Reclaiming My Time

The best laid plans of mice and white men...

My life flashed before my eyes this morning. 

No, I wasn’t dying. Worse, I was sitting through a professional development training for teachers. Hard to say which is worse. 

I believe the phrase “professional development” is an oxymoron. Or is it a misnomer? Whatever, those grinding all-day sessions don’t develop anything in anyone except boredom and exhaustion. 

And as educators, can’t we find a better delivery method than “talking at” people for hours? Reciting words from Power Point slides that we are perfectly capable of reading by ourselves?

This session centered around the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, introduced in 1989 in the book written by Dr. Stephen Covey. It went on to sell 25 million books, translated into 40 languages. 

Covey's bestseller (left) and Day-Timers (right)

A few years earlier, another Mormon named Hyrum Smith developed the Day-Timer planner system and named his company after Benjamin Franklin who famously tracked his valorous habits from a young age. I think Franklin’s adherence gradually deteriorated considering how often he ignored his own rule #12 regarding chastity. 

So when the Covey people joined with the Franklin Quest people, these two Latter Day Saints formed the Franklin Covey Company which currently trades at $40 per share on the NYSE. 

Smith died at the age of 76 from cancer and Covey fell victim, at age 79, to a horrible bump on his head received when he flipped off his bicycle and his helmet slipped off. Ironically, a few moments of cinching up that helmet strap would have demonstrated Habit #1: Be Proactive. 

Our school hopes to use Franklin Covey tools to build a unified culture of leadership in a virtual school of 14,000 students and 500 staff. I commend the FC juggernaut for continually spinning these 50 year-old concepts into gold even in pursuit of the most impractical goals. 

In the 21st century so far, white males continue to dominate the rules of the existential wrestling match between productivity and screwing off. 

A Jewish woman, Julie Morganstern, has made inroads, but she is equally well known for de-cluttering and task organizing. Not really the domain of masculinity.

In 2001, author David Allen introduced his Five Step Plan for “Getting Things Done” by offloading as much information as possible from your brain so it can be more efficient. GTD sold 2 million copies, his techniques became popular with the tech crowd and he’s still training.

In 2018, James Clear wrote Atomic Habits, which has sold 20 million copies! His ideas are not new, but they are packaged in an easily digestible form. And his newsletter contains the most value per word of any I have ever read. 

This year, Georgetown Professor Cal Newport published his eighth book entitled Slow Productivity, which is intended to teach you to be productive while avoiding burnout. He is excruciatingly thoughtful about his theories and he shares a lot of it on his podcast. 

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I can’t help but feel like my life choices are being colonized by white men with supposedly good ideas. And as a result, I am, in the words of the great D.C. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, “reclaiming my time.” 

Interestingly, I learned to do this from a Franklin Covey trainer several years ago. During his presentation, he explained how he almost quit after his first year on the job, which involved endless travel, airports, hotels, and strange cities. 

He shared his feelings with his wife and together they brainstormed a solution: he was not allowed to go to any city WITHOUT experiencing at least one cultural event, attraction, or special event, even if it meant extending his stay. He started inserting a visit to an art museum or a concert into his travel and began to enjoy his work. This is also what James Clear would call “habit bundling.” 

Their plan reached its apex when she accompanied him to a training in Kauai, Hawaii, a locale with plenty of built-in tourist appeal. But their favorite show at the time was “Lost,” a TV series about plane crash survivors that was filmed on the island.

He told a great story of renting a car, finding the location, being turned away by a guard and eventually treated to an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour. It was a story fit to thrill friends and family for years.

So, here’s my productivity plan. I only have to ENJOY whatever it is I am doing. I don’t mean this like some asshole with too much privilege. I still plan to scrub my toilet and pay my taxes, but my only rule for success is to feel good while I am doing it. 

For years I chased my dreams with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as my eternal partner. An internal monologue played on a loop: Sure this is great, but what is my next step? Yes, this career is fine, but what I should really be doing is… 

I missed out on a lot of fun and richness listening to that message. Now, I’m just looking for the joy.

And when it comes to time management, I order the annual planner with the most colorful cover possible and plenty of room to draw, doodle and cross stuff out it doesn’t sound fun anymore.

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I suspect the clarity offered by these white male authors appeals to young men (especially) who don’t know how to structure their already confusing lives. And their increasing attendance at churches may be an attempt to scratch the same itch. 

But it’s good to remember that one legendary white male also made a plan to be a success. 

Back in 1906, young Jimmy Gatz wrote:

• Rise from bed 6.00 A.M.

• Dumbell exercise and wall scaling 6.15–6.30 “

• Study electricity, etc. 7.15–8.15 “

• Work 8.30–4.30 P.M.

• Baseball and sports 4.30–5.00 “

• Practice elocution, poise and how to obtain it 5.00–6.00 “

• Study needed inventions 7.00–9.00 “

General Resolves

• No wasting time at Shafters or [a name, indecipherable]

• No more smokeing or chewing

• Bath every other day

• Read one improving book or magazine per week

• Save $5.00 [crossed out] $3.00 per week

• Be better to parents 

He grew up to be Jay (as in “The Great”) Gatsby and we all know what happened to him. 

What do you think about time management? Any favorite books? Lessons? Rules you made up for yourself? Please share in the comments.

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Resources:

In a First Among Christians, Young Men Are More Religious Than Young Women, New York Times (gift article), 9/23/24

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby, 1925

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