If you have interacted with me at all sometime in these past eight weeks (specifically after I listened to this episode of At Work by The Ready), you will have heard me share this quote by Alvin Toffler:

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write. It will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and learn again.”

In my recent newsletter, I recommended looking at those three states and defining what you think you are doing to fulfill those three categories: what are you learning? What are you unlearning? What are you learning again?

Today, however, I am going to use these three states differently. I am going to apply it as a vertical to my relationship with control.

Olympic Weightlifting has quickly become a big part of my life - dedicating a couple of hours 3 times a week to something will do that!

So, when my life started getting chaotic (travel, moving, career changes), the preparation and anticipation for Tough Temple started to serve as an anchor of sorts. As I would start to spin out about future uncertainties, a common mantra was I’ll figure everything else out AFTER Tough Temple.

Lately, I’ve started to question: why should I continue to work towards a routine? The reason I have come up with is that there are certain habits I need to maintain for my health and well-being, and a routine is a source of systemic support for that habit.

This may seem daunting, overwhelming or impossible, but it’s important to remember that these are all things you want to do. These are the things that are letting you live your core values, savor your life, connect with your loved ones - so motivation will not be the issue, it’s pure time management.

We have established that your time is finite and that you need to be clear on your values and get to your own icing point. As you figure that out for yourself, it’s important to recognize that this is also true and necessary for everyone around you (although most of them will not be ready to do that work). In fact…

Time management is my superpower. It is the thing I do best and I haven’t met anyone who does it better than me (yet). So I figured if I boast about it on my blog here and share all the thoughts, philosophies and practices that contribute to my success, I could a) gloat about something I’m great at and b) potentially help you, the reader, improve your own time management skills.