This was from the latest edition of The Optimized Report newsletter, a collection of actionable ideas to help small business teams improve their performance, profit, and potential without sacrificing what's most important.

Time management is a mystical creature that feels real, but no matter how much you search for it, you become more lost and confused the deeper you go.

Becoming more productive isn't about managing every task but rather focusing on what matters the most.

Put your priorities over productivity.

Now, on to this week's optimized ideas: 👇

Stop Making Time Your Master

No matter how hard you try, time isn't something you control.

If you try, your self-worth becomes tightly wound up in how you use your time, which is why I wrote How To Be Your Most Productive Self Without Letting Time Be The Master Of Everything.

The biggest takeaway:

Learn to accept that FOMO is a part of life—missing out on something, damn near everything, is guaranteed.

Missing out makes the choices we have to make more meaningful. We get to decide.

Time Management For Mortals

One of the most important books of our time (as I've said before) is Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.

The author, Oliver Burkeman, recently discussed time management on the On Being podcast.

Processing tasks and checking off your endless list of ToDos isn't what living is all about.

Related: Why Productivity Is The Opposite Of A Meaningful Life & What To Do Instead

Adopt Fear-Setting Into Your Life

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." —Mark Twain

Fear-setting says that if you want to conquer your fear, you must first define it.

Tim Ferriss explains how to define your fears so you can overcome them.

It's very similar to the Stoicism practice of Premeditation Malorum.

Related: How To Embrace Your Fear Of The Unknown

Saving 20+ Hours A Week With A Better Morning Routine

"Although Gary Vaynerchuck claims to work 20 hours per day, many "highly successful" people I know work between 3–6 hours per day."

Life is about managing quality over quantity.

Benjamin Hardy teaches that the best work happens in a short, intensive burst of focus.

He gives an excellent recipe for approaching your morning, so you can continue to focus on priorities over productivity.

Related: 5 Universal No Tech Principles You Can't Live Without For Maximum Productivity

A Better You Starts With Improving Your Health

If you want to live a better life, your health must be your top priority.

Good health improves every life domain.

Ben Greenfield wrote an article, 12 Perfect Health Fundamentals: My Primary "Principles" For Optimizing Your Lifespan & Healthspan, that gives you a precise formula for maximizing your health.

Most of it requires little effort and slight changes to your daily habits.

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