#109 – Reactive Time vs Proactive Time

Good morning everyone,

Hope you’re having a great week!

Let’s jump in.

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#109 at a Glance:

• Quote: The chaos of an unfocused mind.

• Podcast: Chris Williamson x Jimmy Carr.

• Mental Model: Reactive Time vs Proactive Time.

• Hack: A simple way to learn more about the world.

• Tweet: Choosing ‘right’ over ‘easy’.

Quote I’ve been thinking about:

Podcast I listened to:

Modern Wisdom #953 - Jimmy Carr

Awesome dynamic between Chris Williamson and Jimmy Carr in this one.

Walked away from this podcast pondering the following question:

What feels like play to me but work to everyone else?

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

[Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes]

Mental Model I’ve been thinking about:

Reactive Time vs Proactive Time 

I just wrapped up one of the hardest university exam periods I’ve ever had. Even though I really enjoyed my law subjects this semester:

• Legal Ethics

• Sports Law

• Federal Constitutional Law

• Roman Law

It doesn’t make getting through the exam block any easier.

And every time I go through one, I’m reminded of something I really don’t like about that season:

My schedule becomes almost entirely reactive.

• Reactive to the exam timetable

• Reactive to the “I have to study this today” pressure

• Reactive to deadlines and the mental fatigue that comes from constantly being in ‘go mode’ and saying ‘no’ to almost everything else

It’s a schedule full of “have tos” and it leaves almost no space for the freedom of spontaneity or unincumbered creativity.

That’s the difference between reactive time and proactive time.

Reactive time is when your day is dictated by external forces.

Emails, notifications, deadlines, expectations, other people’s priorities.

Proactive time, on the other hand, is self-directed.

It’s when you have the time and space to elect what you want to do and where you want to be.

We don’t live in a fantasy; reactive time obviously tends to occupy the majority of our lives, especially as we get older and responsibilities increase in due course.

However, I believe that carving out some dedicated proactive time each day/week is essential not only to maintaining one’s sanity, but also to avoid becoming disgruntled by our obligations that fall within the ‘reactive time’ periods.

Keen to get your thoughts on this and if any of you have had similar experiences, as well as how to best manage this ongoing battle.

Let me know.

Hack I came across:

A Simple Way To Learn More About The World

Earlier this week, I stumbled upon this awesome hack from David Perell:

“A deceptively simple way to learn more about the world is to constantly ask: “Why is it named that?”

Ask it about cities, people, restaurants, bands, companies, neighborhoods, everything. Much is in a name. A name carries hints of who we are, who we aspire to be, and where we come from. The essence of our identity.”

I absolutely love this. Will be implementing immediately.

Tweet I liked:

Choosing ‘Right’ Over ‘Easy’

Thanks for reading! Grateful for your support.

Stay hungry, stay humble, stay curious. ⚡

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Dimitri

(P.S. the best ways to get in touch with me are via email or LinkedIn).