Time Surfing: The Zen Approach to Keeping Time on Your Side

by Paul Loomans

Zen monk and coach Paul Loomans is the creator of Time Surfing, a 7-step approach to help anyone create more time in their life.“This book is for anyone who feels trapped by over-full, over-scheduled days. It explains how to escape the raging storms of busyness and find your way back to a more enjoyable and natural relationship with the clock. Time Surfing is a beautiful idea, expressed brilliantly in this beautiful book.” Tony Crabbe, author of international bestseller  How to Thrive in a World of Too MuchWho has time these days? Any moments that haven’t already been accounted for are swallowed up by smartphones, social media and working into the evening hours. Stress can often seem to be caused solely by the outside world, but in fact it also comes from within. This book will inspire and guide you to choose peace as a basis for carrying out all your daily activities, whether at work or in the home. The approach is based on a step-by-step method called Time Surfing, which consists of seven simple and easy-to-learn instructions backed with targeted tips and techniques.Rooted in Zen Buddhism, the emphasis is very much on making the most of the time you have rather than trying to control time itself. The instructions – which include making time for “breathers” throughout the day and finishing a task before starting another – will feel instinctive, and will make it possible for you to surf over the waves of time. You will learn that you can trust your intuition when it comes to choosing what to do, and, as a result, your actions will be not only inspired but also very effective. The focus you experience will be relaxed and unforced. But, more than anything else, an inner sense of calm will arise.

Genres: Nonfiction, Productivity, Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Personal Development, Zen

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Philippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past six months I have experimented with the Personal Kanban (PK) time management system (based on my reading of Personal Kanban: Mapping Work/Navigating Life by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry). I found it to be very helpful in managing the balance between my personal short term and longer term objectives. Definitely an improvement compared to the tunnel vision induced by to-do lists.

Paul Loomans' 'Time Surfing' fits hand-in-glove with the PK approach. In fact this mindfulness-oriented practice is its necessary complement. Time Surfing pivots on seven mutually reinforcing principles. I'll summarize them here and I'll also comment on the fit with Personal Kanban.

Focus on one task and make sure to finish it: a day consists of a string of tasks each of which is our sole focus for that moment. No multi-tasking! Large tasks divide themselves quite naturally in different subtasks. This meshes well with the key PK principle of limiting your Work-in-Progress (WIP) and pulling tasks into the DOING column only when we have capacity for it. But it’s not quite the same. Time Surfing, as will be obvious from the next principle, attends very much to what happens in the moment.

Pause at what you are doing and consciously accept the task at hand: when we engage with a new task Time Surfing recommends to take a brief moment to confirm that this will be the main activity for that particular moment. The idea is to ‚surrender’ ourselves to the timing and nature of the activity, whatever it is. Rushing is, of course, at odds with being guided by this kind of natural attention. The conscious pulling of tasks through the Personal Kanban value stream offers a good opportunity to exercise this kind of mindfulness.

Create blanks between activities: when our attention flags or when a task is finished it is good to have a blank space. We let our mind wander for a moment. But we don’t give in to the temptation to check email or browse the internet. We leave our desk, pour a cup of tea, empty the waste-paper basket, take a shower. Anything that doesn’t require us to focus. (Actually, smokers must be very familiar with these kinds of blanks). A blank provides repose but it also gives our brain the opportunity to shift to another mode. As far as I am aware Benson and Barry do not specifically highlight the role of blanks in their Personal Kanban approach. But they do draw attention to the importance of the so-called ‚waste’ quadrant of ‚not urgent-not important’ in Stephen Covey’s classic time management matrix: „Options are not always discovered during planning, they often come from happenstance. In the other three quadrants you will find work; here you will find inspiration. This is the organic quadrant.”

Give full attention to disruptions: Create a relationship with everything you do: a colleague who walks in with a question, an unexpected call, flashes of thoughts about things to do (but NOT the 37th email of the day that drops into your inbox). Rather than to distribute our attention, we emphatically and consciously shift our focus to the interruption, even if it is only to communicate that we will attend to it later. This aligns with PK’s disposition to accommodate constantly varying contexts. In PK it is always allowed to re-prioritize based on what happens around you or newly available information. Again, Time Surfing enriches this flexibility with a mindfulness element.

