Mind Management Not Time Management
“Time isn’t the main thing, it’s the only thing” — Miles Davis
Being productive is not just about managing time; it’s more about managing your mind. We all have the same hours in a day. How we use those hours depends on how well we control and use our mental energy.
Doing some work can be tough. It feels like spending 12 hours a day struggling, only to get 15 or 20 minutes of real ‘flow’ — getting things done smoothly.
Imagine if I could have worked for just 15 or 20 minutes a day and then enjoyed the rest of my day. It might sound unrealistic, but I could have used a strategy to make the process less painful.
Here are three important questions to manage your mind better:
- What work should I do now? Is there something urgent, or can I choose based on how I feel?
- How am I feeling right now? Do I want to write, plan, research, explore, or refine my work? (I learned the different types of work needed for writing.)
- Can I do something to feel right for the task? I discovered tricks like exercise, massages, music, tea, baths, and amino acids to switch my mental state. Also, I found specific places for different work, like a tall building cafe for big ideas and a quiet library room for editing or research. (This aligns with research findings.)
Managing your mind means matching your mood with the work and letting your mind do what it likes. That’s the goal of mind management.
Key Takeaways of Mind Management
I didn’t have much time to think about what was happening. But after everything settled down, I got curious about what my brain was doing.
I read some easy neuroscience books, and the best one was David Rock’s Your Brain At Work. This book explains brainwaves, neurotransmitters, different brain regions, and how they all work together in your day. I really recommend it.
Understanding how your brain works gives you a way to know what’s happening in your mind. This helps you use your valuable mental energy better.
Here are some simple takeaways and tricks I’ve figured out from my research and trying things out:
- Your brain can change: Every time your brain cells fire, it makes it easier for them to do it again. It used to be thought that your brain stays the same after you grow up, but now we know it keeps changing. This is why positive thoughts matter, and why meditation is helpful.
- Love your prefrontal cortex: This part of your brain is newer in terms of evolution. It handles planning and stopping impulses. But it’s small and needs a lot of energy. So, it’s important to give it a break to keep it working well. Designate specific times just for planning, like Prefrontal Mondays.
- Fight your amygdala: This is an old part of your brain, focused on fear. It reacts quickly, even before the rest of your brain can think deeply. It likes the safe route and can limit your creativity. Be aware of its power.
- Rest is productive: Because your prefrontal cortex gets tired easily, taking breaks is crucial for effective thinking. Working until you’re exhausted may not help you get more done.
Restorative activities like exercise, sleep, and spending time with loved ones help your brain reset. Research shows positive mood and sleep boost insightful thinking, and close relationships impact happiness.
Here are some easy tips to manage your mind better:
- Meditate: Try mindfulness meditation to be calm and focused. Start with two sessions a day, 10–15 minutes each, for about 6 months. Then, you can do one session a day. If you think you can’t meditate, begin with a 2-minute version. If that’s hard, you might have bigger issues than being ‘too busy.’
- Plan your time: Make planning a separate activity. Do it when your brain is ready (like Sunday evenings) to do better planning. This frees up your prefrontal cortex for other tasks since planning is already done. Try a ‘weekly review’ where you list everything happening in the coming week. It helps program it into your brain and reminds you of any details.
- Start with a trick: Starting a task can be tough. Without a clear goal, your brain won’t produce enough motivation. Use the 10-minute hack — work on one thing for 10 minutes without stopping. It makes it easier to resist distractions and continue working.
These are just a few mind management tips. As more research comes in, we’ll learn more about managing our minds. If you like this content, I’ll expand on these ideas. What stands out to you? How do you manage your mind?
Time management is about life management. Do the best you can, and don’t take life too serious. You can’t manage time. You can only manage your life.
If you want to purchase this book, you can find a link here. If you would prefer a free version, you can click here.
