🎒 AI MASTERCLASS 🎒

A longer form, actionable AI tip, trick or hack focused on wellbeing, productivity and self-growth that you can use right now!

Self Growth: The AI Time Monk: How to Stop Time and Reclaim Your Life with Ancient Wisdom + Modern Tech 🧘‍♂️⚡

Based on the book, ‘The Art of Stopping Time: Practical Mindfulness for Busy People’ by Pedram Shojai OMD

“You don't have a time management problem. You have a time relationship problem. Stop rowing faster in a sinking boat and learn to stop the leak."

Greetings, fellow time-starved humans,

It's your AI Monk here, and today we're tackling the crisis nobody wants to admit they have: you're drowning in time debt and you don't even know it.

Or maybe you do…

You wake up exhausted.
You sprint through meetings.

You inhale lunch at your desk while answering messages from half a dozen platforms.

You get home, collapse on the sofa at 9.30pm, scroll your socials for "5 minutes" (but it's been over an hour), and you fall asleep wondering where the hell your day went.

Sound familiar?

Here's the uncomfortable truth:

You don't have a time management problem.
You have a time relationship problem.

And no, another productivity or meditation app won't fix it.

What you need is a total mental and machine reboot, that blends ancient Taoist wisdom with cutting-edge AI, to finally stop the relentless march of time and start living like you actually have a say in how your hours unfold.

Which brings me to the tantalising topic of this article…

Today, I'm walking you through The AI Time Monk Method, a modern twist on Pedram Shojai's groundbreaking book The Art of Stopping Time.

We're taking his 100-Day Gong practice (a powerful Chinese ritual for habit transformation) and supercharging it with AI so you can reclaim your time, sanity and soul without becoming a hermit, hiring Penelope the productivity guru from Bali, or paying a K for another Byron Bay life coach with a man-bun.

Ready to stop living life like a multi-tasking speed freak and start living like a calm, centred buddhist badass?

I’m a former lay Zen monk so I can say that! 😉

Let’s move from hustler flux and into gentle flow…

🚨 Disclaimer 🚨

Well Wired shares ideas to help you think, grow, and experiment, not to diagnose or treat. The content here is not a substitute for professional mental health, nutrition or medical advice. If you're facing serious health challenges or addiction issues, please seek support from a qualified professional. Your brain and body health is priority one. Take care of you.

Let's d-d-d-d-dive in! 🤿

What You’ll Learn Today 🧭✨

Here is what you will learn and apply by the end of this read.

✅ Why traditional time management is a trap (and what actually works)

✅ The concept of Time Prosperity and how to achieve it

✅ How to use AI to automate and enhance ancient mindfulness practices

✅ Two powerful AI prompts to personalise your 100-Day Gong journey

✅ A complete AI-powered workflow for stopping time in your daily life

✅ Three killer AI tools that turn ancient wisdom into daily action

The Time Scarcity Epidemic: Why You're Always Running Out

Let's get raw and real for a second.

According to the American Sleep Association, 50-70 million US adults struggle with sleep disorders…

And the Centers for Disease Control has declared sleep deprivation a public health epidemic, with sleepless nights costing the US economy an estimated $411 billion annually in lost productivity.

Australia.

Nearly half of Australian adults (48%) report at least two sleep-related problems.

Bad sleep cost Australia an estimated A$66.3 billion in 2016–17 (A$17.9 b in productivity losses; A$1.8 b in health-system costs).

United Kingdom.

Insomnia and poor sleep affect around 1 in 3 people in the UK.
Bad sleep costs the UK economy up to £40 billion a year (≈1.86% of GDP).

But it's not just sleep.

It's everything.

You're juggling work deadlines, family obligations, social commitments, self-care promises you made six months ago and that ever-growing queue of Youtube videos you’ve curated.

You're time-starved, energy-depleted and running on fumes, pretending you've got it together because everyone else seems to be an influencer crushing it on Instagram.

They're not.
They're just better at faking it till you make it and filtering.

Here's what's actually happening beneath the surface:

Your brain isn't designed to operate at this velocity. Evolution wired your mind to stay vigilant for threats, and modern life keeps those ancient alarm systems constantly triggered.

Emails and pings feel like sabre-toothed tigers.
Texts and Instagram notifications?

