🌱 How to design your time (designer vs doer)

Greetings from Austin,

Here are 3 insights to help you design your days for the best things you want to do. 

To connect with the person you most want to be.

Let’s boogie.

📏 “Designer” vs “Doer”

There’s a huge difference between doing the right things and doing the things right. 

It doesn’t matter if we do everything right, if they’re the wrong things in the first place.

Here’s how to take a step back to know the difference. 

We have two modes: 

• The “Designer” → manages and plans the system aligned to our best version

• The “Doer” → works according to the designer’s plan

In Principles, Ray Dalio shares the importance of stepping back to “look at the machine from the higher level.” 

What’s this look like IRL?

I created a repeating cal invite Monday mornings. Ideally, this is done before Monday, but have at least 15 minutes blocked off to switch over to “designer mode” and list out the top 3 priorities for the week.

TLDR:
Doer = dumb caveman
Designer = smart oracle

Make time for the designer.

💯 100% is easier than 98%

The late author and Harvard professor Clayton Christensen offered a profound insight into how we approach our decisions:

This is spot on. Whether it’s with diet, exercise, goal setting, etc. The 98% commitment is harder because we hold back. 

It keeps the door cracked 2% open and the monkey mind analyzing…

Every. Single. Decision. 

Wasting precious time through decision fatigue. 

Simple solution: cut the decision, cut the fatigue. ✂️

The Latin root of the word decision literally means “to cut off.”

Make the 100% decision so you can “cut off” the 2%.

As MJ said, "Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again." 

Commit your 100%, even for a period of time. You can always reevaluate later. 

But “thinking about it” is the 2% trap. Not the 100% decision. 

🕤 Einstein Time 

Albert Einstein once explained the theory of relativity to a young kid: 

Didn’t realize Al was such a dog with the ladies? Me either.

But the point remains. Time is deceptive. 

“Einstein Time” is about creating time for what’s most important. Not feeling like it’s constantly slipping by.

Let's use inversion to illustrate when to know when we’re NOT operating on Einstein Time:

• Feel in a rush

• Constantly check the time 

• Say things like “not enough time in the day”

Einstein Time is the opposite. It’s when we feel pulled into the work and do not notice time at all.

Getting into the space of doing what we MOST love to do. The things that light us up when we’re done and feel proud of. 

This game of life is most fun when played on Einstein time. 

Okay that’s all for this week. It’s 11pm and Einstein would tell me it’s time for bed. ✌️

Con mucho gusto, 
Mitchell

Ps. Modern Seinfeld