The un-fluidity of time (#SoGv2–41)
Here’s a question! Guess what continues to move even if you don’t?
Time! Of course!
Lemme talk about how we think of time.
Most of us think of time as that continuous stream that we can’t control and can’t track. You know, how they say, “time flies even if tomorrow never dies?” That!
So, time is fluid. Ongoing. Never stopping. And because of this very reason, we take time for granted.
You know, things that you were supposed to do today? How often have you pushed it to tomorrow thinking that its just one flip of the calendar?
Lemme digress for a bit. Talk of money.
You know how you take care of every penny that you have? I mean if I said that all you have is 7 lakh rupees in life and you can’t make more than that and you have to live your entire life with just that much money.
How would this change your behavior? Will you remain frivolous with it?
Think.
Coming back to time.
And now, assume that you will live till 80.
Thus you’d have approximately 80 * 365 * 24 hours in life. About 7 lakh of them. And an hour once gone, is not coming back.
Now, let’s break the fluid stream of time into 7 lakh chunks. Each hour you spend is like spending one rupee from an ever-depleting kitty of 7 lakhs. From a fluid stream, we now have distinct, separate chunks.
And here’s the big idea of the day (after all this build-up).
What if you could measure these chunks of time (an hour at a time)? In a visible manner? And then allocate just one task that you would do in that chunk.
I picked this from Cal Newport (the author of Deep Work). He recommends that you divide your time in one-hour chunks and pick just one task in that chunk. You know those 7 lakh chunks?
But, to me, one hour chunk of concentrated effort is way too much. So, I divided my time into 15-minute chunks (you can divide into whatever size that works for you). And then I started following it like a man possessed. I made this sheet (you can make a copy if you’d like) and I have been tracking it religiously.
On this sheet, I track top 3–4 things that I want to do in the day and then have divided the day into 15-minute chunks. I track each chunk in terms of what I do there. Think of it a manual version of Toggl. I have become so particular about tracking time that I even record the time I take to take a shower.
I also use this sheet as my calendar. As I start my day, I add meeting times, commute times and other such things that I want to track. So, when I need to slot work, I can see that I have certain things planned during the day. You know, nothing replaces things that you can touch and feel. At least for me. And I’ve used all sorts of digital tools to make my life better and faster!
The Result
So, it’s been 5 days since I have implemented this and I kid you not, I’ve become more productive than I’ve ever been. And the best part is, I know when I am fucking up!
Like for example, today has been a really bad day for work and all. I have had 35 chunks where I wasted time. That translates into almost 9 unproductive hours. One whole day! Yesterday, in comparison, I had just 10 useless chunks.
The idea is that in the long run, on the maker days, I want to have 0 chunks where I did not make things. That would be the epitome of Deep Work!
Of course, to be able to do that, I need to track my time to an extent that everything is measured and tracked. And tells me where all do I need to plug the leakage. And eventually, stop wasting the most important commodity that we have — time!
In the end
In the end, the point is, time is not fluid. And it is scarce. And yet it can be measured. In chunks. And it can be spent in a way that helps us make the most of it. If you start tracking it.
Let’s make a deal to not waste time. Game?
Oh, one more thing. Most of us reading this, about 2.5 lakh chunks (of the available 7 lakhs) are gone! What other kick do you need on your backside to get started?
Thanks for reading! Do share with others if you liked it.
This was originally written as an email to a few friends. You may subscribe to those emails at http://bit.ly/SoG2019. Older letters are archived here and here.
TAGS: Time, Cal Newport, Productivity, #workBetter, #SoG_sg