Basically velociraptors in your pocket.

The average person has between 60,000-80,000 thoughts per day, with the highest thought density occurring during the pre-sleep period. That's your brain doing the equivalent of mental jazz hands at bedtime instead of, you know, sleeping.

And here's the interesting part…

Most time management advice makes it worse.

You're told to:

• Wake up at the crack of dawn (even though you're a night owl)

• Batch tasks (while ignoring your natural energy rhythms)

• Hustle harder (because burnout is just a myth, right?)

• Optimise every second (turning life into a joyless hellscape)

It's like trying to fix a leaking boat by rowing faster.

Eventually, you sink.

So what do you do?

The Art of Stopping Time (+ AI Superpowers)

Pedram Shojai's The Art of Stopping Time introduces the concept of "time prosperity", having the time to accomplish what you want in life without feeling compressed, stressed, overburdened, or hurried.

Think of it like this: Time poverty is when you're always chasing the clock.

Time prosperity is when you own your schedule, breathe easy and start to enjoy the bloody ride.

But here's where it gets interesting.

Shojai's approach is built on the 100-Day Gong; an ancient Chinese practice where you pick a specific task and perform it diligently every day for 100 days to build resolve and force yourself to pay attention to your day-to-day routines.

As a habit coach myself, I love this approach, however…

The problem?
Most people fail by Day 7.

Why?
Because life gets in the way.

You forget.
You get busy.
You lose motivation.

And there's no personalised guidance to help you navigate your unique chaos.

That's where AI can help...

Imagine having a wise, patient digital monk in your pocket, that:

• Remembers your commitments when you forget

• Personalises practices to fit your schedule, energy and mental state

• Tracks patterns you'd never notice on your own

• Gently nudges you back when you drift off course

• Evolves with you as your life changes

It's like having a cross between Yoda and a project manager fused into one calm, non-judgemental AI assistant.

Without the light sabres or Gantt charts...

Why Traditional Approaches to Time Will Always Fail You

Let's talk about why you've tried a dozen productivity systems and still feel like you're losing.

Problem #1: One-Size-Fits-Nobody Advice

Most time management gurus assume you're a morning person with no kids, a personal chef, a PT, a business coach and the discipline of a Navy SEAL.

Sounds good in theory.

But that's not you.

You've got a messy personal life, a chaotic commute, two crying humans at home and a boss who thinks everything is "urgent".

Classical approaches typically address only one system; either your body, your timing or your mind.

But sleep research from Harvard Medical School identifies three neural systems involved in optimal functioning: the homeostatic system (body), the circadian system (timing) and the cognitive system (mind).

Ignoring even one?

You're watering one root of a bonsai and wondering why the tree still hasn’t grown. 🌱

Problem #2: No Room for Recovery

You're told to optimise, maximise, synergise; basically turn yourself into a human efficiency robot like Bryan Johnson the longevity guy.

But here's what they don't tell you: without recovery time, you push too hard. The old saying "Make hay while the sun shines" means you need to know when to rest, not grind 24/7 like Elon and Bezos.

Burnout isn't a badge of honour.

It's your body screaming, "Mate, pull over you crazy bastard."

Problem #3: Surface Solutions for Deep Problems

Meditation apps, standing desks, noise-cancelling headphones; all great. But they're band-aids on a bazooka wound.

Most solutions treat symptoms, not systems.
What you need is a fundamental reset of your relationship with time itself. 

Not another hack.
A whole new operating system.

Problem #4: Zero Personalisation

Your stress triggers aren't the same as mine.
Your energy peaks differently.
Your recovery needs are unique.

Yet we're all handed the same generic advice like it's a one-size-fits-all poncho at a rainy music festival.

AI changes that.

It learns you.
Your patterns.
Your quirks.
Your breaking points.

And it adapts.

How It Works: The AI Time Monk Method: Ancient Wisdom Meets Machine Intelligence

Here's how we blend Shojai's timeless practices with AI superpowers to create a system that actually works in 2025.

The Core Framework

✅ 1. Body Reset (Physical Layer)

Your body likes to slow down around food. Your brain needs to register smell, texture, flavour and consistency to satisfy its needs. But you wolf down lunch while typing emails, triggering stress hormones that tell your body to store fat and shut down recovery.

