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By Root 623 0

I started noticing changes. Work was increasing in frequency and I was feeling happier about stuff in general. I had even stopped name-calling strangers in traffic (“shit-stick ” being an old fave) because I knew that driving = learning. And learn I did! I began to create a patchwork of principles that suited me from each of the works. This was also the Bruce Lee method: Take what works from many different disciplines and chuck the rest (“chuck” as in “discard,” not as in “Norris”—who, BTW, could discard YOU with nothing but a stare through a sandstorm if he so desired).

Because of this obsession I wrote a feature article for the January 2008 issue of Wired titled “Diary of a Self-Help Dropout,” in which I followed three different productivity books for two weeks at a time each. They were David Allen’s mega-bible Getting Things Done, Julie Morgenstern’s Never Check E-Mail in the Morning (I never got good at this), and Timothy Ferriss’s 4-Hour Workweek. Up to this point, most of my self-improvement studies had centered around goal setting and happiness. As I was getting busier than I had ever been, I knew time management was imminent, so I took on the project to study as much as to write snarky quips in a shiny magazine for money.

It was a success! My time-management skills improved dramatically. While I learned a few tips from the books I read, my biggest lesson came in turning inward and seeing where my time went, how I worked, what hours I was most productive, and what could help me stay organized. This journey really got me to examine and understand my own processes better. I not only discovered my own work rhythms but also figured out that managing time didn’t just mean color-coding my calendar and identifying “time hijackers.” I reasoned that any constructive thing I was able to accomplish was effectively utilizing my time in the best way possible; this encompassed things like goal setting, finances, and emotional organization. It’s not just about compartmentalizing your clock but also making sure that you expend your time on things of value. Part of the reason my life was such a Lusitania was because I wasn’t employing it to do things like “pay bills on time” or “maintain a sane living space.” After your mind is calm and your body is fit, all that’s left is to fill your time with worthwhile events that will pay off for you in your present and future.

FUN STORY TIME!

I became pals with Tim Ferriss after our interview for the Wired article. Tim’s a solid human. Really nice, straightforward, and also a lover of comedy (we’ve had many a chat about Louie CK and Patton Oswalt). Early in 2009, I had gone up to San Francisco to perform in SF Sketchfest, an all-encompassing three-week-long comedy festival that showcases the best comedians, writers, and filmmakers, in this comedy Nerd’s opinion. I called Tim a few weeks ahead of time and scheduled a lunch. Then the night of the scheduled lunch had arrived, and I realized I had forgotten to go to it. I had missed a lunch with one of the foremost time-management experts. Me = ANUS WHISTLE. What followed was the most sheepish, apologetic, and self-flag-ellatory (may not be a word) message. “I don’t know what happened . . . I forgot to check my calendar because it’s a weekend . . . PLEASE let me take you to lunch to make up for it.” It was that awful sinking feeling of “I just fucked up by accident and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

A half hour later I got a call from Tim. “No problem at all,” he said. “I had a lot of work to do anyway. Let’s do it tomorrow.” Yes! What a superior human! He totally let me off the hook. We went to lunch and had a great chat at a great restaurant. As we were leaving to finish our man-date, Tim stopped and said, “OK, I have to fess up about something . . . I forgot about yesterday, too.” That hung in the air for a minute. Then the laughing and ball-busting kicked in. “Well done, Ace!” “Promise you won’t tell anyone,” Tim chuckled. (He has since released me from my vow.) The point is, I was hell-bent on managing my schedule. Tim is a time-management