I recently read an interesting book called I've Got Time by Paul Loomans. In the book, Paul introduces an idea called time surfing, which he defines as using intuition to decide what to do when. It's an intentional time management strategy designed to combat the time pressure we all feel from the pace of life continuing to move faster and faster.
While I don't necessarily agree with Paul on everything (I'm not ready to throw away my lists just yet 😉), there were some powerful ideas that he shared which really got me thinking about my own relationship with time.
The 7 Instructions of Time Surfing
The time surfing "method" is comprised of seven instructions:
- Do one thing at a time and finish what you’re doing
- Be aware of what you’re doing and accept it
- Create breathers between activities
- Give your full attention to drop-ins, creating a relationship with everything you want to do
- Become aware of “gnawing rats” and transform them into “white sheep”
- Observe background programs
- Use your intuition when choosing what to do
As I continue to process the book (and the conversation with Paul for an upcoming Focused episode), I realize there are a couple of big takeaways for me for the Actions level of my PKM Stack framework:
Here are 3 big takeaways from the book that you can apply to your own PKM Stack to help you do more of what matters.
Do One Thing at a Time and Finish What You're Doing
The first instruction is pretty straightforward, but also pretty brilliant in its simplicity.
Avoiding multitasking sounds easy. I've long known about the "attention residue" that comes with rapid task switching and how it zaps my productivity.
So why am I still so bad at it? 😂
Part of the reason (I believe) is because we tend to start things but not finish them. It's easy for our attention to be pulled to something else, and when that happens, we usually abandon what we were doing.
The Practical PKM principle: urgency often masquerades as importance.
If we don't take the time to identify what's really important, we feel a constant pull to do the thing that seems most important in the moment. When a co-worker or family member comes up to you and needs your immediate help, we feel compelled to stop what we're doing and assist them.
But when you force yourself to finish something before you move to the next thing, you're a little more selective about the things you choose to do. There's more commitment involved, which forces you to move a little bit slower and be a little more intentional.
Take Intentional Breathers
A breather is simply a regular mini-break, kind of like the forced 5-minute break between 25-minute pomodoro sessions.
Seems like common sense, right? But when you understand what happens during a breather, you can use them a bit more strategically than just when you feel exhausted and can't go anymore.
The key is that during a breather, you let your mind run free. You're not actively working on something or trying to solve a problem. Your brain can simply wander.
The Practical PKM principle: look for the impasse.
I remember talking to Chris Bailey once (author of several books and described by the TED organization as "the most productive man you'd ever hope to meet") about taking intentional breaks when developing ideas. He told me he likes to work on something until he hits an impasse and doesn't know where to go next.
That's when he stops doing whatever he's doing and goes for a walk. And that's usually when the inspiration comes.
This requires you to pay attention to when things get hard. The moment that you're not sure what to do next is an ideal time to take a breather.
Convert Your "Gnawing Rats" to "White Sheep"
Gnawing rats are tasks that eat away at you under the surface. They are the things that keep you up at night. They grab your attention and refuse to let you think about anything else.
But often the problem isn't the task itself. It's the way we handle it.
The fact that it's gnawing at us could be an indication that we need more information or clarity about the thing to be done. It could It could be that you need help with something.
The secret is to create a relationship with the task, not just hope it goes away.
The Practical PKM principle: be OK with what you're not doing.
In the Practical PKM cohort, I share that there are only two things on your task list at any given moment:
- What you're doing right now
- Everything else
When we focus on the only thing we've chosen to do right now, we're much more productive.
The way to do this is to convert your gnawing rats to white sheep.
Sheep live in a herd. They hang out with all the other sheep (tasks) inside of the pen (task manager) until you open the door and intentionally let them out.
This is what time blocking does for me. It helps me focus on the things I've chosen to do, and everything else is corralled in a trusted system until the appropriate time.
Am I a Time Surfer Now?
I don't think so. I still like my lists too much 😂
But this book did give me a lot to chew on. Paul is a Zen Buddhist monk from the Netherlands, so some of his descriptions and terminology were a bit difficult for me, but there's one quote in particular that really resonated with me:
“When you do nothing, all kinds of things happen. When you don’t fill in the blanks, anything is possible.”
I think we all could probably benefit from riding the wave a little bit more.
Takeaway #1: Do One Thing at a Time and Finish What You're Doing
The first instruction is pretty straightforward, but also pretty brilliant in its simplicity.
Avoiding multitasking sounds easy. I've long known about the "attention residue" that comes with rapid task switching and how it zaps my productivity.
So why am I still so bad at it? 😂
Part of the reason (I believe) is because we tend to start things but not finish them. It's easy for our attention to be pulled to something else, and when that happens, we usually abandon what we were doing.
The Practical PKM principle: urgency often masquerades as importance.
If we don't take the time to identify what's really important, we feel a constant pull to do the thing that seems most important in the moment. When a co-worker or family member comes up to you and needs your immediate help, we feel compelled to stop what we're doing and assist them.
But when you force yourself to finish something before you move to the next thing, you're a little more selective about the things you choose to do. There's more commitment involved, which forces you to move a little bit slower and be a little more intentional.
Takeaway #2: Take Intentional Breathers
A breather is simply a regular mini-break, kind of like the forced 5-minute break between 25-minute pomodoro sessions.
Seems like common sense, right? But when you understand what happens during a breather, you can use them a bit more strategically than just when you feel exhausted and can't go anymore.
The key is that during a breather, let your mind run free. You're not actively working on something or trying to solve a problem. Your brain can simply wander.
The Practical PKM principle: look for the impasse.
I remember talking to Chris Bailey once (author several books and described by the TED organization as "the most productive man you'd ever hope to meet") about taking intentional breaks when developing ideas. He told me he likes to work on something until he hits an impasse and doesn't know where to go next.
That's when he stops doing whatever he's doing and goes for a walk. And that's usually when the inspiration comes.
This requires you to pay attention to when things get hard. The moment that you're not sure what to do next is an ideal time to take a breather.
Takeaway #3: Convert Your "Gnawing Rats" to "White Sheep"
Gnawing rats are tasks that eat away at you under the surface. They are the things that keep you up at night. They grab your attention and refuse to let you think about anything else.
But often the problem isn't the task itself. It's the way we handle it.
The fact that it's gnawing at us could be an indication that we need more information or clarity about the thing to be done. It could It could be that you need help with something.
The secret is to create a relationship with the task, not just hope it goes away.
The Practical PKM principle: be OK with what you're not doing.
In the Practical PKM cohort, I share that there are only two things on your task list at any given moment:
- What you're doing right now
- Everything else
When we focus on the only thing we've chosen to do right now, we're much more productive.
The way to do this is to convert your gnawing rats to white sheep.
Sheep live in a herd. They hang out with all the other sheep (tasks) inside of the pen (task manager) until you open the door and intentionally let them out.
That's exactly what time blocking does for me. It helps me focus on the things I've chosen to do, and everything else is corralled in a trusted system until the appropriate time.
Am I a Time Surfer Now?
I don't think so. I still like my lists too much 😂
But this book did give me a lot to chew on. Paul is a Zen Buddhist monk from the Netherlands, so some of his descriptions and terminology were a bit difficult for me, but there's one quote in particular that really resonated with me:
“When you do nothing, all kinds of things happen. When you don’t fill in the blanks, anything is possible.”
Personally, I think we all could probably benefit from disconnecting from the rigid schedule and riding the waves a little bit more.