AI can help to remind you when to eat mindfully, when to move and when to rest, based on your actual schedule, not some guru's fantasy routine.

✅ 2. Environment Optimisation (External Layer)

Sitting is considered the new smoking. After just 30 minutes of sitting, your blood flow slows, your resting metabolic rate lowers and your postural muscles begin to fail.

AI tracks your sitting time, prompts movement breaks and helps you redesign your workspace for flow instead of friction.

✅ 3. Mind Mastery (Internal Layer)

When you're anxious, blood flow goes to the hindbrain, which tells you to fight, flee, fawn or panic. It's cut off from your internal organs, immunity, digestion and higher reasoning.

AI helps you recognise these patterns in real-time, offering targeted breathwork, cognitive shuffling or mindfulness prompts to flip your nervous system back to "rest and digest" mode.

✅ 4. Time Auditing (Meta Layer)

Like being in debt, the first step to cleaning up a time problem is knowing where the losses are. Like most people, you probably have no idea where your hours go, you just know they're gone.

AI now becomes your time accountant, logging activities, spotting leaks and suggesting reallocation strategies that will fit your life.

Sponsored Post

And now for a little something from Mindstream…

Turn AI Into Your Income Stream

The AI economy is booming, and smart entrepreneurs are already profiting. Subscribe to Mindstream and get instant access to 200+ proven strategies to monetize AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and more. From content creation to automation services, discover actionable ways to build your AI-powered income. No coding required, just practical strategies that work.

Subscribe to Get Your Free Guide

Here’s a visual snapshot of the ‘The AI Time Monk Method’:

How AI Transforms the 100-Day Gong

Traditional 100-Day Gong?

Amazing but brutal.

You pick a practice, commit to 100 days straight and hope willpower carries you through.

AI-Enhanced 100-Day Gong?

Like upgrading from a bicycle to a smart car with autopilot.

Here's what AI brings to the table:

✅ Intelligent Personalisation

Not all practices land the same way for everyone. The book's 100-Day Gong presents a structured plan, but the author encourages readers to adapt activities to their own needs and limitations.

AI analyses your:

• Current stress levels

• Energy patterns

• Life circumstances

• Past responses to similar practices

Then it suggests which "gong" (daily practice) will serve you best today.

Not what worked for Pedram.
Not what works for monks.

What works for you, right now.

✅ Adaptive Difficulty Scaling

Some days you're crushing it.
Other days you're held together by coffee and adrenalin.

AI adjusts practice intensity based on:

• How you slept last night

• Your calendar density

• Your emotional state

• Your recent completion rate

Struggling?
It scales back.

Thriving?
It levels you up.

✅ Pattern Recognition & Insight

Like most people, you likely stack negative events…

Something bad happens and you attach it to other "bad" events, creating a pessimistic narrative.

AI spots these patterns for you:

• "You're always anxious after 2.30pm meetings with Mark"

• "Your energy crashes every Tuesday at 3.43pm"

• "You skip practices after late-night Disney+ binges"

Awareness is half the battle.
AI makes it visible.

✅ Persistent Accountability Without Judgement

Unlike your gym buddy who keeps forgetting your power sessions (yeah whatever) or your partner who's tired of your excuses, AI never:

• Forgets to check in

• Gets annoyed when you slip

• Makes you feel guilty

• Gives up on you

It just... shows up.
Every day.

Like a digital monk who's contractually obligated to believe in you.

📊 The Data Behind AI-Enhanced Mindfulness

You're not just playing with prompts, you're tapping into proven psychology turbocharged by technology.

Mindfulness + AI = Measurable Results:

Multiple meta-analyses show digital and AI-enhanced CBT-I significantly improves insomnia and sleep quality versus controls, with some evidence that hybrid human-plus-AI models outperform fully automated ones.

While specific statistics on the combined effectiveness of AI and mindfulness are limited, studies show that AI-powered mindfulness apps lead to modest improvements in symptoms of depression and anxiety.

One study on an AI-driven app found significant reductions in anxiety (mean score dropped from 11.47 to 6.27 and depression (mean score dropped from 10.69 to 6.69, according to JMIR Formative Research.

