The Mind Gym’s Approach To Time

The Mind Gym has four basic assumptions about how people should face time and its merits:

1 - We are the masters of our own thoughts. How we think and communicate depends on how we view the things around us.

2 - There is always room for improvement. There are various ways we can become better satisfied with how our time is spent.

3 - We can make changes to routines. Sometimes we think things should be done a certain way just because we’ve been doing it that way for so long that we’ve forgotten that we can make adjustments when the old way no longer suits us. There is a plethora of options available to us and we have only to open ourselves up to these.

4 - There sometimes is one technique that will help us use our time more efficiently. However, we must acknowledge that each scenario requires a different approach, so we must also learn to expand our horizons and see all possible choices.

The Mind Gym’s Goal

After reading the book, you will be more aware of how your habits affect your time management skills. This will help you find more effective ways to deal with daily tasks and how to get around those tasks which do not really bring you much benefit.

The programs, techniques and tools it recommends have proven themselves useful and empowering to over 100,000 people who have already taken part in face-to-face Mind Gym seminars and workouts.

Three Keys To Feeling Good About Time

Control

It has been found that those who are happiest with their work are the people who are their own bosses: the self-employed.

The greater the satisfaction derived from having control over time, the better we feel about how our time is spent. While self-employed persons are the ones who work the longest hours, compared to those who answer to a bundy clock, they turn out happier because decisions regarding how they spend their time are theirs and theirs alone.

 Immersion

When you feel worked up and excited about what you are doing, you tend to feel that your time is better spent.

For instance, when you’re engrossed in playing a video game or watching a good movie, it results in a higher sense of satisfaction, as you perceive that no time was wasted during the process.

Purpose

It follows that when you believe that what you’re doing will have a good impact on yourself or on others, your sense of fulfilment is greater.  Be it participating in a business-writing workshop or organizing a benefit concert, the fact that the action will ultimately lead to something good will help you feel happier with how you used your time.

Three Basic Programs In The Mind Gym: Give Me Time

These programs will help you tailor the book to your specific needs, so you can extract benefits as efficiently and as quickly as possible. You may start with these, or you can opt to design your own path using a checklist found inside.

1 - Free Me Up: For those who know what they want but can’t find the time to get them

2 - Happy Days : For those with long “to do” lists but don’t really enjoy doing them

3 - Pest Control: For those who can’t seem to be in tune with other people’s sense of time

Give Me Time - Free Me Up

Concentration Curve

Assuming that theory that people work better and faster at certain times of day is true, then you should schedule the heaviest and the most mind-wracking of your tasks during the hours that you feel you are most productive.

This is where the chronotype concept of Larks (morning persons) and Owls (night persons) comes in.  You have two options: you can either change your work habits to suit the set schedule at hand, or you can work with your chronotype (a.k.a. concentration curve).  Since it is more difficult to alter your underlying curve, you should, instead, work with it and play to your strengths.

Over-committed

Over commitment happens when you take on more tasks that you can realistically accomplish within a given time frame, at least not without sacrificing personal time.  In a culture where it a badge of honor to be able to get by on less sleep than the average person, this happens to more often than anyone is willing to admit

However, you have to realize that you have limits, and in order to be able to enjoy your life with the time you have, you have to recognize them.  Otherwise, you’ll end up feeling put-upon, resentful, and burnt out. 

To avoid over-commitment, we must first assess how big the problem or the task is.  Next, we choose what particular area we want to focus on, after which you can find ways to reduce its gravity, and then troubleshoot.  When making this review, you will find that there are things that you can still delegate or postpone to another time, so you only have to pay attention to the activities that need immediate attention.

To prevent becoming over-committed, acknowledge that there are things in your “to-do” list that could be scrapped. You don’t really have to maintain a full calendar just to give off the impression of being very busy and important. A packed diary does not spell power.

Dead Time

Dead Time happens when you’re waiting for something and eventually find yourself not knowing what to do next.

To combat the feeling that your time has been grossly wasted, you can check your “to do” list again and see if there is something else you can try to accomplish while waiting.  Take out your diary and start writing or drafting your next project, read a book, or correct and review some of the documents and papers piling up on your desk. Keep yourself preoccupied.

Interruptions

Interruptions are not always welcome, especially if you’re engrossed in an important task.  They can come in the form of an “important” email that you “just have to” answer, an officemate who needs you to look up some files “right now” or an errand you suddenly remembered that suddenly feels urgent.  To reduce the stress interruptions cause, learn to PACE yourself.

P - Pause before acting or reacting.  Take stock of the situation to prevent an automatic response.  