Be aware of ‚gnawing rats’ and transform them into ‚white sheep’: there will be tasks that we are reluctant to deal with, for all kinds of practical or emotional reasons. Again, it is key to create a relationship with these tasks. Approach, observe, reflect on what keeps us from moving ahead. Then we let it go. Once there is a relationship we are open to cues from the environment that may help us in dealing with the task. The agitation disappears. The ‚rat’ has been turned into a ‚white sheep’. In PK we create a similar kind of setting by visualizing our backlog and value stream. Personal Kanban is a meta-cognition tool. It helps us to construct a narrative not only of what we are doing but also of how we are doing it. The emerging patterns alert us to the presence of rats. Once we are aware of them, we can start to build a relationship.

Observe background programs: often stress emerges in response to emotions of fear, disappointment and uncertainty that we do not give a presence. We need to become aware of these suppressed emotions and allow to express themselves. First feel, then think. A walk around the block or a short meditation can be helpful here. PK does not talk about negative background programs. But it does stress the importance of paying attention to moments of ‚being in the zone’. Once we understand what causes positive peak experiences we can increase their frequency and duration.

Spontaneously choose what you are going to do: Time Surfing tells us that our intuition is the best guide to manage our time. We are focused on what we are doing in this moment, not so much on ‚working through a program’. The blanks provide space to let that intuition play out. In my opinion Loomans is not totally clear about the importance of keeping lists or agendas. On the one hand he finds lists are overvalued. He thinks we can do without. We might use them to check whether we haven’t forgotten anything, rather than to plan ahead. On the other hand he advocates the disciplined use of an agenda to inform our intuition about the time we have available, the rhythm of appointments and target dates. Obviously this is an important difference with Personal Kanban which accords a much greater significance to the visualization of our work context. But a PK practice does not preclude in any way an impromptu selection of tasks.

All this may not sound as rocket science. But beware: for our fragmented and multitasking minds it is harder to put into practice than it seems.

Paul Loomans 'Ik heb de Tijd' is a practical how-to-book. It does a good job in introducing the basic ideas and tips for putting them into practice. Meanwhile there is a lot of scientific evidence that confirms the importance of mindfulness to enhance personal effectiveness and wellbeing. You won't find that in this book, however. The work of Ellen Langer, Harvard professor of psychology, is probably a good place to start reading up on the science.

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about how to have more time and use that time in a 'zen' way. It's short, snappy and full of excellent illustrations. Instead of endless list writing we should throw them away and concentrate on doing the jobs we think about intuitively.
I have an awful memory and rely on lists as a result. Even using this boo I think if I did throw away my lists I'd get nothing done as I'd have no idea what I'm doing. My memory problem is linked to my health so I'd guess this is more aimed at people in general who think they have no time to themselves.
There's some good ideas about spending less time with technology and social media and those I happily take on board.
The 7 methods in here for me are more common sense than anything. Start a task, give it your all and finish the task being some of them
An enjoyable book

[Sanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makkelijk leesbaar door de herkenbare voorbeelden die gebruikt worden. De 7 aanwijzingen worden heel helder toegelicht waardoor het ook direct makkelijk is om in de praktijk uit te voeren. Zeker een aanrader om weer de rust in jezelf te vinden tijdens het chaotische leven. Ook al denk je dat je met je overzichtelijke lijstje helemaal niet chaotisch bent.

[Christopher Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m A Zen Monk And Spend A Lot Of Time Intensively Doing Nothing

I almost didn’t read this book, since I figured it would just be some trite ideas on time management. Okay, I was wrong--I underestimated this book. I think the author is a creative, ingenious person. I'm glad I read this book.

TIME SURFING does indeed have a ton of practical tips, such as dealing with email and using your smartphone—but don’t focus so much on those things (which are at the end of the book anyway.) These tips are useful, but they are not the real meat of the book. The real strength of TIME SURFING has nothing to do with tips on how to use your phone or prioritize your tasks. It’s bigger than that—but also more subtle than that.

Author Paul Loomans succinctly lists seven main topics. I call these his "Big Ideas." Here are the seven:

1. Do one thing at a time;
2. Be aware of what you’re doing and accept it;
3. Create breathers between activities;
4. Give your full attention to drop-ins;
5. Become aware of “gnawing rats”and transform them into “white sheep;”
6. Observe background programs;
7. Use your intuition when choosing what to do.

I have long practiced the idea of #1; the author provides some good basis for this point. Paul suggests that if you think you are doing more than one thing at a time, you are fooling yourself. Here’s why--the second task is not really getting your attention: “One of the two activities was being carried out on autopilot, almost unconsciously. . . If we need to give our attention to both things, it means we’re sacrificing something in the process.”