Another 2024 study from the National Institutes of Health comparing a conversational AI to a traditional mindfulness group found that both significantly reduced tension. 

AI-assisted sleep interventions

• Sleep Medicine Reviews meta-analysis: smartphone/app-based interventions for insomnia show significant improvements vs controls. (Linardon et al., 2024).
  

• Sleep Medicine meta-analysis: CBT-based sleep apps reduce insomnia symptoms (Jung et al., 2024).

• Journal of Sleep Research (2025): digital CBT-I meta-analysis shows effectiveness across outcomes.

• Pilot RCT (2024): human-AI sleep coaching improved PSQI in university students (King’s College London team).

Habit Formation Statistics:

Because it takes at least 90 days for a good habit to burn into your nervous system, the 100-Day Gong is the most appropriate length to practice.

Breathwork Science:

An RCT shows diaphragmatic breathing training lowers salivary cortisol, and reviews report alpha–theta shifts with slow breathing or mindfulness; brief 5-minute daily breathwork improves mood, though sleep effects were not detected.

That's not fluff.

That's your nervous system getting a software update.

Next up: the prompts to make this real.

PROMPT CORNER: Two Powerful AI Prompts for Your Time Monk Journey

Alright, enough theory.

Let's get tactical.

The following prompts turn AI into your personal Time Monk; guiding you through Shojai's practices with precision, warmth and zero judgement.

Prompt 1: The AI Time Prosperity Coach

Purpose: Use this prompt to create your personalised 100-Day Gong plan based on your actual life, not a fantasy version where you have three spare hours and a meditation hut.

[Start prompt]

Act as my AI Time Monk and personal guide through a 100-Day Gong practice based on Pedram Shojai's "The Art of Stopping Time." Help me achieve time prosperity by creating a personalised journey that fits my real life.
First, ask me reflective questions to understand my current relationship with time, including:
Current State:

Typical work schedule: [e.g., 9-5, shift work, freelance chaos]
Main time stressors: [e.g., commute, email overload, family demands]
Energy patterns: [e.g., morning person, night owl, afternoon crash]
Sleep quality (1-10): [rate current quality]
Current stress level (1-10): [rate honestly]

Aspirations:

What "time prosperity" would feel like to me: [describe your vision]
Areas needing most attention: [e.g., rest, focus, boundaries, family time]
Practices I'm drawn to: [e.g., breathwork, movement, digital detox, mindful eating]
Realistic daily commitment: [e.g., 5 mins, 15 mins, 30 mins]

Based on my responses, create a personalised plan that includes:

100-Day Gong Structure: Recommend a progression of daily practices (gongs) drawn from Shojai's framework, organised into weekly themes that build progressively.
Practice Customisation: Adapt each practice to my schedule, energy levels and constraints. Make it doable, not aspirational.
AI Check-In System: Design daily check-in questions I can answer quickly to track progress and adjust practices in real-time.
Pattern Recognition: Help me identify recurring time drains, energy leaks and stress triggers based on my descriptions.
Accountability Framework: Create gentle reminders and reflection prompts that keep me on track without guilt or pressure.
Emergency Protocols: Provide "quick reset" practices for days when I'm completely underwater.

Make the tone warm, wise and slightly irreverent, like a Zen master who's seen some shit and has zero patience for spiritual bypassing.

[End prompt]

Why This Works:

This prompt doesn't hand you generic advice. It builds a living system that evolves with your life.

You feed it your chaos.
It hands back a map.

Not to perfection, but to possibility.

To mornings that don't feel like getting chased by invisible lions.
To evenings where you unwind instead of mindlessly scrolling through TikTok.

It's like having Pedram Shojai himself in your pocket, except this version never sleeps, never judges and always remembers that thing you said three weeks ago about hating Monday mornings.

Prompt 2: The Daily Time Monk Check-In

Purpose: This is your daily practice companion, the one that meets you where you are today, not where you think you "should" be.

