Time Management Ninja. Craig Jarrow

the very technology that was supposed to save us has taken over our lives. It acts as a leash on our work, pulling us back and stopping us in our tracks no matter where we are.

      If you think we aren’t living in The Matrix, here’s the red pill—many people spend over ten hours per day using their technology. Picking up the phone is easy. Scrolling is second nature. Now try putting the technology down. What happens when you do? The glittery screen beeps, chimes, or vibrates begging you to come back. These artificial beings are controlling us, distracting us with this fabricated reality while they suck our life force. Too far?

      Most can’t go more than a minute or two without a distraction. I bet that while you have been reading this introduction your phone has made a noise interrupting your attention.

      Now, technology isn’t all bad. As any superhero movie will tell you—any powerful thing can be used for good or ridden to ruin.

      Yes, we have harnessed the virtues of technology for quite a lot of good. Needless to say, it’s thanks to automation and electronics that we can do things that before were unthinkable. We can work from almost anywhere. We can communicate in ways never before imagined. And we have access to the entire world’s information in the palm of our hand. The devastating loss of knowledge, like in the burning of the library in Alexandria, is a concern of the past.

      Of course, this open access is good. In moderation. Between social networks, endless news, and push notifications…our devices often take up more time than they give back.

      I sometimes joke that many people have “affairs” with their phones.

      Think about it. They spend more time with their phones than with their loved ones. They sleep with their phones. It is often the last thing they look at before they go to bed and the first thing they look at when they wake up. It’s time to tell your partner you “met someone.”

      We are already living in The Matrix. The automatons provide us with a superficial, endless source of interruptions, notifications, and time-consuming information. Yes, they are slowly fabricating a new reality, and extracting our life-force while they’re at it. Only difference is, we’re sentient and we’re letting them.

      Time Management Shouldn’t Be Difficult

      Like I mentioned in the beginning, if you’re picking up this book it’s likely you have already tried to fight back against the endless bouts of procrastination and distractions. Yes, you have already tried to manage your time—or tried to use an app or system to do it for you.

      However, the more you try, the more time you spend on gadgets and systems that end up taking more time than they give back. It’s a toxic relationship.

      Likely, you’ve used apps that have such a steep learning curve or so many required actions that you became frustrated. Or techniques that are so complex that they require a flowchart. A flowchart!

      You use them for a few days and then realize that they aren’t sustainable or realistic. They quickly end up in a drawer. Just like that, you’re back where you started. The only progress made? Finding out that none of them work for you. Why is managing your time so difficult?

      But that’s a loaded question. The answer is…it shouldn’t be.

      Time management should be effortless. Smooth. Ninja-like. It isn’t something that you “turn on” when you are behind on your work. It should be part of your life and as easy as your other daily habits, like brushing your teeth. That easy.

      Your time-saving system should also be as simple as common sense. A streamlined approach will beat a complicated system every time. Get ready to master some defyingly simple time ninja moves.

      And no, you won’t need a flowchart.

      Reclaiming Your Time

      It’s your time.

      You don’t have to give it up and away. You don’t have to let others steal it. You’re in control.

      It is time to do something about the time crisis and the technology takeover. It is time to better manage your life. Ninja kick your way through this.

      This book will give you twenty-one simple tips to give you back time back in your life. Inevitably, you will experience less stress as you begin to unplug from the endless stream of distractions.

      So, if you are ready to reclaim your time and life, then let’s get started!

Tip 1

Time Management Should Make Time, Not Take Time

      Your time management moves should free up more time than it requires in your day.

      “I don’t have time to plan for my day.”

      You say this while drowning in work, obligations, and appointments. How could you possibly have extra time to manage your time when you’re so busy doing everything else?

      The truth is that you, quite frankly, don’t have time not to manage your time. What, you don’t have time to make sure you have more time? There is so much at stake.

      The purpose of stealthy time-saving is to give you time back. It’s about using your hours effectively and getting your most important work done first.

      The “I don’t have enough time!” statement is an excuse for not taking charge of your day. It’s a cheap line for not living a purposeful life. When you practice proper productivity habits, you aren’t expending more precious minutes and hours—you are seizing them back.

      Get More Time for Your Life

      You have the same amount of time every day. In fact, we all do.

      24 hours. 1,440 minutes. 86,400 seconds.

      Wouldn’t it be great if you had an extra hour in your day? How about two? Or even three? Suddenly, the world opens up. It’s kind of like fantasizing about winning the lottery.

      Except…managing your time properly is far more likely to happen. You can win the time lottery! You can get precious moments back. The time you are losing each day. Time that you are wasting on procrastination or, frankly, unnecessary activities.

      Now here’s the first lottery number. The first ninja move, my grasshopper. Any attempt to manage your time must give you back more time than it takes.

      Yes, you must invest time in planning your activities, but the return that investment brings should be more than it requires upfront.

      This means your system needs to be simple.

      Make it Easy and Breezy

      In addition to the “not enough time” excuse, the runner-up is “effective planning is too difficult.”

      Okay, so maybe some of you believe this whole time-saving thing is just too hard. Well, it doesn’t help when those who do try to manage their time are left at the “try” phase. They give up because their systems are just too complicated. Those systems are the ones that scare potential time-savers away. How could you realistically be expected to micro-manage your day to the second? Or worse, be expected to plan every detail of the next five years? Ahhh!

      Time management shouldn’t require a flowchart. It doesn’t need Zen philosophies. Or memorizing matrices of next actions (whatever that means).

      Instead, effective planning should be simple. Only that way can it fit into your lifestyle and daily activities seamlessly. When done correctly, it becomes a sleek ninja routine that you can keep up effortlessly.

      Always Be Time-Mindful

      Another misconception about time management is that it is something you only “turn on” when you need it. Preferably, it is a set of habits that are part of your daily activities. You head out to jog, apply time management. You sneak a nap in, apply time management. Time management for you, and you, and you.