Hi funny people,

The idea that we can 'get on top of' or control our time is an inaccurate (but pervasive and alluring) concept.

We are taught that we have to yell at ourselves and work hard now, so that we will have better times in the future. While there is something to be said for planning ahead, Western culture is so stuck on this, that many people struggle to enjoy or experience the present moment for what it is.

I'm certainly in this boat myself and have admittedly been sucked into the never-ending rabbit hole of online productivity gurus who promise that if you just batch your emails, use the newest all-in-one project management app (probably called 'Protruding Forehead Vein Fixer') and learn to sleep just 4 hour a day, that you will get it ALL done.

I like nerding out on this stuff, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. In fixating on the best possible system to get things done, I get to ignore my actual tasks that need doing until I discover the 'perfect' system. This is also what the author of the book 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman has discovered after 14 years of writing about such apps and tricks for The Guardian.

His finding are blunt and simple: there are no perfect systems and we are all going to die (hence the title '4000 weeks' which is a rough average of the length of time a person lives).

I have yet to read the book, but have enjoyed listening to him on several podcasts (including Factually! with Adam Conover) and despite what sounds like bummer news, he thinks that remembering we have finite time here on earth and that we can't possibly do it all is actually very liberating and will help us do a lil' more and be happier.

Note: This kind of advice assumes that a person has some agency over their own time. I acknowledge that tips like this do not really help folks who are just trying to survive oppressive systems day to day.

We prefer to focus on the future rather than the present

• The idea that you are building to a big goal or a moment of truth that is always in the future means that you don't actually need to acknowledge that the present moment is your life happening right now.
• The purpose of an activity is not for what it gives you in the future, but what it can give you now. The present moment is life. That's all we have.
• Postponing your dreams means that you don't ever have to deal with the imperfections and limitations of your ideas and yourself. It means that you can avoid any uncomfortable feelings that come with actually living and trying things out. (Blarg! Get out of my head, Oliver!)

Advice for folks trying to stay in the present

• If you are a procrastinator, get started and accept that it will be shittier than you pictured in your head. That's ok! Any movement is better than no movement.
• If you are someone who pushes yourself really hard or is self-critical, then take a break in the middle of what you are doing. Go easy on yourself.
• Accept that the phone scroll on social media and other distractions are something that we tend to engage in to avoid challenging feelings, and the fact that we will die someday. So accepting that life is finite and that we cannot possibly do everything on our list becomes important in changing our mindset.

Ok, so this author's idea of a book is to just tell people that they are gonna die and not to worry about managing time?

Kind of! He suggests that time management is not some magic system to make it so that you can do it all, but instead it can be about accepting that we couldn't possibly do it all and that we will all die with a long and unfinished to do list, and that that is normal.

Knowing that, we can do what we can each day and accept there will always be things on our list that don't happen. Thinking this way, we get to choose what we neglect.

This guy gives some tips though at least, right?

Yes! Here are some...
​
Cosmic Insignificance Therapy

There is an unspoken pressure or illusion that we need to do something great - that we all have to leave a mark on the world. This is background stress that you don't need and it is unreasonable. To deal with this think about zooming out in time to remind yourself that the task you are doing is less important that you think.

For example, the impact of Michelangelo, Shakespeare or Audre Lourde, is significant now, but in 20,000 years even these wildly influential people probably won't matter. Realizing this can take the unfair and sometimes unspoken pressure that exists in Western culture to do something great, of our our shoulders. Try it out!

Strategic underachievement

Decide what you are going to fail at or neglect. For me, I am not going to turn into a great baker, I will not be gardening and growing my own food, and I will not 'get into sending mail' to loved ones at an ornate wooden writing desk with a giant quill pen. Noting this allows me to accept that the bank is my one-sided pen pal and main source of mail and move the fuck on.

Ditch the idea of 'clearing the decks'

Forget the idea that if you just had a chunk of time (2 hours, a week or a month), that you can 'catch up' on everything and then start fresh. This isn't true because even if you do a bunch of tasks, there will always be more to do.

