Hint: It doesn’t involve “inbox zero.”
For the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a simple experiment: I leave for appointments 10 to 15 minutes earlier than normal.
Yes, this is “obvious” advice, said Chris Guillebeau, the author of the forthcoming book “Time Anxiety: The Illusion of Urgency and a Better Way to Live.” “But the results can be life-changing,” he explained.
Yet people still resist this idea, Guillebeau said: “They get worried, and ask me, ‘What will I do with the extra time?’” But research suggests that people habitually underestimate how long a task will take. “So in reality, they probably won’t have extra time,” Guillebeau said. “They just won’t be late.”
I’m not the only person who has a fraught relationship with the clock. Sixty percent of people surveyed by the Pew Research Center said they sometimes felt too busy to enjoy life.
Some of the stress around scheduling is out of our control, but there are things we can all do to feel more in charge of our time, Guillebeau said. I asked him and other experts for tips.
Abandon the idea that you’ll ever be all caught up.
Your to-do list will never end, said Thomas Curran, an associate professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the author of “The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough.” So build your tolerance for leaving that list unfinished, he said.