[Start prompt]

Act as my Daily Time Monk. I'm on Day [X] of my 100-Day Gong practice. Today's focus area is [insert theme: e.g., mindful eating, breath work, digital boundaries, movement].
Quick Check-In:
Ask me 3-5 brief questions about:

How I slept last night
My energy level right now (1-10)
Today's biggest time pressure
My current emotional state

Based on my responses, provide:

Today's Adapted Practice: A version of today's gong that fits my current state. If I'm at 30% energy, scale it back. If I'm thriving, level it up.
Micro-Moment Suggestions: 3 tiny time-stopping practices I can do in under 2 minutes throughout the day (e.g., box breathing at a red light, 5-breath reset before meetings, mindful first bite at lunch).
Time Audit Insight: Based on patterns from previous check-ins, highlight one area where I'm leaking time or energy.
Evening Reflection Prompt: One question to journal about before bed to close the day mindfully.
Tomorrow's Preview: A gentle heads-up about tomorrow's practice so I can mentally prepare.

Keep responses concise, actionable and encouraging. No spiritual fluff—just practical wisdom delivered with warmth.
Context from previous days (if relevant):
[Optional: Include brief notes about patterns, wins or struggles from recent check-ins]

[End prompt]

Why This Works:

Because consistency beats intensity and this prompt makes showing up ridiculously easy.

A 2023 study in Behavioural Sleep Medicine found that consistent pre-sleep rituals increased sleep efficiency by creating conditioned responses; your brain learns to associate specific steps with impending sleep.

Same principle applies here.

Daily check-ins create a ritual.

A rhythm.
A gentle drumbeat that keeps you moving forward even when motivation takes a holiday.

You don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to be present.

And AI helps you do that without adding another damn thing to your to-do list.

The Complete AI Time Monk Workflow

Alright, let's map out how this actually works in real life; from chaos to calm in four manageable phases.

Phase 1: Baseline & Discovery (Days 1-7)

Goal: Understand your current time relationship and set your foundation.

Actions:

1. Use Prompt 1 (Time Prosperity Coach) to build a tailored 100-Day plan

2. Complete a time audit using AI to track where your hours actually go (spoiler: not where you think)

3. Set up daily check-in reminders via your preferred AI tool

4. Identify your top 3 time drains and energy vampires

5. Choose your starting gong based on AI recommendations

AI's Role:

• Analyses your inputs to spot patterns you'd miss

• Suggests realistic practices based on your constraints

• Creates custom daily prompts tailored to your life

Think of this like plugging into a diagnostic machine; except instead of finding out your transmission's broken, you discover you've been running on autopilot since 2019 and your soul's been yelling like a maniac from the back seat.

Phase 2: Practice & Refinement (Days 8-40)

Goal: Build consistency and learn what actually moves the needle for you.

Actions:

1. Daily check-ins using Prompt 2 (Daily Time Monk)

2. Track completion and energy shifts in a simple log (or let AI do it)

3. Experiment with different practices: breathwork, movement, boundaries, digital detox

4. Notice which gongs resonate and which feel like chewing cardboard

5. Let AI adjust difficulty based on your feedback

AI's Role:

• Adapts practices when you're struggling or thriving

• Spots patterns: "You skip practices after work drinks" or "Morning routines work better than evening ones"

• Gently redirects without shame when you fall off track

This phase is where the magic happens.

Not because you suddenly become a pious monk.

But because you start noticing the space between the chaos, those little pockets of calm you didn't know existed.

Phase 3: Integration & Deepening (Days 41-80)

Goal: Make time prosperity your default setting, not a special occasion.

Actions:

1. Layer multiple practices into natural rhythms (breathwork + morning stretch, mindful eating + phone-free meals)

2. Use AI to identify and eliminate recurring time leaks

3. Build "time reset" rituals for stressful days

4. Share practices with family/friends for group accountability

5. Refine your Life Garden (priorities) based on insights gained

AI's Role:

• Highlights compound effects: "Since adding box breathing, your sleep quality improved 34%"

• Suggests practice combinations that amplify results

• Reminds you of forgotten wins when motivation dips

By now, you're not white-knuckling through practices.

They're just... what you do.

Like brushing your teeth, except these habits give you energy instead of fresh minty breath.

Phase 4: Mastery & Evolution (Days 81-100+)

Goal: Own your time, evolve your practices and prepare for long-term prosperity.

