Listen Now
About This Episode
Americans waste about two days a year just looking for misplaced things—keys, wallets, phones, etc. Disorganization eats away at our time and makes it impossible to hit our targets for each day. In the second episode of this series on agency, Nathan examines the language of agency that he finds most challenging to master, and offers strategies he's implemented to effectively organize his time.
Nathan admits organizational skills is probably the language of agency he's least competent in. A Pixie survey shows 45% of Americans lose their remote control weekly, with similar percentages for phones, keys, and wallets—totaling about 2.5 days per year just searching for misplaced items.
A Framework for Education
Nathan has adapted C.R. Wiley's four languages of agency as his framework for education—not sitting at desks, but enlightening experiences that make life better. He uses this optic to raise his children to be free and independent thinkers, understanding that true freedom comes through obedience to God's law.
We Lose Whole Days Each Year from Disorganization
Nathan recommends creating "landing pads"—designated spots for keys, wallets, phones near the front door and by your dresser. He references the humorous "glasses, wallet, keys, and phone" song (sung to "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes") as an ADHD hack for remembering essentials.
Moving beyond reactive organization to proactive time management, Nathan compares it to compound interest—small, consistent efforts over time create massive results. Two key resources: Doug Wilson's "Ploductivity" (defining "plodding" as doing a little consistently every day) and Andy Frisella's "Power List" (3-5 critical daily tasks completed consistently).
What I Learned By Tracking My Time
Using Peter Drucker's "The Effective Executive" principles (available summarized at optimize.me), Nathan discovered through time tracking that he wasn't starting meaningful work until 9-10 AM and was spending excessive time on simple tasks due to distractions. He emphasizes the importance of measuring to improve.
Deep Work versus Distracted Work
Drawing from Cal Newport's "Deep Work," Nathan found that 3-4 uninterrupted 90-minute work cycles achieve more than an 8-hour distracted workday. He and his wife now target 7.5 hours of sleep (bed at 9:30 PM, up at 5:00 AM) to maximize focused morning hours.
Proactive versus Reactive Tasks
Learning from the Benham brothers, Nathan advocates completing proactive tasks by 10:00 AM, then shifting to reactive mode (handling calls, emails, inquiries). This approach eliminates anxiety because core work is already complete.
My Index Card Method for Tracking To-Do's
Inspired by "The Organized Mind," Nathan uses an index card system with cards on key rings—one stack each at his desk, bedside table, car, and pocket. Each task gets its own card, allowing for easy reorganization and mental bandwidth preservation. He spends 30-45 minutes daily processing 3-5 minute tasks, discarding completed cards and organizing longer-term items.