pay now

If you can schedule bill payments the day they come in, the time you save is about 1 hour per week.

leeway

It gets easier to get your schedule under control after you reduce the time demands below 15 hours per day. Then you can rearrange the schedule in small ways and still get a full night of sleep.

listed

Putting sleep on the to-do list doesn’t increase the chance that you will actually do it.

speed bump

Speed doesn’t mean anything until something collides with something else.

noise

Everything on your schedule takes your attention away from everything else on your schedule and everything else you do.

fine print

The physical form of a calendar creates the illusion that you can squeeze in more action by writing smaller.

plan A

If you plan for a hundred contingencies, it is a sign that you don’t believe in your ability to deliver on the original plan.

circadian questions

If you know you have important questions to decide, plan to address then at a time of day when you are likely to be in a strong mental state. Avoid a time of day when you are likely to be in a state of fatigue, frustration, or sugar depletion.

on the track

Simplifying your life requires being willing to do less, but then with the advantages of simplicity, you find that you are doing more.

limits

Some work is too physically demanding or too emotionally draining to do all at once, no matter how much time, energy, and determination you have. For this kind of work, persistence counts for more than will power.

risk factor

When there are more unknowns, allow more time.

wheel

If every day there is something you are falling behind in, it is time to let go of some of the things you are trying to do.

morning power

At the start of the day, do things that will help build momentum for the day. To the extent possible, save potential distractions like email, social media, news, and shopping for later in the day.

calendar drop

A schedule prepared in advance can guide you only until something unexpected happens.

the planning illusion

Don’t try to plan your whole life. If you are tempted to do so, examine the beliefs that allow you to imagine that such a thing might be possible or beneficial.

time enough

When something big is canceled, it can seem as if you suddenly have more time than you can use. Do not be misled. There is just enough time.

how am I doing

A weekend is a good time to check the status of your new year’s resolution.

inspiration

Do work that is especially urgent and important, but save some time to do work that inspires you.

by program

Some of the habits that are hardest to notice are the ones that tell you to be at a particular place at a particular time.

not what you thought

Tasks that are more complicated than they look take longer than you would guess.