A - Ask questions like “How urgent is this?”, to prevent you from assuming that every task is urgent. 

C - Choose a decision.  Do you take the interruption?  Choose wisely, though, when weighing the urgency of each task. 

E - Engage and execute your choice. 

Persistent Offenders

Taking control of your time could be quite a challenge, especially if the people around you handle theirs poorly.

Such offenders can be generally classified into the following types: the indecisive, the unreliable, the anxious, the meanderer, the chatty type, the pushy, the needy, and the controlling. You can reform these people by understanding what makes them act like this. Be empathic. When you start appreciating their needs and how they operate, rest assured, they will get off your back in no time.

Saying No and Being Loved For It

“No” is probably the hardest word to say. However, if we want to make the most of our time and be happy with it, we need to learn to how to turn down tasks at the onset.  Say no, but be nice about it. 

The good thing about learning to say “No” is that it helps boost your self-esteem, awards self-control, allows you to extract better quality from the task you chose to do, and gives you more time to perform more important tasks.

A Quick Read

We can finish reports more quickly if we boost our reading and comprehension skills. You can do this using these six simple steps.

1 - Prime : Know what you want to look for before you start reading.

2 - Peek : Skim the pages to know where the information you need is located.

3 - Peruse : Know the style of the book and search for the core concepts

4 - Participate : Start reading. Don’t waste time on irrelevant sections.

5 - Prudent : Pace yourself

6 - Post Mortem : Assess how well you read the book and what areas require another quick look

 Off Load

Learn to delegate tasks. Sure, you might not comfortable passing on jobs to other people, but this will eventually save you time and allow you to do better on the tasks assigned to you.  Just make sure that when you delegate, you are precise about which task is to be done, how, and when you expect it to be finished.

Give Me Time - Happy Days

Hawks and Doves

All people are inherently busy.  The difference lies in whether one actually enjoys being busy or is constantly harried and harassed by the number of tasks one has to do.

In this light, people can be generally classified as hawks and doves.  Hawks are those who are constantly concerned about having very little time for all the things they want to do. While there is nothing wrong with being a hawk, it is often this behavior that leads to dissatisfaction over how time was spent.  They can be further divided into striving hawks, or those who are always trying to find time, and resigned hawks, or those who have given up.

Doves, on the other hand, are usually a happier lot, because they are aware that they have to make choices in order to get the most of out of the time that is available. Doves are positive thinkers.  While they all acknowledge the reality that one will never be able to do everything, the possibilities of their flurries of activities are exciting for them.  It is what keeps them motivated. Striving doves are thankful that there are many choices available despite the time constraint, while resigned doves are those who simply appreciate what can be done within the time given.

Rushaholics

When we move too fast to finish a job (because “there really isn’t time”), we tend to end up with substandard work quality. Not only is the output value reduced, but also the enjoyment derived from the experience of actually getting things done.

To help you find calm from your rushaholism, you need to be aware that you are prone to quick fixes. Think and look before you leap. Realize that judging things at the onset will not help make sound decisions.

Evaluate. Enjoy the experience. You will better appreciate the time that passed when you feel good about what you’re doing. Also, spot the not before it happens, especially with routines, so you won’t find yourself in harried situations.

Joy Division

There are three things that would help you appreciate and enjoy your time more, no matter how limited: Pleasure, Challenge and Meaning.

If you have fun, find a higher purpose, and gain personal development in doing your chores, the happier you will be with your time. Always look on the bright side of things and treat each task as a mission to higher purpose.

Pathfinder

Determine the direction in which you want to go and set your priorities. Once you’ve acknowledged these, it will be easier for you to reach them.

The Mind Gym gives us seven basic directions we can consider when planning for the future: physical, mental, social, occupational, financial, familial, and intimate.

A definitive approach would be to ask yourself first what you want to accomplish per direction and, if possible, to list them down. Next, highlight those that you feel are more important than others - the ones you are more likely to spend time on. And, finally, ask whether you truly are willing to devote time to these goals. Leave space for change, as not all things go as planned.

Goal Getting

Getting “into the groove” is not just driven by luck. We can also make things happen consciously, as well as control when and where they happen.  To achieve a particularly tricky goal without breaking a sweat, you have to first recognize what skills you have to best face a challenge.

If something disinteresting to you needs to be learned, you can take a straightforward approach and just go with it. If you are a total beginner to the task, then, by all means, stretch yourself and enjoy the ride.

However, be careful of getting strained or forced. Go for a goal that allows you to go for the stretch without burning you out.

