What Tim Ferriss, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Matthew McConaughey Taught Me About Filtering My Time

Mandi Paronish CRNP, FNP-C

I didn’t expect Tim Ferriss, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Matthew McConaughey to all show up in the same conversation in my head. But they did.

Ferriss’ practical discipline. Gilbert’s creative openness. McConaughey’s philosophy of green lights, yellow lights, and red lights. Together, they became the perfect mix of perspectives to help me build a personal filter for my decisions that have been hairy lately. I wanted something I could use daily to choose where my time, openness, and energy go.

Because here’s the bottom line: knowing where to spend your time and feeling good about that choice is one of the hardest things for busy, motivated people to figure out. I wrote this for those who may also be trying to figure this out. Hoping we can work together of course!

Why a Filter Matters (and How These Three Influenced Mine)

Like Tim Ferriss, I tend to take action quickly. If something excites me, I jump in. If something needs doing, I do it. But that habit often leaves me stretched past my limits and tired, Yes I am surrounded by wonderful opportunities and people often but also with too many half-finished projects and missed moments with the people I care about.

Elizabeth Gilbert would probably say that’s because I haven’t stopped to create the space to decide what really matters before I say yes.

And Matthew McConaughey? He’d probably tell me that some of those yeses were green lights, some were yellow, and some were full-on reds. I just didn’t see them at the time.

The Filtered System: Red, Yellow, and Green Lights for Your Time

• Green Light: Fits your schedule, fuels your energy, and clearly moves you toward what matters......go. Through Tim Ferriss’ Efficiency Lens:  My Example: While on my way to see a scheduled patient, I learn her husband has a question about his own care. It takes just a few extra minutes, fits naturally into the route, and doesn’t add much to my NP workload for the day. YET creates a big return: peace of mind for him and my patient, better continuity of care, and the satisfaction of getting something important done without disrupting the day.

• Yellow Light — Matthew McConaughey’s Read-the-Road Approach: Might be valuable but will require shifting something else, pause and think.

  MY Example: You’re invited to speak at a community event that aligns perfectly with your organizations mission, but attending means missing your organization’s annual friends and family summer picnic. A yellow light is the moment to ease off the gas and ask: Is this the right time? Could the opportunity wait? Or is this the one to take, knowing what you’ll miss?

• Red Light — Elizabeth Gilbert’s Permission to Let Go: Pushes out something important or drains more than it gives. . . .stop.

  MY Example: For a promised sleepover with my niece, it’s tempting to think you'd need spotless rooms, themed snacks, and a perfect setup. A red light is catching that thought and letting it go and remembering that what she really wants is time with you, not a production.

Being Okay With the Decision

Ferriss would tell you to trust the system. Gilbert would tell you to be kind to yourself when you say no. McConaughey would tell you to read the lights and keep moving forward.

And I’d tell you this: once a choice passes (or fails) your filter, trust it enough to stop second-guessing yourself. YOU GOT THIS!

The Takeaway

You don’t have to choose between productivity and being present.

If you build a filter shaped by the wisdom of people like Tim Ferriss, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Matthew McConaughey, adapt it to your own life you WILL make better decisions about your time, openness, and energy.

And more importantly? You’ll actually feel good about them.

How does that sound?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences too :)

Onward, Mandi

Would balancing rocks like these be easier than balancing your Schedule?

• Yes, seven days a week too!
• No, not by the size of those rocks.