---
title: Feeling In Control Of Your Time Increases Performance By 91%
date: 2025-11-13T03:47:39.695142
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So I was sitting here, just staring at the ceiling, as you do sometimes, you know? And this ray of sunlight was hitting just right, made me think about how time's slipping away. My phone buzzed, Instagram notifications as usual, and I started thinking about how much time I just... waste. Do I really control my time, or is it controlling me? That kind of spiraled into some reading I did about this study... or was it a meta-analysis? Something from PLOS One, pretty sure, about time control and performance. It said something like, if you feel in control of your time, you perform better. Maybe by around 91%? Kinda crazy, right?
Anyway, this whole time-control thing, it's not exactly new. I read somewhere about this correlation between time autonomy and performance. You know, when you feel like you can decide what to do with your time, versus when your schedule is just this beast that runs your life. But here's the thing that's got me puzzled—it's about perception, not reality. Like, it's not about actually having more control, just thinking you do. How does that even work? I mean, I can delete Instagram for a week and still find myself drowning in randomness. Does that mean I perceive control? Ugh, who knows.
I remember this one time when I tried to structure my day down to the minute. I had this planner and everything. Did I perform better? Eh, maybe. Felt like I was performing some days, other days just slipped away into a haze of YouTube and distractions. So, does that count as increased performance? Maybe it's like that self-determination theory thing. You know, where autonomy supposedly boosts motivation and all that. But then, who am I really kidding here?
There were these workplace studies too, something about autonomy leading to better outcomes. But in real life, like your daily 9-to-5, how much of that is even possible? You can't tell your boss "Nah, I'm gonna chill today." Or can you? Maybe that's the trick, making yourself believe you have control, even if your calendar says otherwise. Like, the delusion as a method of survival.
And then there are days when I totally try to hack this by working out first thing in the morning. Allegedly that sets you up for more control over your day, according to people who claim to have their lives together. Don't know if that's science or just another self-help spiel, but sometimes it feels like it works? But other times, it's just sore muscles and a craving for carbs. Makes you wonder if the control's ever real or if it's just one big mental game we play with ourselves.
So here I am, still not entirely sure if I'm making any sense. Maybe it's all in our heads, or maybe perception somehow bends reality. Or maybe I just need to get off Instagram more often. There's no handbook for this time-control thing, just a bunch of theories and studies I can't even fully remember. Anyway, no grand conclusion here, just trying to wing it through another day.