Planning For Non Planners

Some of us see planning as a great chore. But we can never deny the vast merits from a task that is laid out well. Planning doesn’t have to be as tedious as it sounds. Simply knowing which direction to go in and what to do to get there will help make a huge difference, and will definitely make you happier with how you have spent your time.

Saying No and Being Loved For It

As mentioned in Give Me Time - Free Me Up, having the guts to say “no” will make a great deal of a difference in terms of your work quality and how others will see you as a professional. “No” does not mean poor work ethic. It just means that you know how to value and use time wisely.

Give Me Time - Pest Control

Time Warp

How you think will determine your perception of how time is spent.  You can change how we view time when we change the labels we attribute to the tasks at hand. For instance, “work” seems to be a less pleasurable activity than “play”, even if you’re really just doing the same thing.

Recognize that you are not anybody’s puppet, or a helpless victim of any circumstance.  You have the freedom to approach goals any way you wish. When you feel like things are out of your control, look for positive points that would rein them back to you and put you back at the helm.

Interruptions

Treat interruptions individually. If they are an annoyance, deal with them as professionally as you can by first asking if the task is immediate. Make a decision and then execute. Dwelling on the act of the interruption itself will not help.

Of course, there are also the kinds of interruptions that may serve as good breathers from a worrisome task. Welcome them.

Persistent Offenders

As with Give Me Time - Free Me Up, learn to empathize with time offenders. See how other people respond to different circumstances and try to get around their habits so the experience places less strain on you and your precious time.

Fleeting Meetings

To avoid meetings that meander, create an agenda and stick to it. Try to avoid small talk, especially if your work nature requires you to always be on the go and alert. Keep your meetings brief without compromising their content. Not only will your colleagues thank you for a well-managed time, they will also be more likely to keep talking about it after.

Getting Time With Time Poor People

You will need to vigilant and upfront with people who are too busy to sit down and have a nice chat with you. Keep your pitches brief and to the point. Avoid wandering off and making comments that don’t really matter to the subject at hand, unless you’re trying to illicit a reaction.

Once you’ve succeeded in getting some of their time, determine what part in your conversation made them really pay attention to you, so you’ll know what will get them listening the next time you make an attempt.

Toxic Time Cultures

It’s inevitable. There really are certain work environments that do not do much for your creativity and insist on a single, uniform way of doing things. You can either grin and bear it, or you can try to enjoy what is available to you.

There are 8 ways to be smart about your actions without attracting too much attention (and, possibly, ire) from the higher-ups:

• Buddy up.  More likely, what you’re feeling is also felt by at least one other person in the group. Associate yourself with people who share your insights and are willing to do something about it.


• Be consistent.  Your colleagues will take you more seriously if you stick to your beliefs.


• Show conviction. It is not enough to just talk about it. You can incite change by starting with yourself. This does not mean you should start a rebellion in the office, but being passionate about your cause could inspire others to do the same (with less “bloodshed”).


• Be one of the group but not one of the crowd.  Make your opinions clear without alienating yourself from others, otherwise, you will have difficulty gaining support and risk being misunderstood.


• Make token gestures. If you feel strongly against a certain office culture, show your opposition using non-violence. You can choose to frown, so that people will see that it does not please you.


• Encourage. Talk to your colleagues one at a time, subtly. A consensus will soon emerge on its own.


• Don’t blame your superiors. Your boss does not define your toxic work environment, but he can help influence and effect change. Not all change happens from top to bottom.


• Pay attention. Keep yourself updated with what’s going on. Also, learn to listen to what others have to say about a particular issue. Who knows, their point might turn out more viable and sound than yours.

Time Generators and Time Parasites

Time Generators are people, tools or events that help us extract the highest benefits from the time that is available to us. Examples of these include a touch typing course, training to speed-read, shortcut keys on your computer, a request for help, a traffic update, or your word processor’s spell checker.

In every task, look for time generators and work with them. They are the simplest daily occurrences that we often ignore, but could actually make huge spaces in our schedules or bring happiness and satisfaction in whatever it is we’re trying to accomplish.

In contrast, Time Parasites include long queues, lost keys, an empty battery, a busted computer, or a persistent worry. Whatever they are, they are guaranteed to cause some annoyance and force you to stop performing for a while to maybe sulk or complain.

Don’t let them get to you. Time Parasites can be warded off by always being prepared with pads (like a good book, a paper to write, or a document to correct) or by keeping a healthy and positive outlook.

Remember, how you view challenges will define how you view time. So keep your chin up, smile and face them head on.