I also really liked Idea #4. This is another idea that was new to me. Here's how it works: Instead of looking at an interruption as something bad, focus directly on it: “By shifting the focus of your attention, you experience the interruption as a separate item rather than as a disruption, and don’t stay suspended in between two things. . . For both you and the other person, it’s more relaxing and also more effective. . . “ So the interrupion is no longer a time-waster step, but something really useful. Excellent idea; simple but powerful.

Perhaps the most graphically ddesribed idea is #5, the “gnawing rats." The “rats” are concerns that lie just below the surface, bugging us. Paul suggests facing these ideas directly, and “visualizing the step that’s hard for you.” You look at the issue, and create a “relationship with the problem.” By doing so, it ceases to be something negative. Plus, you can more clearly see any obstacles. Also talking about the issue with others leads to a solution not easily seen.

Yet another good idea is #7. I have never heard this idea before. Here’s how it works: You visualize future actions as “a dispenser filled with surprise capsules.” You don’t try to schedule a task; rather, you “let them go and trusting they will get their turn.” Think of the surprise as “one of those coin-operated dispensers filled with surprise capsules.” His idea is that your intuition does a better job of managing your time than your analytic mind. So relax and wait for the surprise!

So all in all, I found TIME SURFING to be a fun, creative read. This book contains a lot of wisdom and excellent practical tips. Some of the ideas were familiar to me, but others were brand spanking new. For most “Type A” persons, I think that “letting go” to let your intuition schedule tasks will be really tough—but I’m going to try just just “floating along with whatever happens.”

Finally, I thought the illustrations by Niels de Hoog were amusing and entertaining.

Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.

[Matthieu Wegh · Rating 5 out of 5]

? Ik heb dit boek gevonden door op google te surfen naar tijdmanagement
🤔 Het verhaal is kort en bondig en vooral handig door het bijbehorende beeldmateriaal:
1. Doe 1 ding tegelijk en maak het af;
2. Sta stil bij wat je doet en aanvaard de handeling;
3. Schep 'witjes' tussen je activiteiten;
4. Geef volle aandacht aan aankloppers (wat ongepland tussendoor komt, neem je serieus)
5. Maak jezelf bewust van knagende ratten en transformeer ze in witte schapen;
6. Observeer achtergrondprogramma's (breng malende gedachten tot rust...);
7. Kies spontaan wat je gaat doen (je intuïtie is de beste planner die je hebt)
Voor een nadere uitleg verwijs ik graag naar dit mooie boek...

MW 27/1/22

Gisteren was ik weer eens met dit boek bezig. Ik had het te druk omdat er deze week gewoon veel speelt...en toen deed ik even een half uur niets en besefte me ineens dat dit dus een witje was...ook al mijmerde ik wel even over wat ik moest doen die dag...maar even niets doen en dat in de zon...is dus ook heel belangrijk ;-)

MW 24/3/22

[Edmund Schaefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Time management and 'self help' books tend to be too long. For other genres I don't mind meandering stories, but the whole point of these books should be to get the information and get out. Paul's approach does just that. Some simple rules, some examples, done. I don't like it as much as Oliver Burkmans comparable Meditations for Mortals (Oliver draws from Paul's book for inspiration), as I feel Oliver's method has a more logical structure, but worth a read nevertheless.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book for people who haver difficulty paying attention to one thing and focusing on that. Of the seven Instructions, I found the first two most helpful and feel that I need to practice them before moving on to some of he others. However, it doesn't hurt to move to Applications and Tools after reading and practicing the first two Instructions.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there's one thing we could certainly all do with more of (apart from money!) it is time. There never seem to be enough hours in the day, or days in the week. This book aims to educate you as to the causes of time pressures, and gives tasks and exercises to manage your time better and have a more 'zen' approach to life. Not surprisingly, the author attributes a lot of our time pressures to the rise of technology, social media, and how accessible we are on a daily basis, virtually instantaneously if need be.

This book holds some good analogies with some charming and helpful illustrations. I particularly enjoyed the analogy of ourselves being like houses, with our personalities on display being the 'roof garden', our innermost thoughts being the 'basement', and dealing with the now and our time pressures as the 'ground floor'. There are lots of good exercises and ideas for living in the moment and completing tasks one at a time and committing to them, before moving on to the next.

The author provides many of his own experiences, which makes these teachings all the more relatable as you can see how they've actually worked with real life examples.

