Someone asked me today: "How do you have time to read so many books?" Here is my answer.

I think the most important thing about time management is learning to say "no". What you choose not to do is more important than what you choose to do.

I don’t do small talk or self-introductions at meetings. These take a lot of time and are usually very inefficient. I usually just say no, even to the point of being “impolite” in the eyes of the average person. For example, I just send people the article “Communication Skills from CZ” (implying to them that I don’t like wasting time), which may be impolite, but it saves me time.

I like to be brief and concise. That leaves time for other things. If something can be summarized, it should be summarized.

I keep most of my meetings to 15 minutes or less, even in person, and I make it clear at the beginning that I only have 15 minutes.

If my presence is not absolutely necessary, I don't attend. I don't just listen, I ask for a summary that I can read in 30 seconds.

I don't engage in small talk, whether it's work or personal, online or in real life. I always ask directly, "What do you want me to do?" If the other party doesn't take action, I will end or ignore the conversation. I don't chat for fun.

I sign out of chats that no longer require my input, whether at work or in person. That way I have one less thing to click on. One less notification, one less pop-up.

I also don't socialize much. I'm not a "social hub" and I don't keep in touch with a lot of people. My social circle is small. I make sure I have some "hubs" (people with a wide social circle) in my social circle. Through them, I get in touch with people when I need to.

I do socialize with a few friends, but probably much less frequently than most people.

I don’t shop, I hate it. I buy most of my stuff online, and in bulk. Buy 10 pairs of the same pants, shirts, socks, etc. at a time. Most of what I buy is one of the top 5 recommendations in the search results, or something the AI ​​recommends based on my spending preferences so I don’t have to think about it.

I don't cook (talent issue). I order one of the first three things I see on the menu, and it takes me no longer than 10 seconds to order. I prefer fast food to a "French romantic dinner". Sorry, France, it's not a matter of taste, it's a matter of time. I always ask French chefs to bring "all the dishes" at once and try to ignore the offended looks on their faces.

I don’t tidy my room, desk, or suitcase, so it’s always a mess.

I don’t read the news unless someone sends me a link. Even then, I only glance at it in 10 seconds. I’m a fast reader.

I don't watch sports unless we have a sponsorship, like CR7 or Argentina in the World Cup, and I actually only watched the last game of the World Cup on TV, which was a great game. I know I have to give up something to make up for the time.

I don't watch TV. I used to watch a lot of movies, but now, I find most movies boring, maybe I'm getting old.

I don’t watch TikTok, video feeds, etc. For my back pain, I follow a few “osteologist/chiropractor/exercise” type accounts on Instagram so I’m motivated to do some simple exercises every day.

I do spend a fair amount of time on Twitter and I also write some blogs.

I don't listen to music. I also hate loud music in restaurants or conferences. I always ask them to turn it down. I like quiet places.

Basically, I'm a very, very boring person.

I listen to books. I listen while I shower, brush my teeth, and of course, use the bathroom. I listen when I'm in the car, in the airport. I listen to books for about an hour every night before bed (this alone easily gets me to one book a week). The biggest listening time is on airplanes. If I'm inspired, I'll try to write a blog post or something. I only listen when I'm tired. I can listen to 2-3 books on a long flight. I fly a lot and was in the air 600 hours last year.

I listened to the books at 2.5x speed most of the time (you get used to it after a while). The average listening time for most books was about 4 hours.

How do I choose books? Some are recommended by friends. Some are recommended by AI based on my reading preferences.

For books I don't like, once I realize I don't like them, I stop listening to them. I don't listen to/finish most of the books I buy.

For books I like, I will listen to them several times and buy the Kindle version to read.

Time is the most limited resource and knowledge is the most powerful lever. Don't trade your time for anything unimportant.