Member-only story
How to Be More Productive by Hacking Your Perception of Time
The evolution of time management in 5 stages and 3 epiphanies
My life used to be a never-ending battle against the clock — one I would always lose. Every evening, I’d look up to find that clock face glaring back at me as I bowed my head in defeat.
The pressure of time pervades our lives on every level, but it serves a clear purpose: It gets us to work on time, motivates us to break personal records in the gym, and stops our cooking from turning into a charred mess. Deadlines can also improve productivity by increasing motivation to complete a task.
But feeling time-pressured can occupy the brain’s limited executive resources, impairing performance in everything from piloting airplanes to creative thinking. What is the right approach?
It may lie in the perception of time. I’ve tried many approaches to managing my time. Through conscious effort, I’ve found that I can free myself from the anxiety of time pressure.