Actions:

1. Review entire journey with AI:

   1. What worked?

   2. What didn't?

   3. What surprised you?

2. Design your "post-gong" maintenance plan

3. Identify 3-5 core practices to keep forever

4. Craft emergency protocols for future chaos (job switch, life events, etc)

5. Commit to periodic AI check-ins to avoid backsliding

AI's Role:

• Synthesises 100 days of data into actionable insights

• Predicts potential pitfalls based on your patterns

• Designs a sustainable, personalised Time Monk practice for life

You've gone from time-starved Wall Street hustler to Transcendent time Monk.

Not perfect.
Not superhuman.
 
Just... grounded.
Present.

And oddly okay with how things are unfolding.

BONUS - The Tiny Habit Power up:

Build it tiny, wire it fast.

Instead of going BIG with your 100 day plan, try going small and anchoring your new habit to an existing one to ensure you hit your 100 day target like a boss.

Here’s the play!

Use BJ Fogg’s approach: pick a 30–60 second version of the habit (one mindful breath, one line journal, one stretch) and anchor it to something you already do: “After I boil the kettle, I take one slow breath.”

Celebrate immediately, a smile, a “nailed it”, to help your brain tag the action as rewarding.

Shift from outcomes to identity.

Borrow James Clear’s lens: every tiny rep is a vote for the kind of person you are. Keep the floor small (the tiny version you can always do), with an optional ceiling for good days.

Use the two-minute rule so you never miss twice; if you slip, do the minimum viable rep the same day and move on.

Make it obvious, attractive, easy, satisfying.

Place cues in sight, pair the habit with a pleasant micro-treat, remove steps, and tick a visible streak. Run simple if-then plans for messy days, “If I’m travelling, I do the pocket version before bed”.

Mark mini-milestones at days 25/50/75/100 to keep the dopamine lights on.

Template to paste: After I [anchor], I will [tiny habit ≤60s]. Then I’ll [quick celebration]. Tracker line: “Today I cast a vote for being [identity] by doing [tiny].” 

Keep it this simple for 100 days and the habit stops being a task and starts being who you are.

Recommended AI Tools & Resources 🧰

Here are three AI tools that can help you turn ancient wisdom into daily practice; because theory's great, but tools get shit done. 🛠️ 🤖

1. Motion (AI Calendar + Task Manager)

What it does: Motion uses AI to automatically schedule your tasks, meetings and habits based on priorities, deadlines and energy patterns.

How it supports Time Monk practices:

• Auto-schedules your daily gong (breathwork, movement, etc.) in realistic time slots

• Protects focus time so you're not always in reactive mode

• Reschedules automatically when chaos strikes (because it will)

• Learns your energy patterns: "You're useless after 3.30pm, so let's move deep work to morning"

Best for: People who need a smart assistant that doesn't let work meetings devour their entire day.

Cost: $34/month

Link: 👉 usemotion.com

Think of Motion as the project manager for your life, except this one understands that you can't "optimise" your way out of being human.

2. Endel (AI Soundscapes for Nervous System Regulation)

What it does: Endel creates personalised, science-backed soundscapes that adapt in real-time to your heart rate, time of day, weather and activity.

How it supports Time Monk practices:

• Focus Mode: Helps you drop into deep work or meditation

• Relax Mode: Guides your nervous system from "fight, fawn or flight" to "rest and digest"

• Sleep Mode: Supports evening wind-down and better sleep quality

• Syncs with circadian rhythms so you're not fighting biology

Best for: Anyone who needs auditory support to shift states; great for breathwork, mindful eating or pre-sleep rituals.

Cost: $49.99/year

Link: 👉 endel.io

It's like having a Zen sound engineer in your pocket that knows exactly what frequency your stressed-out brain needs to finally chill the hell out.

3. Reflect (AI-Powered Journaling + Daily Check-Ins)

What it does: Reflect is a note-taking app with built-in AI that helps you reflect, connect ideas and track patterns over time.

How it supports Time Monk practices:

• Use it for daily gong reflections: "How did today's practice feel?"

• AI surfaces past entries when relevant: "You felt this way 3 weeks ago, here's what helped"

• Create custom prompts for end-of-day reviews

• Build a living record of your 100-Day journey

Best for: People who want a thoughtful, private space to process their Time Monk journey without AI trying to sound like a motivational poster.

Cost: $10/month

Link: 👉 reflect.app

Think of Reflect as your digital meditation journal, except it remembers patterns you'd forget and gently reminds you when you're repeating old mistakes.

