Nadal. If he isn't challenging himself to win championships, then why bother?
But good systems don't make good work less valuable; they increase your ability to do even better work. Respecting the role of systems in supporting actions, I'm a fan of one of Jim Rohn's expressions: "It's simple! It's not easy, but it's simple!" The meaning is, he could explain very clearly what you need to do (simple), but it is nevertheless hard work, requiring significant effort (whether emotional, mental or physical) to accomplish. Sticking to it is not easy. Yet it remains simple.
This splitting of words answers Aaron's objection: Even though the good system makes simpler knowing what to do, the challenge of doing it (what makes it worthy) remains. If the system also enhances your resolve to do it, that doesn't diminish the value of doing it. Yet if the system expands your capabilities, then indeed you can look at taking on even better tasks. So yes, the previously hard task is no longer worthy of your attention, but only because you can now choose something better.
All good things in my life have occurred once I let go of perfect. To that end, I would say Mark has supplied a lot of (very) Good Enough workflow systems and ideas to try. In fact, I'm introducing Simple Scanning to my eldest son this evening.
Like if two people accomplished the same tasks, and person A got them done with barely any resistance, but person B had a lot of resistance yet pushed through it to get them done, in a sense, person B not only gained the results of the tasks at the end, but also strengthened their ability to get things done despite resistance. Maybe this is called grit?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit_(personality_trait)
Perhaps the questions become, is grit even valuable? If it is, and we organize things so everything becomes easy, then when do we train our grit?
Some situations I thought of: What if it's time for scheduled tennis training, and our future professional tennis player doesn't feel like going to it? What if we're discouraged / depressed / not using our system, and it'll take a certain amount of effort to get ourselves back on track? What if we're in a military situation, and we must make a decision/take action despite not being psychologically ready?
Not sure if this is what Aaron is asking, but I've become curious too.
I do feel like not all Mark's advice is to make everything easy - for example with the school timetable advice you sort of need to "force" yourself to start at the scheduled times and to end at the set times. I think Mark has suggested for long-term projects that'll need significant action most days, to schedule a time for it, implying also some kind of "forcing" onself.
http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2020/3/25/working-from-home.html
http://markforster.squarespace.com/final-version-faqs/projects-and-commitments/how-do-i-handle-a-long-term-project-like-writing-a-book.html
Although I understand Mark personally doesn't like following rigid schedules :)
You're welcome to carry on quibbling about what the word "easy" means, but the actual question I asked was "If you were to find a perfect system, what would you use it for?"
Anyone like to have a shot at answering that?
To override my propensity to game myself, and whatever system I've tried. For example:
I use a web blocking tool called Freedom (for Mac, iPhone, etc). They have a feature whereby you can not quit Freedom to access blocked sites until your Freedom session is done. The only way to quit a Freedom session is to reinstall your entire operating system. I have told the developers: Your app saves me from myself.
DWM was as close to a perfect list making system that I've used. The problem - I could always ignore the dismissal rules. However, DWM implemented via software, whereby the user could not override dismissal once a task was overdue (the task would automatically delete) would have been the missing link for me.
<< To override my propensity to game myself, and whatever system I've tried. >>
Right, but you're still talking about system here. The question relates to what you would use the perfect system *for*.
Once you've overridden your propensity to game yourself, what are you going to use your new focus and clear-sightedness to DO? Write a novel? Stand for President? Break the world speed record? Become the best in your profession? Become a billionaire? Raise millions for charity? Become the chair of the local parent/teachers association? Take up acting as a career? Learn to sing? All of the above?
Assuming that the perfect time management system wouldn't let me actually do anything any faster (limitation of my brain power) and wouldn't let me add more time to the world, then I'm not sure much would change in terms of my overall priorities. The perfect system isn't changing how I have to get from where I am to where I want to be, or making that any easier, it's just making it easier to spend my time towards the things that I want more easily.
I'd probably still be working on my research, and I'd probably get to some things that I want to get to faster, but I think the real limit is my humanity, even with the perfect system, there are tons of things that a system isn't going to fix or change.
There are things that I've put off right now because I need to get other things in order first, and the perfect system might make those things happen faster, but I'm not sure the order of anything would really change.
