Mind Management Not Time Management

✒️ Note-Making

🔗Connect

⬆️Topic:: workflows (MOC)

💡Clarify

🔈 Summary of main ideas

1. Productivity is a double edged sword - we naively try to save up time by being more productive, only to then reinvest that time in more "productivity", not letting ourselves rest and recharge which is essential to productivity. We focus too much on optimization, and not restoration. We sacrifice what we value on our way to be "better".
2. Manage mental states, not time - Time is not equal, not in feeling nor in our ability to produce. While time allegedly distributes linearly throughout the day, our energy and mental states are not, so conserve mental energy for what matters most, and choose tasks based on your current mental state, instead of trying to force a particular state by certain time.
3. Turn creativity into a system - Turn moments of creativity into a reaptable system, gather insights as to what improves your creative output, how you manage your time, rules and guidelines for your productive work. While creative output is changing and unique, the process that generates it is not.

🗒️Relate

⛓ by following this method, what will happen? What is the goal of this book? To overcome obstacles that limit your creative output. To create systems that will allow you to do creative work in an efficient and consistent way

🔍Critique

✅ relevant research, metaphors or examples that helps to convey the argument

1. Divergent and convergent thinking - Creative thought is like creating a net of wires between ideas, until you find the right connection that lights up the lightbulb of innovation. The Divergent gives us wide, shallow ideas. The convergent thinking gives us deep, detailed idea.
2. Creative sweet spot - when your mind is awake enough to have critical thinking, but not too awake to allow for generation of unique ideas.
3. clock time and event time - The difference between using time as an absolute, calculated, universal metric, like "let's meet at 14:00", or "this will take 30 minutes", to time as a personal experience, like "time flys by so fast" or "we will meet when I'm ready to eat"
4. 4 steps of creativity - Creative project follows these four steps:
   1. 1Preparation - studying a problem from various points of view, being immersed in it, knowing everything there's to know.
   2. Incubation - the knowledge floats in our brain, connections are slightly forming.
   3. Illumination - a moment of clarity, the "aha" moment when insight comes and everything clicks
   4. Verification - we test our idea to see how valuable it is
5. 7 mindsets of creativity - The type of thinking we do best at a specific time:
   1. Research - looking for answers for a predefined set of questions
   2. Explore - to follow curiosity wherever it takes you
   3. Prioritize - to plan, to break down into components, to manage your project
   4. Generate - to create new ideas
   5. Polish - to sharpen existing ideas
   6. Administrative - to do the support work necessary for a creative output
   7. Recharge - to relax, clear your head and regain focus and energy
6. Creative cycle - Matching your creative project to the "natural rhythm" of life, like how writing on vacation destinations would sell better during the summer.
7. Minimal creative dose - The minimal effort needed to outline an idea so that we would have enough "material" to work with during the incubation phase.
8. Creative systems

❌ the logical jumps, holes or simply cases where it is wrong... It seems he fell for the trap of maintaining the streak, doing creative work during horrible times just to not break the chain. His systems, while efficient, lack the flexibility needed, and the compassion for making exceptions.

🧱 Implementations and limitations of it are... Some of the recommendations seems "under cooked", as if they are still under development but wrapped with a fancy name for credibility, like his "sloppy systems".

🗨️Review

💭 my opinions on the book, the writers style... This is a surprisingly good book. It wasn't a "well known" book and i didn't expect much from it, but from the storytelling to the quality and order of the content - I'm very impressed.

Despite it having so many "tips" and concepts, most of them fit together well.

As opposed to other writers that borrow stories to support their arguments, he provided examples from his own life as part of a single over arching story.

🖼️Outline

📒 Notes

Mind Management not time Management

Productivity can lead to a Negative cycle. We attempt to optimize every second because time is scarce. Eventually, we sacrifice essential aspects like sleep, rest, and social life for the sake of productivity Hustle Culture. we ignore the Alternative cost of optimizing.

We mistakenly prioritize time based on quantity instead of quality Image vs core , failing to realize that the more time we invest, the less we receive in return. rest is not the enemy of productivity, it is the multiplier of it.

