Unlock the Power of Einstein Time

In today’s newsletter, I’m going to share the best time management technique I’ve come across – and the best thing about it: it’s not a time management technique.

It’s a completely different way of viewing the human concept of “time”.

This post has been inspired by reading two books:

Over the next 6 minutes, I’m going to share the concept of Einstein Time so you feel more ownership as a creator of time with some practical tips you can take with you today to immediately feel less in a hurry, more at ease, and become a high performer with a greater experience of the present moment.

I’m also going to share how time can be useful as a constraint so we can live a more focused, joyful and meaningful life.

Let’s go…

Your relationship with time

Here you are, reading another email in your filled inbox. The week has just gone by and you’re drained from deadlines at work. You never got as much done as you thought you could and as the weekend comes to an end, you’re wondering where the time went as you just about manage to get some time to yourself from the kids.

You’ve read time management books. You tried the different techniques and tips, but it ends up being the same way: you chase time and there’s never enough of it.

What is the common denominator? You, yes. But more specifically, something you’ve probably never really reflected on: your relationship with time. 

The problem with most management techniques is that it views time in the same way. Something that is “out there” that you have to “manage”. Or something that is bestowed upon you.

In order for your life and work to be harmonious, developing a harmonious relationship with time is vital. Most people have difficulties in balancing their priorities. Particularly if you live or work near a big city like me, people seem to be flustered, busy, and chaotic all the time. It’s embedded in big city culture.

If you get an understanding of how time operates, you’re able to allow work to flow through you gracefully with ease AND high performance.

Einstein Time (non-linear) vs Newtonian Time (linear)

Hendricks in The Big Leap says most management techniques (following Newtonian time) give us incremental improvements. But what we’re really after is a radical transformation.

Before reading about Einstein vs Newtonian Time, I saw time as linear. i.e. in order to achieve more 2x output, I need to spend twice as long.

But our life experience doesn’t really show this to be true. There are times when you’ve spent ages on something and can’t seem to produce much. Then you go for a walk, you relax in the shower and all the answers flow out effortlessly with what seems like no time at all.

Hendricks writes “Once you understand that you’re where time comes from, you have the power to make as much of it as you want.”

So, where does time come from?

YOU (more on that in a second)

With the Einstein model of time, you own time. Time doesn’t own you.

Newtonian Time

In the Newtonian model of time, time is a major limitation. This view shares the belief that there’s only a finite amount of time. This is a scarcity based approach of time that leads to uncomfortable feelings of time urgency within us. Just like if we assumed there was a scarcity of food – we’d always be hungry. We always want more of what we believe is limited and can’t have.

This way of time guarantees that you will always have a problem with time. When have you ever heard anyone say “I have exactly the right amount of time to enjoy everything I’m doing.” Rarely.

With this paradigm, Hendricks writes, “we are deluded into thinking that time is “out there”, and actually a physical entity that can put pressure on us “in here”.

Space and relativity

In Einstein’s theory of relativity, he shares that an hour with your beloved feels like a minute; a minute on a hot stope feels like an hour.

This example is all you need to practically see what Einstein time is all about:

“When you’re willing to occupy space, time simply disappears. You’re everywhere at once, there’s no place to get to, and everywhere you are, it’s exactly the right time.” Gay Hendricks

Embrace time as a constraint

Now time to bring in wisdom from Oliver Burkman, author of Four Thousand Weeks. This may seem contrary to Einstein time, as he emphasises embracing the finiteness of our time as a pathway to meaningful productivity, reminding us that accepting our limited weeks can lead to a richer, more intentional life.

I agree, knowing we have a limited time on this planet in physical form allows us to focus on what’s important to us. When we set ourselves a deadline, it causes us to focus and cut out the unnecessary crap.

Burkman also writes about the misconception that we can control time through better management. Instead, he proposes a shift towards accepting the uncontrollable nature of time as a step toward peace. He encourages us to let go of the idea of living a perfect life, free from mistakes and failures, to find true satisfaction in our inherently messy lives.

Bringing this all together

Ultimately, I think it’s all about acceptance and ownership.

I think they are both talking about the same thing in different ways: acceptance and ownership of time (and therefore your life).

“Stress and conflict are caused by resisting acceptance and ownership. If there is any part of ourselves or our lives that we’re not fully willing to accept, we will experience stress and friction in that area. The stress will disappear the moment we accept that part and claim ownership of it.”

Practical next steps for you

We can’t expect ourselves to adopt this new way of looking at time straight away overnight. We have so much conditioning with our relationship with time. It’s a constant practice.

Here are a few things you can take away and start experimenting with today:

Ultimately it comes down to one thing: not resisting time but playing with your relationship with it to serve you.