<<what you would use the perfect system *for*.>>
I don't feel comfortable sharing details, but you've got me thinking... about what *exactly* you're trying to get at with the question as well as the simple meaning of the question (and my answers).
Your post reminds me of why I wasn't won over by Oliver Burkeman's recent book "Four Thousand Weeks." From what I recall: he says: Our lives are so short; we can only cram so much in them; working more efficiently just means you'll have more work to do; time management is often a futile quest; and so on. His points (and writing) are much more subtle than that, but that's the gist. Other time management critiques follow the same form. Time management sometimes gets a bad name--as if it's only for humorless folk who want to do more of the same pointless drudgery.
Your post reminds us (if we needed the reminder) that time management is broader than that. And that time management could be a powerful force for good. What if your job is working for a top non-profit in disease prevention or poverty relief? Or you're doing cutting-edge research? All of a sudden working more efficiently means more lives saved, etc. Ditto for many other careers. Even for most of us who are doing more mundane things, there is potentially great value to be obtained from efficiency gains--in work and in life. Sure: earn extra salary and give it charity, write that novel, learn to sing, have fun, experience personal growth...
Time management is potentially highly impactful (even duly accounting for what Aaron calls the "limit[s] of [our] humanity.")
<< The ideal time-management system would not only help you to reach your ideals and goals, but would also help you to find out what your ideals and goals are. >>
Of your current systems: "Dreams" seems most closely geared toward the latter aim. The other systems likely get you there as well, but in a more indirect way. At least, that's my first impression.
This is how my current system is oriented. I can’t claim it’s “the ideal”, but does aim at developing ideals, and working toward goals.
The problem with the notion of “perfect system” is that I am very imperfect. And so rather than imagining a perfect system, I am focusing on a system that improves my behavior, and as I get better the system also becomes better. And what am I doing with this? I am seeking always what thing I can do better, and what better thing I can do. “Become President” or such goals aren’t on my radar at this time because I am not up to such demanding careers. Developing skills so I can take on progressively bigger roles is my spot.
In a similar vein, I think the perfect "Time Management" system is not to fill time but to free it up.
I believe your question is "To free it up for what?"
Well, I want a system that helps me navigate my commitments to my self and others, with as little friction as possible so that I can efficitiently get to the free non-committed time of exploring and discovering the interests of my heart.
My current passion outside of my day job in Information Technology, is making YouTube videos about my hobby of exploring and discovering sketching and painting outside with the hope of helping others "explore and discover" a hobby of their own. It's been quite rewarding and I wish I had more time to devote to it... (sigh)
Although that must of course be part of any answer, I was a bit surprised that no one seemed to want to go beyond that. Perhaps I'm wrong in saying that.
For me time management is and always has been about opening up new fields. I've used time management to raise large sums for charity, to set up a business, to deal with a large number of clients, to write books, to read extensively in my chosen fields, to run organisations and to teach others. Without time management, I would have been severely restricted. With better time management I could have (and maybe still will) extend my reach further.
I feel a blog post coming on!
<<is making YouTube videos about my hobby of exploring and discovering sketching and painting outside with the hope of helping others "explore and discover" a hobby of their own.>>
After years (and years) of trying to learn to draw, the habit finally took hold in 2004. Would love to see your YouTube videos.
<I was a bit surprised that no one seemed to want to go beyond that. Perhaps I'm wrong in saying that.>
For me, I love discovering the new and novel but I'm learning that I can do that by going deeper into my current interests rather than chasing brand new shiny interests (going broader). So while it may sound like I"m saying I'd "do what I am already doing more efficiently", I think my reaction that is, no I'm not saying that, I want to dig deeper into the passions I've already identified.
Avrum:
Thanks for your interest. You can find a link to my YouTube channel at my website http://www.paintwithpencil.com/ It is a new adventure of only about a year, so still lots to learn and do with it.
Brent
<< I'm missing out a lot of individual details here, but basically the main emphasis seems to be "Do what I'm already doing more efficiently."
Although that must of course be part of any answer, I was a bit surprised that no one seemed to want to go beyond that. Perhaps I'm wrong in saying that.>>
No, that's fair as far as my comment is concerned. I did write about "efficiency" mostly. That seemed a bit narrow to me, even as I wrote it.
