Time Anxiety

102 snips

Aug 19, 2025

In a thought-provoking discussion, Chris Guillebeau, author of *Time Anxiety*, sheds light on our anxious relationship with time, especially for creatives. He explains how our stress often stems from unresolved tensions, rather than the clock itself. Guillebeau emphasizes that aligning our time with personal values, rather than chasing phantom deadlines and productivity hacks, is crucial. By shifting from a reactive mindset to intentionality, we can cultivate a fulfilling life and manage the weight of expectations.

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INSIGHT

Time Anxiety Is Three-Dimensional

Time anxiety spans past regrets, present urgency, and future uncertainty and isn't just day-to-day busyness.
This three-dimensional view explains why feelings of running out of time persist despite productivity gains.

ANECDOTE

Efficiency Increased My Workload

Todd Henry recounts that increased efficiency only let him pile more work onto his plate and amplified stress.
He found producing more didn't guarantee spending time on the things that truly mattered.

ADVICE

Align Time With Values, Not Output

Align your time with values and impact rather than merely optimizing for output or efficiency.
Say no to opportunities that look good but don't match your priorities and protect creative space.

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Why does time feel so slippery, especially for creative pros? In this episode, we explore the phenomenon of “time anxiety”—that restless sense that we’re running out of time or not spending our hours on what really matters. We’re joined by Chris Guillebeau, author of the book Time Anxiety, who brings a fresh lens to how we experience time, how our anxieties about it span past, present, and future—and why productivity hacks alone will never be enough.

We dig into the difference between optimizing and aligning our time, the dangers of chasing phantom deadlines, and why so much of our stress comes not from the clock itself but from unresolved tensions and borrowed definitions of success. Together, we share practical tactics to help you shift from a reactive, urgent default to a more intentional, aligned creative life.

If you’ve caught yourself sprinting but never arriving, or if you’ve ever felt that low-grade hum of anxiety about how you’re spending your days—this conversation is for you.

Five Key Learnings:

Time anxiety spans the past, present, and future. It’s not just about feeling overwhelmed day-to-day—it’s also about lingering regrets, future uncertainties, and the ever-present sense of the clock ticking down.
Optimization isn’t the solution—alignment is. You can’t “efficiency” your way out of anxiety. The real answer? Align your time with your values, priorities, and the impact you want to have.
Phantom deadlines and borrowed benchmarks create false pressure. Much of our anxiety comes from arbitrary timelines based on outliers or cultural expectations. True progress comes from setting your own standards and constraints.
Not everything urgent is important. Creative work demands space for what matters. Protecting time for meaningful—and even non-urgent—work is essential to breaking the cycle of anxiety.
Self-awareness is the starting point. Pay close attention to how you spend your time and how it makes you feel. Notice unresolved tensions, distinguish between energizing and draining activities, and let those insights guide your daily choices.

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