In Time Surfing, Paul Loomans guides the reader through his seven step Zen-based method for managing time and its associated pressures. Originally published as Ik heb de tijd (2013) and translated to English by Colleen Higgins in 2017, illustrations are by Niels de Hoog.

The system within is still helpful to readers today. Loomans’ method encourages a mindset shift. Instead of being controlled by time you learn to trust it and yourself. Drawing on his experience during a period when he was spinning multiple plates, Loomans experimented and created his system. The result is one that simple, straightforward. and comprehensive.

The seven parts of his system form a cohesive blueprint that when applied can help reduce time stress. This reviewer found one step more valuable than others: creating a breather between activities (step 3). Microbreaks are counterintuitive, especially for those who wish to decrease attention residue. When we mono task, remain mindful and observant, trust (the system) and use intuition to guide task choice, microbreaks can greatly enhance one’s day. This system can help improve one’s sense of working on the right thing at the right time. That helps reduce stress and improve health.

Time Surfing is an easy-to-read enjoyable guide that provides a different way to think about tasks, productivity, and time.

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.

This book had some great points and the illustrations were nice but it sometimes felt like one small point was drawn out and there were sometimes where I did not feel the author would reach a universal audience. However, if you are looking for a book that has some tips on balancing your time, you may want to check this out.

A great prescription for today's BUSY society. Lots of useful and practical information.

At last a book with a different more organic approach for time management. Even if you don't put it into to practice it will definitely get you thinking. I think it will be difficult for many people to do but the methods could be incorporated gradually until you become more confident in trusting your intuition. Today so many books are the same (same ideas re-hashed) it is so nice to read a book offering something new. More importantly it makes sense and would have a huge impact on peoples general health too. Excellent book - thank you

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!