On the whole I really enjoyed this book given that its content is highly useful and applicable in our current climate of social media and instant access to whatever information or advice we need, and the examples and tips really are helpful. However, a great deal of the content is just plain common sense, and you may well read this wondering why you need to be told to do things such as not allowing interruptions, or taking a break after tasks. This book may be useful to some in the way that we can often advise others but struggle to take our own advice. If you are one such person, this book might be the one to engage you into gear!

[Margaret Cahill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going through a serious illness definitely changes a person, and in my case it meant me learning to take each day, each moment at a time. And that is SO HARD to do. It's a life's work, so I need the encouragement and inspiration of people like Paul Loomans, whose book Time Surfing has helped where others haven't quite got through to me. Possibly the most valuable realisation for me was that multi-tasking doesn't work. I am the ultimate multi-tasker, but as Paul says, that doesn't mean doing lots of things at once, and well, it means doing loads of things with fleeting attention paid to each one, and not doing any of them very well. Ouch. It goes back to the 'washing up for the sake of washing up' kind of thinking I remember trying to follow way back in my twenties. So, assuming anyone washes up any more (we do, a little bit - thankfully have a dishwasher for the big stuff), it means paying attention to doing the washing up instead of wondering how much writing I can fit in before I have to do something else. Or wondering about the shopping, or any one of a zillion things that crowd into my head at any one moment. So thank you Paul. I am finally, finally getting it.

[Lalagè · Rating 3 out of 5]

De zeven stappen van het tijdsurfen worden toegelicht in korte hoofdstukken. Het is helder geschreven met duidelijke voorbeelden. Ik heb het boek zo uit, maar wil het nog een keer lezen en dan proberen om het me echt eigen te maken, zowel thuis als op kantoor. Er staat weinig nieuws in, maar toch zijn er een heleboel rake opmerkingen die ik graag wil onthouden.

https://lalageleest.wordpress.com/201...

[John Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on how to do things in the world. Forget to do lists. Do what you feel like doing, and you'll get everything that needs doing in a relaxed calm way. That's the promise. Does it deliver? We'll see.

How tackle the tasks and responsibilities that you never get to? Make friends with them. Bring them into your mind frequently without the obligation to do them then and there.

Came across this via Oliver Burkeman, my favourite anti productivity guru.

[Rachel Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this book via a newsletter from Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Burkeman wrote about just one idea from this book, the idea of befriending your "gnawing rat" tasks -- the ones you keep avoiding, barely can even think about. Maybe they have an "ugh field" around them, to use different parlance. The idea of befriending the gnawing rats is to simply gain familiarity with them, e.g. going out to the shed that you want to empty out someday and just seeing it. Engage with the idea that it's something to do someday. This will inevitably pull some of the mystery out of the task, and invite your subconscious to crunch away on whatever the problem is, until someday the gnawing rat feels more like an approachable "white sheep". Note -- nothing in this chapter indicates that you should work on the gnawing-rat task. The idea is that the work will happen naturally once familiarity is there.

I found other wisdom in this book, particularly single-tasking (not new, but good... very good) and the idea of acknowledging and mindfully accepting the less pleasant tasks. I'm cleaning the cats' litter box now. I also like the idea of tasks and activities being like beads sliding down the string of my life, individual and fully occupying time but harmonious (and with small breaks in between them -- though I didn't really find Loomans to be consistent regarding what's considered a break and what's not).

I'm not giving up my lists, based on way too much experience as a knowledge worker; things will slip my mind and my intuition (being easy to trick) will not feed them back to me at the perfect moment. However, I like most of this book, and that itself is quite an achievement given how ambitious it is. A lovely read for a long weekend.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't ignore the gnawing rats! (things you put off and then it starts to gnaw at you). Befriend them instead.

When we try t use our thoughts to neutralize an emotional reaction such as fear ("there's no reason to be afraid of the exam, you can do it"), we suppress the emotion and cause the system to short-circuit. What we should do is allow ourselves to really feel the emotion rather than resist it. Then the fear/grief/sadness, frustration will disappear on its own (pg. 19).

Notice how you feel. How I clenched the steering wheel. How tensed my body was, all the way up to my shoulders. Breathing was shallow and my chest felt tight. By focusing my attention on my feelings, the tension became less. After a while I started to breathe more deeply. And I observed I was calming down and had started to accept I was going to be late (pgs 107-108).

Purpose of emotions:
They warn us that something is wrong and that we have to take action. Pain is useful b/c it acts as an alarm. Fear is a warning sign. A fear of heights warns you to be careful when you hike along a narrow edge.

Emotions make sure the body is in an optimal condition to respond. Vital body functions are at the ready when a critical situation arises.

