In [[Four Thousand Weeks]], Oliver Burkeman tells us that we can never completely control our time. Throughout this article, I will label certain things as axioms to make referencing and reasoning easier to follow. (An [[axiom]] is a statement that is taken or assumed to be true, generally to to serve as a starting point for further reasoning.)
Time Axiom 1: You can never completely control your time.
Burkeman also points out that the more tasks you get done, the more tasks there will be to take up your time. If you work faster to try to get more done, then you will be expected to sustain the accelerated pace. This means that expectations on us only go up, never down (unless something goes wrong) because our world is focused on productivity.
Time Axiom 2: More tasks will be there to occupy the space you free up from completing tasks.
So with both Time Axiom 1 and Time Axiom 2, what's the point? Our productivity-focused world has setup a system designed to keep you putting out fires and feeling like you aren't making progress. Our time management should not be based on efficiency, but quality. You are not a robot, the point of time management is to improve your quality of life, not squeeze more tasks in. Let's look at how to do that.
Time Axiom 3: Even if you feel like you should be, you are not a machine or a robot.
Key Point 1: Time management should focus on increasing quality of life, not increasing task throughput.
In [[Do Nothing]], Celeste Headlee compares our work now to the work during the Industrial Revolution. We (at least most of us) don't work longer hours, but we still feel overworked and exhausted. She says this is partially because we perceive our time as more valuable, which makes it feel more scarce. This generates anxiety when we aren't working because we feel like we are wasting time. One way to combat this is to do more focused work. I know most people don't have as flexible a schedule as some authors seem to assume, but where possible try to work fewer hours while getting more done. Doesn't this contradict Time Axiom 2? No, because you are getting more done in the sense that you are prioritizing better, not trying to get more tasks done.
You also can achieve more focused work by letting your brain have the breaks it needs. If possible, taking a ten minute break every hour generally lets you reset your focus better and makes your 50 minutes more effective. The human brain doesn't do great with long sustained focus and often starts to drift no matter how much willpower you have. Some people have success following a [[pomodoro technique]]. This is where you work 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break, then repeat. After 4 hours, you take a longer 15 to 30 minute break. The controversial part of this advice that I add is that you should count those 5 or 10 minute breaks as "work time" because you will generally get as much or more done following the work-break pattern than beating your head against the wall of work-only.
Do you want work to be your main priority? In [[The Now Habit]], Neil Fiore says that we should plan around leisure time. He recommends scheduling specific recreation or relaxation time each day (of at least 30 minutes). I know many people feel that is impossible, but it is usually more achievable than it feels. For example, knowing we have designated leisure time can help us fight urges to procrastinate (not that procrastination is always bad, more on this later), which can actually get us some time back that would normally be scattered throughout the day. Putting leisure first can let you see what work time you actually have, and Fiore claims it will motivate you to make the most out of it and makes you not feel guilty for your leisure time.
I think that you still have to do prioritization for being more effective (which I will cover later), but the psychological benefits of feeling less guilty and less mentally taxed will increase your quality of life and decrease your anxiety levels.