Time management is tricky
Why chasing productivity won't set you free.
Last week, we dipped our toes into the relentless pressure cooker of modern time management. Today, we're going to continue.
There are only twenty-four hours in a day.
It's a non-negotiable constraint that's spawned entire industries dedicated to "optimising" every precious minute. But let's be real—how's that working out for you?
If you're like most of us, your calendar probably looks like a Tetris. You're speed-reading books but retaining nothing. You've become so ruthlessly efficient that anything without an immediate ROI gets axed. And don't even get me started on the multitasking.
The truly depressing part?
This is our new normal. Spending evenings and weekends bound to our inboxes instead of, I don't know, actually living our lives?
So what do we do?
We turn to the internet, of course. We consume articles, blog posts, and tutorials promising the secret sauce to better time management—some work (temporarily), but most don't.
Now, I used to be obsessed with the productivity. But these days? Not so much. Let's break down why most time management advice is about as useful as a short-bread-made teapot:
One-size-fits-all is BS. We wouldn't accept it in healthcare or education, so why do we accept it when it comes to managing our most precious resource?
As Greg McKeown points out in Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, the real key is eliminating the nonessential to focus only on what truly matters.
Sustainability? What's that? Dragging yourself out of bed at 3 a.m. doesn't make you a morning person. Real change takes consistent effort.
This echoes Alex Soojung-Kim Pang's insights in Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less. He argues that deliberate rest is essential for sustained creativity and productivity.
Tools are great, but they're not a magic bullet. You don't need the latest app or gadget—you need a shift in mindset. Celeste Headlee’s Do Nothing reminds us that busyness isn’t a badge of honor, and Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing challenges us to resist the endless demands on our attention.
Unrealistic expectations are setting you up for failure. No amount of "productivity hacks" will add more hours to the day or solve all your problems overnight. Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks puts it plainly: life is finite, and trying to cram everything in only makes it worse.
Look, I'm not claiming to have all the answers. But I've been in the trenches, trying to juggle a full-time job with pieces of training and this publication. I know the struggle of trying to carve out time for what really matters.
Time management, as we know it, is a relic of the industrial age.
It's based on the idea that time is just another "production unit" to be optimized, a concept popularized by Frederick Winslow Taylor in his 1911 book “The Principles of Scientific Management”.
But you're not a factory worker, and your creativity isn't a widget to be manufactured. Treating your writing like it is will only lead you down a path of diminishing returns—or worse, to a point where pushing harder actually decreases your output.
Ryan Holiday’s Stillness Is the Key reminds us that clarity and creativity come from stillness, not constant activity. If you're sprinting from task to task, you're likely missing the bigger picture—and burning out in the process.
So, what's the alternative? That's what we'll be unpacking in the upcoming months. We'll talk about setting realistic goals, creating a sustainable writing practice, and yes, even the importance of rest (gasp!).
Because here's the truth: if you want to make that leap to full-time Substack writing, you don't need to squeeze more productivity out of every waking moment. You need to fundamentally rethink your relationship with time.
Daniel Pink’s Drive highlights the importance of intrinsic motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—as the real drivers of meaningful work. Similarly, Jacinta Jiménez’s The Burnout Fix offers actionable strategies to create a sustainable approach to work, grounded in psychological resilience.
As James Clear, reminds us: "If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done." It's not about massive overhauls—it's about consistent, small improvements.
“Building habits and creating positive change can be easy — if you have the right approach. A system based o how human psychology really works.”1
“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.”2
“If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty seven times better by the time you’re done.”3
So, here's your homework for this week:
Do absolutely nothing productive. I'm serious. Take an hour, an afternoon, or (gasp) an entire day to just... be. Read that novel gathering dust on your nightstand. Take a leisurely walk without your phone. Stare at the ceiling and let your mind wander.
This advice aligns with the science-backed insights in Kelly McGonigal’s The Upside of Stress, which encourages us to see stress as a tool when managed correctly, and Russ Harris’s The Happiness Trap, which focuses on aligning actions with values rather than chasing an elusive "perfect" life.
As Brigid Schulte explores in Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, we need to actively reclaim our time from societal pressures that push us toward overwork and underliving.
Because sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is absolutely nothing at all.
Until then, resist the urge to optimise.
This is the second of 24 essays I wrote as part of the Sparkle on Substack Essay Club to keep me accountable and consistently posting regularly.
If life often gets in the way of your regular writing and you are a fellow Substacker (which many of you are), I'd recommend you join
and Essay Club.
Great article Jana!
Saving this as well