No idea if these help with your pondering, but I did want to share on the subject

I saw your testimonial on the “Productivity Engineering” sales page a while ago. I assume you’ve read the book The Now Habit? Fiore’s idea of the “Unschedule” (scheduling fun first) has been really eye-opening for me, for all the reasons you mention above. It’s counter-intuitive at first, but it does actually make me MORE productive. I think it’s an essential practice for people who work for themselves.

In that context, I totally get your affirmations now.

Actually, I’ve been doing a LOT less over the last few weeks. Worthless emails don’t get answered, phone calls pile up . . . and the work I actually “should” be doing gets knocked down like duck pins at the bowling alley.

For me the “There are more than enough hours in the day (To do what’s important)” phrase centers me, stops me, reminds me NOT to do what’s NOT important and calms any anxiety I get when it feels like too much piles up.

Lately I’ve been working about 4 hours a day and getting a TON done.

Also, what’s “Important” to me extends far beyond work.

Hanging out with my girl, doing yoga, dancing, having conversations with friends and even playing video games all qualify as “Important” to me. So I do those.

It’s actually strange to me that my post here has so many people saying I’m going in the wrong direction or “trying to cram too much in” when that’s really the opposite of the case.

Anyway, time to go back to reading “The Power of Less” and doing the two important things I want to do today =-)

Your proposed mantras all focus on creating the feeling of more time. What if you focused instead on creating the feeling of less stuff to do? The pressure is all in your head anyway, right? Getting rid of it is all a matter of perspective. I’m not sure that focusing on how much time there is really solves the problem, since that just gives you more time to do the wrong things.

Paradoxically, setting more limits is the key to feeling free, I’m finding.

It flows better coming out of the mouth. (that’s what she said)
It just seems like it connects better with the brainsack.

But I do partially agree with Mofo on this one. Do you best every moment, and strive to be happy.

And don’t forget 4 powerful numbers??? 80/20 Pareto baby!!

Just that.

“There are plenty of hours in the day, because I’m going to die anyway.”

It has a nice cadence and it rhymes, so it’s already stuck in your head!

Plus it creates massive peace by reminding you it doesn’t really matter what you do, the ultimate result will be the same.

It’s kind of a “It’s really impossible to make a mistake on the level of behavior, only on the level of perception” type of thing.

And if you actually get it, you realize it’s way more lighthearted then the other mantras. Which means, your brain instantly just de-stressed and calmed down because you stopped taking everything seriously.

Remember, the subtext is where the indirect persuasion happens which is what truly automates your response. That’s what you want, results that happen automatically!

Ha!