Richard Branson's Ingenious Way to Create Time: How to Pursue Your Dreams and Achieve More, No Time Management Tools Needed

I was talking with Richard Branson about his new class on MasterClass and asked him how he decides where to spend his time. (Obviously, he's a very busy man; the Virgin Group serves as an umbrella for more than 40 travel, hospitality, financial services, media and space companies.)

I also asked for advice for budding entrepreneurs who have a business idea, but can't find the time to start it.

I assumed Branson would discuss things like schedule optimization. Prioritization. Organization. The usual suspects.

No:

Time is interesting. I spend three or four hours a day finding fun things to do to stay really fit. Tennis. Cycling, Kite surfing. The gym. People will say, "How can you find so much time for your body?"

If you find time for your body and feel really good...it's fun: your day just gets three or four hours longer, and you're so much more productive.

Admittedly, there is a chicken-and-egg aspect involved. If you're extremely busy, it may seem impossible to set aside even an hour to get in shape. It's hard to extend your day feeling good if you don't have time to do things to help you feel good.

But that's where the second part of Richard's answer comes in.

Some people are very enterprising, but not necessarily good at running businesses. Or you don't have time to try. Find people to help you put your idea into practice and continue in your profession until you see if your idea is successful.

And if it gains traction, it's fun: your day just gets longer. We tend to pursue exciting, fulfilling things that we succeed in doing... one day you will realize, almost like magic, that you have found more time to work on your startup than you ever imagined possible. .

This is the real secret of time management.

Most time management tips involve some degree of willpower. Stick to a schedule. Checking to-do lists. Do what you need to do next, and then, and then - not what you want to do.

But the will is limited.

That's why Branson finds fun ways to stay fit. For him, deciding to spend an hour on a treadmill is a difficult choice; deciding to spend an hour playing tennis with friends is effortless. In my case, deciding to train for an hour on an exercise bike is quite a difficult choice; deciding to ride outdoors is almost effortless.

We both gain energy and productive time by feeling better, without having to force ourselves to exercise. Finding the time is easy, because it is fulfilling. Beneficial.

And fun.

Now extend that premise to starting a business. Running your own business means making hundreds of decisions, and unfortunately we all have a finite amount of mental energy. Yes, exercise can improve memory and cognitive abilities. Exercise can reduce fatigue symptoms by up to 65%. Exercise can help you manage stress better. (That's another reason Branson spends time finding fun ways to stay in shape.)

Even if: ...