For example, if you answer all your emails, then people will just reply and you still have work. You also might get the reputation as the efficient person at work and people will direct tasks your way that are not even supposed to be yours.

Instead try 'paying yourself first'

The opposite of clearing the decks is borrowing the concept from finance of 'paying yourself first'. If you want to save up money, conventional wisdom says to take money off of each paycheque and put it into savings right away. You can apply this idea to time. Book off time for your goal first in your schedule, even if it is just for 5 minutes.

The mental challenge is knowing that the 'decks are not cleared' that there is other stuff that you have to do, but that you are still going to do this thing that is important to you anyways.

Does any of this even relate to comedy or creative work?

Writing comedy can be something that easily falls to the wayside for many folks, myself included. These tips can help prioritize comedy if that is your goal, or perhaps make you realize that it is not your priority at this time, like gardening is not for me.

Accept that this will not feel great. Both admitting creative work might not be your priority right now and trying to write are painful! It's ok that it won't feel good, in fact, discomfort is likely a sign that you are doing the right thing.

Ok, fine. Any more comedy-related tips?

Embrace Daily-ish

Committing to do a habit like writing 'daily-ish' adds some needed pressure, but importantly, makes it so you don't have to force yourself.

It also makes your focus about the thing you want to do, not about yourself.

If you say, "I am going to write for 15 minutes per day" and you mark an X on your calendar each day you do it, it kind of puts the focus on you and your unbroken streak of commitment, rather than just on the writing. Then, when you miss a day, it can feel disappointing and de-motivating to start up again.

Try a 'Done List'

Most of us have some form of a To-Do list. A Done List is instead about writing down the little things that you have done during the day, as you do them.

This combats the feeling many of us have have that we start the day with some sort of 'productivity debt' that we owe the world or the people in our lives. You are not starting at a debt. You start at zero and every little thing you do is a bonus. It reframes each day as an opportunity to move a small, but meaningful set of tasks to your 'done list'.

The logic behind this is that you will make more progress on goals because you will waste less time and energy being distracted and stressed about all the other stuff that you are (unavoidably) neglecting.

You can relax in the midst of having to much to do as opposed to making relaxation dependent on first getting on top of it (which you never will).

Set an amount of time that you want to work, and walk away

Pick a time to write and and when that time is up, walk away. Even if you are in the flow of working. This feels counter-intuitive, but will help you be more productive in the long run as you won't burn yourself out.

Most creative people only actually work for 2-4 hours per day. Leisure, walks and idle time play an important role in creativity.

So what's the big suggestion here?

• Think of a thing you want to do
• Do it
• Add it to your done list
• Repeat

Remembering that the reason many of us feel challenging emotions when we are writing or doing creative work is because we care about what we are doing. The stakes feel high. Work that brings you to your edges will usually not feel great.

So when you want distractions and are reaching for your phone to scroll, it might be a sign that you care about what you are working on. It is the most human and understandable response because we all prefer doing easy things over hard things. Can you try to write for 5 more minutes before picking up the phone to scroll?

Next Workshop

We will see you tomorrow, Saturday March 4th at 10:00 AM PST, on Zoom for our informal joke writing meetup. You can come even if you don't have goals or jokes you are actively working on, you can join in and give feedback to others. Can't make this one? Next one is on March 18th, so mark your calendar.

Stay funny and see you tomorrow!

Em

--

💙 Share jokes online 💙 We have a Cathartic Laughs online session this Saturday at 10am-noon PST on Zoom. Sessions run every other week.

💻 Zoom Link 💻 https://zoom.us/j/92589681139​
Meeting ID: 925 8968 1139, Dial by location: +1 778 907 2071 Canada
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aSC4fV13H

🎧 The Cathartic Laughs Podcast 🎧is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow for interviews with folks about how joking and humour helps then get through tough times.

​