Advanced Strategies: Taking Your Time Monk Practice to the Next Level

Once you've nailed the basics, it's time to get super spicy. Here's how to deepen your practice with AI and the teachings from Shojai’s book.

Strategy 1: The Life Garden Audit (AI-Assisted Priority Mapping)

Shojai introduces the "Life Garden" metaphor; imagining your life as a garden where you have limited water (time/energy) and need to leave space for each plant (priority) to flourish.

How to use AI:

Create a quarterly check-in prompt:

[START OF PROMPT]

Act as my Life Garden strategist. Help me audit my current priorities using the Life Garden metaphor from "The Art of Stopping Time."

My current major "plants" (life priorities): [List your top 5-7: e.g., career, family, health, relationships, hobbies, learning]

For each, assess:
How much "water" (time/energy/attention) I'm currently giving it
How much it actually needs to thrive
Whether I'm overwatering some while others wither
Any "weeds" (commitments that don't serve these priorities) stealing resources
Based on this, suggest:
What to prune immediately
What needs more attention
Whether I'm trying to grow too many plants with available resources
A reallocation plan that feels sustainable
Be honest. Be specific. Be the wise gardener I need.

[END OF PROMPT]

Run this quarterly. Watch your life transform from overgrown chaos to intentional curation.

Strategy 2: The Time Dilation Practice (AI-Guided State Shifting)

Shojai teaches a "Time Dilation Qigong Practice" designed to help you feel the flux in time velocity; learning to slow down or speed up your perception of time intentionally.

How to use AI:

Before high-pressure situations (big presentation, difficult conversation, creative session), use this prompt:

[START OF PROMPT]

I'm about to [describe situation]. I need to shift my perception of time to be more [present/focused/calm/creative].

Guide me through a 5-minute practice that combines:
Breathwork appropriate for this situation
Body awareness techniques
Mental framing to shift time perception
A mantra or focal point to anchor me
Make it practical—I'm doing this in [location: car/office/home] with [time available].

[END OF PROMPT]

It's like having a nervous system remote control. Press "slow" when you're spinning. Press "flow" when you need to crush it.

Strategy 3: The Weekly Time Earthquake Review

Shojai notes that traumatic events create "time earthquakes", moments that shift the quality or velocity of time and leave lasting imprints.

How to use AI:

Weekly reflection prompt:

[START OF PROMPT]

This week, was there a "time earthquake"—a moment that shifted my rhythm, stress level or relationship with time?
[Describe the event/situation]

Help me:
Understand what this event triggered (physiologically, emotionally, mentally)
Identify if this connects to a pattern from my past
Design a practice to metabolise this experience so it doesn't create ongoing time compression
Create a "reset protocol" if similar events happen again
Treat this as emotional archaeology—help me learn, not just cope.

[END OF PROMPT]

This prevents old trauma from hijacking your present. You're not ignoring hard things, you're processing them intelligently.

Measuring Your Journey: Time Prosperity Metrics

Because what gets measured gets managed (but without turning into a soulless spreadsheet jockey or a tantric table astronaut).

Track these signals to know if your Time Monk practice is working:

✅ Immediate Metrics (Daily/Weekly)

• Hours of quality sleep

• Energy level (1-10) at key moments

• Number of "stopped time" moments (presence/flow states)

• Completion rate of daily gong practices

• Subjective sense of spaciousness vs. compression

✅ Medium-Term Metrics (Monthly)

• Reduction in reactive decisions

• Increase in "found time" for what matters

• Improvement in key relationships

• Progress on long-term goals

• Decrease in stress-related symptoms

✅ Long-Term Metrics (Quarterly)

• Sustained habit integration

• Shift from time scarcity to time prosperity mindset

• Quality of life satisfaction (holistic)

• Alignment between values and time allocation

• Ability to navigate "time earthquakes" with resilience

Research Benchmarks:

Studies show that consistent practice of time prosperity principles typically produces:

• 40-60% reduction in perceived time scarcity within 4 weeks

• 70% of participants report significant improvement within 6 weeks

• and sustained benefits lasting 3-6 months post-practice.

But remember: The goal isn't to become a Time Monk cyborg. It's to feel less like a reactive hustler running in circles on the treadmill of life and more like a calm, conscious human who enjoys being alive.