The flaw of time management is that it treats every unit equally, although the variance is great, especially considering how essential Deep Work is nowadays which means we are judged by the quality of our output, not the volume of it. Also, quality work is not a direct result of the amount of time invested in it. We try to free up some time only to use it in a new way, instead of keeping it free, activating our downtime brain.

Productivity is not about speed, it's about quality of ideas. It's about mind management, not time management.

Instead of living by our to-do list, which schedules work for specific times, we should align our tasks with our energy levels motivational scheduling. If something needs to be done and you're not in the mood for it, don't focus on how to increase the time you can dedicate to it. Instead, ask yourself how you can get into the right mindset for that type of work Inverse.

Mind Management, Not Time Management

• With each new tactic you learn, each new “life hack,” each new shortcut, life gets more hectic. (Location 89)
• Your edge as a human is not in doing something quickly. No matter how fast you move, a computer can move faster. Your edge as a human is in thinking the thoughts behind the doing. (Location 189)
• The thing that determines whether what you produce does extraordinarily well or extraordinarily poorly is the quality of your ideas. (Location 318)
• today’s productivity is about creating the conditions within your mind to have valuable thoughts. Being productive today isn’t about time management, it’s about mind management. (Location 333)
• What work am I in the mood to do right now? Then, ask yourself, What do I need to do that fits that mood? (Location 359)

Creative Sweet Spot

Creativity combines Connection Making and Focus, or divergent and convergent thinking, akin to scatterfocus and hyperfocus, as well as our executive thinking and diffuse mode thinking.

Divergent thinking enables us to create ideas, while convergent thinking helps us refine them. It's like creating a network of wires around an idea Analogies, waiting for the lightbulb to illuminate the right wire or path. Typically, the first or closest wire represents simple, irrelevant, or previously considered ideas First Batch Trash. For instance, if you're brainstorming a new peanut butter snack, combining it with jelly is too obvious and unlikely to be groundbreaking.

Time is not created equal. This applies both throughout the day and as your session progresses. Longer stretches of work tend to be less productive than shorter ones. Additionally, energy levels fluctuate throughout the day. We usually experience a peak in the morning and another in the afternoon if we take a nap; otherwise, we may experience a dip. The creative sweet spot occurs when you have enough alertness to generate ideas but not so much that you enter a "narrow robot mode." You need a relaxed state for creativity, combined with the ability to act on it. If you're sleep-deprived, you might lack the energy to refine an existing idea, but you can still use this time for initial idea generation.

We should dedicate the first hour of the day to our most important work, without distractions. This should be our priority right after waking up—no emails, no interruptions. This approach makes sense because we are most productive in the morning. It also ensures that we address our most critical tasks before urgencies, uncertainties, and other issues arise throughout the day.

Generating good ideas is a non linear process. We often encounter many "dead ends" or unproductive ideas before reaching a valuable insight. This process is not a series of defined steps that allow us to measure our progress; rather, it involves trial and error of unknown duration. This distinction illustrates the difference between clock time and event time. Clock time is an ordered perception of time, such as "we meet at 2 o'clock," where events occur based on an external, unified timeline. In contrast, event time reflects a personal perception of time, like "I eat when I'm hungry" Life as Flow. Events unfold at a natural, unpredictable pace, making it challenging to align with others or anticipate outcomes. We must accept that the creative process resembles event time more closely; we cannot schedule insights into existence. We must engage in the process until an insight arrives at its own pace Wu wei manifesting. Being overly busy or attempting to force creativity to meet a specific deadline ultimately hampers our creativity, as it shifts us from event time to clock time The law of reverse effect.

Creative Sweet Spot

• Obvious connections are the obstacle to novel ideas. (Location 586)
• Spend the first hour of your day working on your most important project, and your most important project, only. (Location 681)
• The point of time is not to fill as much life as possible into a given unit of time. The point of time is to use time as a guide to living a fulfilling life. (Location 873)

The Four Stages of Creativity

Even though creative ideas are always different, generating them follows the same structure:

1. Preparation - studying a problem from various points of view, being immersed in it, knowing everything there's to know. The quality of the preparation often determines the quality of the output Immersion.
2. Incubation - the knowledge floats in our brain, connections are slightly forming. We prune out useless information and focus on the important, while zooming out to see the big picture
3. Illumination - a moment of clarity, the "aha" moment when insight comes and everything clicks Innovation
4. Verification - we test our idea to see how valuable it is Experimentation

The process is not linear, until our creative output is finished, you will switch back and forth between different stages. However, since our Working Memory is limited, it's best to focus on each stage separately.

