Time management holy grail...

I value time so much that it sometimes becomes an obsession and while I've read a lot of advices, how-to and diverse opinions on the subject, I've generally only been able to see a two-dimensional view of the process, which can be resumed into something like “how can I fit a maximum of stuff into my allotted time?” This way of thinking often leads to cramming and multitasking, which have been proved to be woefully inefficient. Early this month, I was suggesting that we should use the “maturing” power of time and start staging events into it, hence bring a tri-dimensional concept into our good use of time.

That's right, not just fitting a maximum of pieces into a given time frame, but instead “farming” them by planting projects at staggered dates so time can naturally mature them and we can revisit them regularly to re-assess them and “tweak” them if needed. This of course requires much more forward thinking, good planning and managing – by paying close attention – to all theses “irons in the fire”

or projects in progress like a talented and fast acting restaurant chef. This way of organizing can be a lot of fun and resembles conducting an orchestra or managing and ant-hill if that were humanly possible. It also demands a significant effort in mental anticipation (something that in truth is always terribly painful) and a lot of imagining, but in the end is certainly a much more efficient way to harness time than trying to do two things simultaneously and accomplishing none of them well enough.