The emotion we just felt allows us to process whatever caused it. "Grieving means having the courage to feel a loss, which makes it possible to integrate and come to terms with it. It allows the sorrow to dissipate over time" (pg 109).

**Worrying:
Feel your fear. Feels its physical presence in your body and give it space. Once you've felt it, its force will diminish, the same way the wind dies down after a storm (pg 110).

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik wilde het eigenlijk vier sterren geven want deze zen manier van tegen productiviteit aankijken voelde tijdens het lezen precies als wat ik nodig had. Ik ben bijvoorbeeld aan de slag gegaan met de zogenaamde witjes: tussen taken of als je moe begint te worden iets gaan doen met je handen (zoals de afwas) want dan komt je mind in default setting en krijg je de beste ideeën, en hernieuwde energie. En ook een taak de volle aandacht geven (dus niet eten en dan een serie kijken) is een goeie. Maar om iedere keer als je voelt dat je iets moet gaan doen, het te visualiseren dat je het doet, en het vervolgens los te laten (want dan komt je intuïtie er vanzelf op terug wanneer het nodig is) dat vind ik een lastige! Dat gaat natuurlijk over de controle kunnen loslaten, maar dan ben ik bang dat ik heel veel simpelweg niet meer ga doen. En daar krijg ik dan meer stress van.

[SALLY WHITE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Goodreads for sending me this book. A book with suggestions on how to deal with a life of ever increasing tasks in a world where there seems to be less and less time available. There of many of these types of books available all providing approaches and techniques designed to deal with time more effectively. Time Surfing is a little different as it provides a Zen approach. It is an interesting and enjoyable read with some novel ideas. The format of the book is well laid out and is written in an easy to follow way. It is the type of book that can be used as reference as and when required.

[Cherie Kephart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zen monk, Paul Loomans, shares his experiences with slowing down, embracing life, and surfing instead of stressing. He offers 7 simple instructions on how to navigate life, letting go of needing to control everything and exercising profound trust, thus, getting us back to our truest nature. I love this book. You can bet that I am going to practice time surfing and integrate its principles into my days. Simple, creative, and accessible, this is a terrific book with sincere messages to help us not only ride the waves of life, but enjoy them too.

[John Crippen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A calming book about time management by a Zen Buddhist monk. Looman's seven instructions are described, and illustrated, playfully. Although his stance on life is informed by his Zen Buddhism beliefs, the book is not about Zen Buddhism at all. It didn't take very long to read this afternoon and look forward to trying his ideas. Thanks, again, to Oliver Burkeman for the recommendation.

[Keith Mantell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very different view on "time management"

A very interesting take. Probably one I would fi nd difficult to get started with; the author does touch on continued use of lists though more as checklists than to-do lists. I really applaud the mindful philosophy here; if you can pull this off your life (and that is your colleagues) will be much richer.

[Guilherme Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading. The author provide his information very clearly and easy to read, with each step with its definition, examples, commentaries and other practical lessons.
It brings a productivity framework to live a more zen life. I believe some advices are very insighful and it will be able to implent, but other more difficult.

The most voted commentary gives a good overview about the framework.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has some practical advice about dealing with time related stress but it's mostly about slowly down and being in the present, which is what most awareness related advice is anyway. It's really short and has a lot of pictures.

[Gregg Hartling · Rating 4 out of 5]

An approach to mindfulness and intentionality from a more analytical starting point. Focus on one thing at a time. No multi-tasking. Allow your intuition to decide on your next task and free yourself from todo lists unless you are in a particularly busy moment. Allow yourself breathers between tasks.

[Sheryl Garratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful thoughts about our relationship to time and tasks

Compassionate, thoughtful but practical Buddhist strategies for playing with time, getting things done with less stress - and enjoying life more.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that outlines a very practical way to approach each task with a sense of calm.

[Inneke De Brucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tips om de verdwalende geest tijdens werk, huishoudelijke taken te herkennen en aan te pakken.

[Lien Dedeurwaerder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goed boek, interessante inzichten, wil ik graag goed kunnen toepassen

[Andrew]

As mentioned in The Imperfectionist 2023-05-05. https://ckarchive.com/b/o8ukhqhkr7rqe .

[Noel N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a DNF for me.

[Nishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

best time management book i ever read

[Emmalene Umar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, love this concept. Shred your to-do list, be in the moment. Appreciate the gift that is now. Roll with the ngaru.

[Christopher Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read. A very interesting take on time, stress and memory. I look forward to giving it a try.