The Four Stages of Creativity

• Incubation helps you forget bad ideas, which makes room for good ideas. (Location 1120)

The Seven Mental States of Creative Work

1. Research - looking for answers for a predefined set of questions
2. Explore - to follow curiosity wherever it takes you
3. Prioritize - to plan, to break down into components, to manage your project
4. Generate - to create new ideas
5. Polish - to sharpen existing ideas
6. Administrative - to do the support work necessary for a creative output
7. Recharge - to relax, clear your head and regain focus and energy

If we align our mental state with the various stages of creativity, we can optimize our creative output. Additionally, adjust your environment to support your mental state by minimizing distractions. For instance, you might prefer open spaces for creative thinking, small closed areas for analytical tasks, and elevated locations for management Extended Mind.

You can also establish Rituals, a series of actions that help set the mood, such as listening to music, taking walks, playing, or wearing your lucky flip-flops—whatever works for you. Even if it functions as a Placebo effect, it still has an impact. Experiment to find what works best for you and what hinders your progress.

The Seven Mental States of Creative Work

• Whatever tool you use will make it easier to do some things, while making it harder to do other things. (Location 1382)

Creative Cycles

Creative cycles are the schedule by which you transition through different stages of creativity. For example, you might research in the morning, incubate in the afternoon, and polish in the evening. These cycles can last days, weeks, months, or even seasons.

They reflect the flow of energy over time, creating a rhythm for your creative work. Periodical Review simulates a form of a cycle. It can also help you gain clarity on the patterns of your mental states and plan your weekly schedule accordingly. For instance, you may have more free time to generate ideas in the evenings or conduct interviews with people who are only available during the summer. Certain days, weeks, or events may also enhance the relevance of your creative work. You should consider these factors and structure your schedule around them, rather than relying on a rigid schedule that ignores them.

To maintain the rhythm of a cycle and optimize your energy and focus, it's best to batch tasks together at a specific, dedicated time each week. This approach minimizes distractions and interruptions, allowing you to sustain your focus for longer periods, which ultimately increases your productivity. Reserve your energy for the creative tasks that require it.

Ensure you allocate enough time in your cycles (or a series of cycles) for non-urgent activities such as exploration and rest.

Since incubation is a crucial part of your cycle, it’s essential to provide it with sufficient fuel to generate interesting insights. If we procrastinate on getting started, we have nothing to incubate. Therefore, we should Start Small; even writing just a few sentences, a sketch, or a melody can serve as a good starting point for incubation. Like the badder-menhof phenomenon, we will begin to notice our idea everywhere, perhaps in a new light. That's the minimum creative dose.

Creative Cycles

• A Creative Cycle is a repeatable progression of focus and release. You’re intentionally doing the Preparation, and providing the Incubation. By repeating this pattern, you eventually achieve Illumination. Then, you can do the Verification necessary to bring your work into the world. (Location 1533)
• Whether your Creative Cycles are working with the rhythms of the world around you, or with the ebb and flow of your creative energy, Incubation is happening. (Location 1815)

Creative Systems

Once you've mastered a cycle, you can create a creativity system, a series of steps that will help you consistently maximize your productive output while minimizing effort.

Setting up and refining a system takes time and effort, but once it is established, it becomes easy to maintain Effort Storing.

This system will also sharpen your Intuition through spaced repetition.

Creating in Chaos

Over time, a creative system becomes anti fragile. The ability to create becomes ingrained in you, so when change inevitably arrives, you will be prepared. Amid chaos and disruptions, you will still be able to produce.

Instead of sorting your tasks by project, remember that you can organize them by mental state, allowing you to always find something to do that aligns with your current mindset Task sorting.

Creating in Chaos

• The more complex and tightly-integrated your systems, the harder they fall when one thing goes wrong. Systems should free up creative fuel, not dry up every last drop. (Location 2705)