The Case Against Time Management

The idea that we’re running behind unless we’re always running toward the next best thing and our next best self doesn’t just bypass the million ways our time is shaped and spent. It limits our ambition.

Time management promises that if we become more efficient, we can make space to accommodate all of our to-dos. And yet, time management is like digging a hole at the beach: the bigger the hole, the more water rushes in to fill it.

When did the productive use of time begin to be a measurement of human worth?

Good time management begins with accepting your mortality. It's not the only step in the process, of course, but according to author Oliver Burkeman, it's an essential element that many a productivity-minded or optimization-inclined individual often forgets.

“I’m really trying to work against an instrumental view of time,” says Jenny Odell, who is 37, “where it’s either something that is going to help you or hurt you.”

Our perception of time is changing constantly. Here’s why—and how to harness the power for good.