<<For me time management is and always has been about opening up new fields.>>
Yes, this seems important--and key in many of your systems. Creating and exploring possibilities, personal growth, etc. I love the open-mindedness and optimism you have shown in your writing over the years.
As I was thinking about my own answer, I have to admit that I, too, was a little surprised by my own sense of "do what I'm doing." I have always *loved* to explore different areas and to learn them and play around in every new pond. I still do love this, but, in a sense, I'm *already* doing this.
Also, I've only just recently been turned on to the fact that in a lot of ways, I've already explored so much in my life, and gathered so much to myself, that in a lot of ways, I'm not running into limits of my time management, but limits of my information systems. It's very common these days for me to be exploring an idea and not be able to find *any* information on the Internet or elsewhere that I don't already know or have some experience within my chosen domains. In a lot of ways, I've exhausted the well of available information in many areas, and the only thing I could do at this point to continue that exploration is begin doing my own research and contributing new knowledge to the space.
There's still a ton of things out there to learn about, and I could go after them, but there's a question to the value of doing that. Is it really something that I want to do? Is it something that will help me to bring something worthwhile into this world?
I learned a while ago that it's not just new things that excite me, but it's the *mastery* of something. I have a strong competitive streak in me, and that streak makes me somewhat dissatisfied with just "adequate" competency. I'm okay with not being the best at everything, but I want to pursue what I do choose to do as if I were seeking complete mastery. I just don't enjoy it as much if I don't.
So, could this new system guarantee not only that I could do a lot of things, but that I could become a master in any of the new things I pursued? How long would that take? Would I have to give anything else up? Could I continue to be a master of all the other things I want to be a master of? If so, then yeah, I've already got a list of things that contain my set of "next masteries" that I want to take on after I feel that I have sufficiently exhausted the spaces I am currently exploring, but that's already a part of my system, and already something that I've thought a lot about.
I have way more things I want to master right now than is literally possible for a human within the average few lifetimes. If I succeed in being able to master the select few that I've selected right now within my lifetime, then I'll be pretty happy about that. I'm not sure it's fair of me to expect a time management system to be able to allow me to master topics beyond what is physically possible in a human lifespan.
And I also realized that most of what I do is completely and totally driven by mastery. A while ago I went through and tried to map out what I would like things to look like, and every single long term goal was defined by mastery.
I could continue to try to expand my mastery at the expense of using that mastery, but at this point in my life, I want to balance acquiring new mastery with the application of mastery that I already have in a sort of ideal intermingling that lets me do both at the same time.
And when I looked through all that, I came to the conclusion that even if I had the absolute ideal system right now, I'm not sure how much would change in terms of what I would be aiming at (I've had above average clarity about what I'm aiming for since I can remember anything, but at least by ages 8 or 9). All that would really change is that the things that are getting in my way (mostly myself) and that are impeding my enjoyment of my own process and progress would fall away, and I would be left with that deep experience of being in Flow and that sense of calm centeredness that allows me to perceive the world through total and complete confidence and actualization.
The other thing that might happen is that with an ideal system, I would come to be aware faster, because I'd be making it to certain maturity milestones more quickly, which would allow me to alter my direction faster, and I'd find that what I'm aiming at right now isn't what I really want to be aiming at, and I'd change direction. But by definition, I would need the system to be able to see that, and I don't know what that would look like, because if I did I would have already changed directions.
For myself: learn to cook well, be very fit, compose and record piano music, be an excellent drummer, be a voracious reader, learn photography, learn woodworking, restore a Victorian home to its full glory, develop stellar handwriting, rock climb, snowboard, design products, improve my math skills, memorize another set of 700 scripture verses, start a juicing business.
For others: teach and play with my kids often, spend more quality time with my wife, serve others on a daily basis in small yet meaningful ways.
For me, resistance comes mostly from conflict -- or being self-conflicted: I resist committing to an idea, because it means I need to drop all the competing ideas -- I want to explore all of them but can't -- and I can't decide which one to stick with, because it feels like I will lose all the others.
So if there is no resistance, it would have to mean that I have abandoned this habit of conflict and indecision, and can now easily commit to executing on an idea and leaving competing ideas behind (at least temporarily). It might mean other things, too, but for me, this is a basic requirement to eliminate resistance.
