Category: A Matter of Time
-
A few seconds of space
George Mumford works with professional athletes—including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal—on their mindfulness. When a journalist from ABC News interviewed him, one of the outstanding things he said was, “…You can slow time down when you create space between stimulus and response—[then] three seconds is an eternity.” Practicing creating this space is incredibly valuable.…
-
Incompletion risk
Several years ago, I heard a professor say, “We have to get this done now. Tomorrow means we’re never going to get it done.” What the professor understood was this: when you pause (or get interrupted on) on project (or task), you open it to a chance that you won’t complete it. The less specific…
-
The magic of the first trip
My first two trips out of North America were to Portugal and China. I hadn’t visited Europe before, and I only visited Hong Kong once, nearly two decades before. Both trips were the result of flight deals. My friends and I traveled together—a group of four, and then a separate group of seven. We shared…
-
Very early Thursdays
For over a decade, that’s when Tyler Brûlé would write his Fast Lane column for the Financial Times. Of all details in his farewell article, that’s the one that stuck with me. It’s a helpful reminder that there is no secret technique. Everyone makes the same bargain with time—hacking it out of the marble of…
-
The minimum
Whatever your job is, there is a good chance you can get away with doing the minimum. You can fall into a pattern of slipping on deadlines, asking for more time, and not staying on top of a project. It’s less than a regular effort; it’s the minimum. If you add just enough value to…
-
Three things about deadlines
In order to plan a project well, you need a deadline. Even small tasks—meetings, emails, and occasions—all come with deadlines. Inspiration comes with a subtle version of a deadline: an expiry date. If you don’t bring the idea to life in a given time—its own deadline—the idea will look for someone else. The idea needs…
-
Easy, boring, and obvious
When an idea or task is boring, obvious, and easy to you, you might want to dismiss it. It feels low effort, or even effortless. But just because it comes naturally to you, doesn’t mean it does for everyone else. You may have stumbled into your core strengths—a zone of genius that other people want…
-
Negative capability
A few months ago, I’d set a deadline for myself to finish a new book by Halloween. I’m working as hard and consistently as I can on the book, but that deadline is not going to happen. I could have shipped the incomplete manuscript as it is, Virgil Abloh style, but I decided against that.…
-
Open ears, open mind
For some reason, I’ve found myself listening to less music and fewer podcasts. I’ll often just leave the house or office and just walk. When I eat lunch or dinner, I’m just eating. While this can feel boring some days, it also feels like something is happening in my brain. I listen to the sounds…