Advanced Time Management
Introduction
A long time ago, I came across an article that became my inner compass for years to come. It was "Higher Time Management" by Alexey Mas — a gifted manager and IT entrepreneur.
This text laid the foundation for my perception of time as life’s ultimate value. It isn’t just another manual on how to schedule tasks; it is a philosophy of living in harmony with oneself, distinguishing true goals from imposed obligations. Since I never encountered a English translation of this work, I decided to create one myself to ensure these vital insights resonate within our own space.
Advanced Time Management
1996 – 2015
Time belongs to you; you do not belong to time.
This text aims to optimize your activity.
But do not get carried away with optimization — get the job done.
Corollary: Traditional education (full-time, 5 years) is a dangerous thing. One must have very compelling reasons (a specific goal) to spend such a massive chunk of time on an unknown result. Furthermore, the 50/50 principle (theory vs. practice) does not apply in modern schooling; it is quite the opposite, which, in my view, proves the inadequacy of current teaching methods.
1. The Necessity of Time (Reasons)
Definition: What is Effective Time Management? We define "Effective Time Management" as a way of living where the following conditions are met:
You are satisfied with the results (your progress toward the goal);
You are completely free from urgent and uninteresting tasks.
Perfection is unattainable, but the more satisfied and free you are, the better your time management.
Corollary: If you have no goal, you have no need for time.
APPLYING TIME MANAGEMENT WITHOUT A GOAL IS FORBIDDEN.
Advice: Do not reproach yourself for inactivity! More often than not, it is better to do nothing than to do the wrong thing.
How to craft a goal? No matter how fate turns, the only goal worthy of you is to change the world. All others are either selfish (meaning you haven't truly understood yourself yet and it's too early to think about a goal) or they ultimately boil down to "changing the world."
Corollary: YOUR goal is formulated as follows: I have decided (within my lifespan / there is no other) to change the world so that it contains more (list your favorite activities and feelings, but not things — things are the ultimate enemies of time).
2. Accepting Time (Axioms)
The phrase "time is money" isn't quite right. Time is far more multifaceted than money.
Time is everything we are given in this life. Time and life are nearly synonymous.
Time can be invested. Nothing else can be invested without time. (See Investments)
Humans have always needed a universal Currency to evaluate the path they choose at every moment. Historically, that has been money. But time is a natural and far more universal yardstick. (See Time Accounting). Therefore, it is more natural to build a business on temporal resources rather than financial ones. (See Business and Time).
3. Existing Above Time (Concepts)
Engage only in what you love. If you cannot afford this, this text is not for you.
Justification:
Nothing can be done well if you do not enjoy it.
The capacity to do uninteresting things leads to the problem of choice, which, in my view, cannot be solved objectively.
Advice: DOING UNINTERESTING TASKS IS FORBIDDEN.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TASKS
Right tasks are interesting.
Right tasks do not need to be done urgently.
Right tasks work for the long-term perspective.
(ATTENTION: ANY OTHER TASKS ARE FORCED AND UNNECESSARY)
Moving to the highest level of time management: THROW AWAY YOUR WATCH AND DIARY — YOU DO NOT NEED THEM.
Justification:
Humans possess memory and a sense of time. Both abilities are unique and necessary. By getting rid of your WATCH and DIARY, YOU WILL TRAIN YOUR MEMORY.
By throwing away your watch, remember: time is your property. It belongs to you; you do not belong to it.
Advice for non-beginners: If you didn't have a watch or a diary, YOU must first ACQUIRE both to understand why they are needed. Only then should you throw them away. I believe it is ineffective to avoid things you aren't familiar with.
Do not try to convince people. Their convictions are their personal happiness.
What to do? State your own opinion, agree with the points you recognize, and disagree with those you don't. End the conversation. Be absolutely open and honest while doing so. Your interlocutors will have no further questions.
Love people, and love yourself first.
Loving others allows you to love yourself without falling into egoism. Furthermore, it protects you from conflicts. No one can take away or give you as much time as other people can.
Loving yourself allows you to guard your time against encroachments.
Corollary: Be honest with yourself and others.
4. Producing Time (Core Techniques)
STRUCTURE YOUR TIME
A. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO EVERYTHING — GET RID OF GUILT. You cannot master time if you believe you are in its debt.
Reporting to someone on how you use your time is harmful. After all, time is what is truly personal. Someone can only demand a specific result from you. But if your job is to be in a certain place and take calls, then missed calls are the negative result for which you are easily held accountable.
B. AUTOMATE WHAT CAN BE AUTOMATED. This allows you and your mind to stop noticing these tasks.
C. DO ONLY ONE THING AT A TIME... * + LIMIT THE NUMBER OF "PENDING" TASKS (delete things)
DO THE "GOAL" (remember the "why")
TRUST YOUR INTUITION. It knows more than you do (balance of mind and feeling).
Corollary 1: The ideal desk is empty; the ideal inbox is empty.
Corollary 2: "Pending" important tasks are particularly dangerous. A task consumes about 10% of its "weight" in time just by hanging over you. Burden yourself with 10 important tasks, and you won't be able to work at all.
Corollary 3: It is much simpler and more effective to tell a person that you will handle their matter after some time has passed and they (the interested party) REMIND YOU THEMSELVES. In this case, your brain rests and enjoys life. It is better to remember something useful than tasks that don't need to be remembered. By the way, this is supported by the theory of pleasant relationships: they will enjoy reminding you, while you usually don't enjoy having to remember it yourself.
Corollary 4: Create closure (every completed task dissolves into space and stops nagging you).
