Key takeaways:
- Over scheduling is a common time management mistake that can lead to stress and decreased productivity.
- Having a wide margin of error in your schedule is essential to accommodate unexpected events and maintain focus.
- Actively deciding where and when to lose or compromise is necessary for effective time management and to prevent falling behind.
Avoid Over scheduling #
- Over scheduling occurs when you try to fit too many tasks in a single day, making it unrealistic and unsustainable.
- A lack of wiggle room in the schedule means that when unexpected things happen, you'll need to reschedule and reorganize everything, wasting time and increasing stress.
- To avoid over scheduling, estimate tasks to take double the time you initially expected. This way, you'll have a more realistic schedule, and if you finish faster, you'll have additional free time.
"For beginners, I honestly recommend estimating a task to take double the time that you initially expected to take. Worst case scenario, it actually takes that long, and now it's going according to your plans. Best case scenario, you finish faster, and now you've got more free time that you can use to get more things done or maybe relax or whatever you want to do."
Importance of Wide Margin of Error #
- Deep flow and focused work require upfront planning, so you can execute tasks throughout the day without the need to constantly re-evaluate your schedule.
- Over scheduling and a lack of margin for error force you to micro-manage tasks and reduce your efficiency, as you're never able to stay in flow.
Actively Decide Where and When to Lose #
- It's crucial to acknowledge that you can't execute at a certain pace, speed, or level of rigor without making errors. You must know when you are going to lose.
- If you can't win the game, plan to win the championship by actively deciding where and when to compromise or lose. This way, you'll be in control of what's being sacrificed, rather than being forced to sacrifice everything.
"If you can't win the game, you can at least plan to win the championship, and to do that, you have to pick your losses, which Phillip did not do, and this is the other mistake that most people are making. They're not actively deciding where and when they are going to lose because losing doesn't feel good. We want to get everything done. I totally understand that. It doesn't mean it's going to happen."
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