Editing 874: Time Management

{{comic
| number    = 874
| date      = March 18, 2011
| title     = Time Management
| image     = time management.png
| imagesize = 
| titletext = I never trust anyone who's more excited about success than about doing the thing they want to be successful at.
}}
==Explanation==
In the first two panels we see snippets from [[Cueball]]'s posting on blogs explaining the importance of time management and its benefits. The schedule on the wall is a direct contradiction to the initial ideas and follows a very simple plan for the day, making willpower only seem necessary for getting up on time and posting on these blogs, leaving the rest of the day to do whatever he wants.

The title text explains what the schedule is about, possibly alluding that Cueball's goal in life is to be successful at messing around, not actually being successful at what would in common be considered someone would do to become successful. 

It could also suggest someone who has a (shallow ego driven?) goal of "success" itself, but who may not much care about what they are achieving for itself. Thus, achieving it is would not be an intrinsic reward to them — to borrow an concept from {{w|Eliezer Yudkowsky}}, they are clearly ambitious, but they don't truly have an ambition. These people are probably not be the type of people Randall enjoys spending time with, since the reward for him is primarily the interesting world around him, as he has occasionally pointed out. At the same time, it could also be expressing a general skepticism of people in fields like internet marketing or inspirational coaching (who are usually also selling a product) and therefore are potentially just out to make a buck on you, especially the ones who have a free blog with a paid product, since it is often significantly more expensive than, say, buying a book on time management at the bookstore.

Since this comic came out (and before) there have been many comics about wasted time and general {{w|time management}}, see the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Time_management Time management category].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a desk with a computer. There's a schedule on the wall next to it. Cueball is typing.]
:The key to leading a productive life is time management.
:''type type''

:Choose goals, build a schedule, and have the WILLPOWER to follow it--
:or be LEFT BEHIND by those of us who DO.
:''type type type''

:[We see the schedule in closeup.]
:SCHEDULE
:7:00am Wake up
:7:15am-8:00am Post on productivity blogs about my schedule
:8:00am-whenever Fuck around

{{comic discussion}} 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Time management]]