Corollary 5: Do not mix several tasks together. Tasks are beautiful in isolation. The phrase "I will deal with your matter after I finish this other thing" should leave your vocabulary. You have no idea if that "other thing" will ever be finished, and certainly, these tasks are not linked.
D. MAKE HASTE SLOWLY. Any time pressure (zeitnot) is inefficient.
ALWAYS KEEP 33% OF YOUR TIME FREE (LATER 50%). Justification: It is impossible to structure time when everything is occupied. You need room to maneuver.
5. Preserving Time (Cautions)
Get rid of things. Things consume time. There are, undoubtedly, useful things, but they are useful and harmful simultaneously. Feel the balance: when things become harmful, get rid of them.
Furthermore, it is interesting to note that 90% of things are useless by nature.
My observations: A car taken with me consumes 5 units of my time per day; it brings a time gain depending on circumstances from -20 (traffic jams) to +40 (transporting equipment, trips out of town).
A mobile phone consumes 1 unit and brings 4 units of time.
A Palm Pilot consumes 4 units and brings only 1; I do not carry a Palm. These amounts are relative; besides, mine was once stolen, which also led to time losses (on useless worrying, recovering information, and changing passwords).
Corollary. If you love your time, you must avoid:
Reading thick books (especially those you don't love). Books should either be read voraciously (as a favorite activity) or not at all.
Long negotiations involving a large number of people (it is quite obvious that half of those present are simply wasting their time).
Advice. Know how to stop and step back; do not try to be "right."
I have noticed in many people, and in myself, a prejudice against walking 5 meters back, admitting mistakes, etc. Get rid of this; any prejudice can be forgotten.
Know how to admit your mistakes. Then, what you have done will save your time rather than waste it.
E. DO NOT GET EMBROILED IN LONG AFFAIRS (love simplicity), QUICKLY (--love time--) EXTRICATE YOURSELF FROM DEAD-END VENTURES (--love yourself--), AND MEANWHILE, KEEP YOUR WORD (--love people--).
Corollary 1: Do not throw your word around.
Corollary 2: Do not engage in complex tasks — either simplify them or forget them.
F. DO NOT WORK WITH THOSE WHO WORK WORSE THAN YOU. Nothing consumes as much time as friction with disorganized assistants.
Corollary: People should be paid high salaries, for specialists of your level are worth a lot.
G. TASKS SHOULD BE:
Forgotten (if they cannot be forgotten)
Done immediately and correctly (if they cannot be done or are uninteresting)
Delegated to another
Corollaries:
Forgetting is the most effective method. This requires a habit, but most tasks are absolutely useless.
Remember, every "completed" task also consumes time (for maintenance, consultations, or expressing gratitude). Note: sincere positive emotions from others actually preserve time.
When delegating, allocate PLENTY OF TIME FOR OVERSIGHT, but keep that time in reserve.
Post-corollary: IT IS CRITICAL TO DO THINGS CORRECTLY (correctly means that the net result is a gain in time, not a loss). A task done incorrectly consumes 10–20 times more time later. DOING THINGS INCORRECTLY IS FORBIDDEN.
Post-post-corollary: Tasks done CORRECTLY (preserving time) strengthen YOUR FAITH IN YOUR POWER OVER TIME. This is very beneficial.
Advice: Leave a little time to double-check for correctness.
Particularly harmful things: self-admiration, egoism, prejudice, taking offense or offending others, luxury, euphoria.
Your image should generate time, not devour it. Watch for this.
If you experience euphoria, it means YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING TOO FAST; slow down. Maintain a balance between mind and feelings. Do not let either gain the upper hand.
6. Implementation (Methodologies)
Notes:
Do not try to force events excessively; nothing happens all at once (it is better to use the stairs than to scramble up a sheer wall).
The philosophy must be understood as a whole and implemented slowly and steadily (a cart on two wheels /convictions/ will travel crookedly, if at all).
Do not be afraid to experiment (there is no true experience other than your own).
Where you need time rather than art — follow a consistent technology (do not argue with yourself).
Do not be deceived by results.
Appendices (The Extras)
Time is More Natural Than Money
Why is time a more natural measure of success than money?
Initially, at birth, you are given only time. The goal of your life (on a physical level) can only be one thing: to use the time allotted to you effectively. By effectiveness, you can mean whatever you wish.
The Negative Taint of Money
Money is a "fictitious" thing, something invented rather than pre-existing. Time is an essence given to us. There is nothing inherently wrong with money, but like every "fictitious" (unnatural) thing, money has its limitations. People who see these limitations and collide with them will judge those who chose money as their yardstick. It would be unwise to label these people as enemies. Choose a different anchor — time.
Converting Money into Time
Is $1,000 enough for a couple of days? Then this amount can preserve that time for you. You can hire a housekeeper, and that too will save your time. Unfortunately, money does not exist in a vacuum. If you plan not just to spend it but to use it effectively (invest it), it no longer just gives time — it starts taking it.
Time Accounting
Main advantages of accounting in time:
As income grows, money loses its value, while time remains constant.
Time is more natural than money.
Money carries a negative taint, whereas time does not.
Investments
Money can only be invested with the help of time. You can only be truly busy with affairs if a grandfather leaves you several billion. You will need time to select consultants (at the very least) if you want to invest that money wisely. Knowledge is almost impossible to invest; it cannot be accounted for or appraised. You can invest decades into knowledge, but if you do not spend years applying it — that knowledge will die with you.
Business and Time
No matter how much you pay your employees, all they can do is generate or devour time. Therefore, what distinguishes a successful firm from an unsuccessful one is the time balance. A successful firm produces a lot of effective time, while an unsuccessful one devours it (and, consequently, the money along with it).
Author: Alexey Mas (alexeymas@gmail.com)
What worries you masters you.