So I think it would mean that I am bringing a lot more ideas into reality. I suppose this would help me develop better skills at selecting and executing good ideas and quickly rejecting bad ideas. So this would become a virtuous cycle, getting better and better over time.
I think I'd probably use this new effectiveness to get better at choosing the most promising ideas quickly and bringing them into reality and then cycle and repeat. This would lead to an ever-increasing capacity to find good ideas and make them real.
Sounds great! Will have to give it a try! :)
<< It is a new adventure of only about a year, so still lots to learn and do with it. >>
Having had a brief look at your youtube channel, I would say that that does not fall under the heading of doing what you're doing more efficiently, but a new field opening up. Whether you needed time management to do it I don't know.
It also awakened an new interest in me as to the possibilities of water-soluble coloured pencils!
Now all I have to do is invent it.
Is that opening up new fields or is it doing what I already do more efficiently? Hmm...
My main objective now is getting into developing useful tech, and I’m looking at the web-based CAD program Onshape and what kind of useful software I can produce to help designers produce products from ideas more effectively.
Respecting time management systems, my two polar tendencies have always been to focus all my attention on the One Thing to the detriment of everything else, or to work on everything to the detriment of the One Thing. A system that balances my tendencies is the ideal, and the challenge has also been to stay with the system and with the things that need doing. And the further challenge is to be progressive about all this, so I am not forever doing the same things the same way.
I believe now the ideal system for me must be particular to my characteristics, and while many might share these, another may have different tendencies and we each would be very poorly served by the other’s system.
I'm thinking though, is having a better TM system similar to living longer? So then what we'd do with a better TM system would be similar to what we'd do if we could live a longer life?
That's interesting - because it gets at what I think is lacking in my current system, such that if it were corrected, the new system would unleash extra [ ]?
Would that [ ] translate to time in my calendar? Freedom to create? Energy tied up in dealing with defects?
I suspect that my answers would change depending on the task volume I am carrying at any point in time. In other words, on a long vacation my answers would be different. With more discretionary time on my hands in that mode, I may very well want to pursue an intellectual challenge.
Howeve, when I'm busy, I may look at the exercise timeslot I missed, or the late night I spent working.
In short, my answer is "it depends."
I can imagine in a situation where tasks are given to you and they're one-time (non-recurring) that one can get to "to-do list zero", but I'm having more trouble imagining that happening to a personal to-do list - aren't there pretty much always things we'd like to do or need to do? I mean, I guess if we're depressed and all our chores/administrative tasks are taken care of by others...
Using Random often felt like I had an army of people working on my tasks with me. When I open the file for my taxes in March, I'll see that they are already done. "Hey, who did this?" It was me!!!
I had a tussle with Mark a few years back about whether a single list—despite my essential agreement with its desirability—was really ideal.
When I revisted Alan Lakein yesterday, I found that his ideas still made more sense. Forster reasonably says that if an action doesn't belong on your long list, then it doesn't belong anywhere, on any list. Because it will merely languish.
But when I looked again at Lakein, who is widely, and correctly criticised for his lack of systematicness (probably not a real word), I understood something I'd inexplicably overlooked.
The whole idea is that you write down your goals. That the first step. Then you choose (say) the three top ones. Then you write down stuff you can actually do for each of those three top goals.
And you put those on your daily TTD.
The reason why I think this is so rational is because Lakein says you revisit your goal sheet on a schedule. For example, I'm very overweight. I want to walk up Snowdon next year, but there's no point putting it on my daily list. But if I put "Get fit" on my sub-goal list, and "Walk ten yards" on my daily list, I still enact lifetime goals without placing fatuous entries on my daily TDL.
Forgive me, first for being boring, and secondly for appearing to be contentious.
2. A company
3. A charity. This one is hard as its going to be overseas, I don't have the language, and I am going to be asking for a lot of assistance. Nothing to loose though, right ?
One thing for sure, I could not even look at any of these things unless you had sorted me out Mark. Which you have, and for which I am very grateful.
I can now move forward.
<< I don't have the language, and I am going to be asking for a lot of assistance. >>
Learning a language and fund raising (assuming you mean financial assistance) are two things that a good time management system can support you in very powerfully. Both are basically doing the same thing over and over again.