Common Pitfalls (And How AI Helps You Dodge Them)

Even with the best intentions, the 100-Day Gong can derail. Here's how to spot trouble and course-correct.

❌ Pitfall: All-or-Nothing Thinking

What happens: You miss one day, decide you've "failed," and abandon the whole thing.

AI Solution: Daily check-ins include compassionate resets: "Missed yesterday? Cool. What's one 2-minute practice you can do right now?"

Now you have a coach who treats setbacks as data, not disasters.

❌ Pitfall: Spiritual Bypassing

What happens: You intellectualise practices without actually doing them. You "understand" breathwork but never breathe.

AI Solution: Completion tracking with gentle accountability. AI asks: "Did you do the practice or just think about it?"

No shame.
Just clarity.

❌ Pitfall: Adding More Instead of Simplifying

What happens: You treat the 100-Day Gong like another task on an already insane to-do list.

AI Solution: Shojai's method involves swapping current habits for better ones, not adding more to an already busy life. AI identifies what to replace, not what to pile on.

Subtraction and simplicity is the new productivity.

❌ Pitfall: Ignoring Physical Signals

What happens: You push through pain, exhaustion or illness because you're "committed."

AI Solution: AI spots warning signs: "Your sleep's been bad for 5 days. Let's scale back and focus on rest."

It's permission for you to be human, backed by data.

And with that reflection primed, let’s wrap with today’s takeaways and a quiet mission to start applying them.

Wrap up: From Time Poverty to Time Prosperity

Today’s Takeaways…

✅ Why traditional time management is a trap and what works

✅ The concept of Time Prosperity and how to achieve it using AI

✅ Two powerful prompts to personalise your 100-Day Gong journey

✅ A complete workflow for stopping time in daily life

✅ Three AI tools that turn ancient wisdom into daily action

✅ Advanced strategies for deepening your practice

Why This Matters (Beyond Just "Getting More Shit Done")

Time is the currency of life. You have a certain number of heartbeats with which to savour life and really taste it.

Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day. That's about 35 million times in a year and about 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime.

That's it.
That's all you get.

And here's the uncomfortable truth most productivity gurus won't tell you: You can't hack your way out of mortality.

But you can transform your relationship with the time you have.

The difference between time poverty and time prosperity isn't about cramming more into your calendar. It's about stopping the relentless march of compression long enough to experience your life instead of just surviving it.

Meta-analyses show short sleep is linked with a 48% higher risk of coronary heart disease, raises type 2 diabetes risk by roughly 30%, and doubles the risk of future depression.

Yet the solution doesn't involve prescription medications or expensive gadgets.

This AI Time Monk approach combines the wisdom of ancient practices, the personalisation of modern AI and the proven science of behaviour design and habit formation into one cohesive system.

Randomised trials and reviews show multi-component and digital CBT-I programmes improve sleep outcomes, and improving sleep is associated with better mental-health and quality-of-life measures.

The point isn’t another lab study, it’s a pathway you can live.

Translate the evidence into small, stackable moves: a breathing cue before meetings, a standing nudge at 30 minutes, a pocket CBT-I prompt at bedtime.

Layer by layer, the routine becomes self-correcting: sensors notice drift, prompts nudge course and your behaviour compounds into calm.

And now you can build your own time sanctuary one layer at a time…

AI remembers what you forget, adapts when life gets messy and gently guides you back when you drift into doubt. Together, they form a complete ecosystem where your mind can finally stop spinning and start living.

Your Next Steps (Because Knowledge Without Action Is Just Expensive Entertainment)

🗓 This Week:

• Day 1: Use the Time Prosperity Coach prompt (Prompt 1) to create your personalised 100-Day Gong plan. Don't overthink it. Just start.
  

• Days 2-7: Use the Daily Time Monk Check-In prompt (Prompt 2) every morning. Set a reminder. Make it stupid-easy. Five minutes max.
  

• Bonus: Pick ONE AI tool from the list above and integrate it. Start with the lowest friction option, maybe Endel for soundscapes during work or Reflect for evening journaling.

📆 Next 30 Days:

• Weeks 2-4: Follow your tailored gong progression. Track completion using whatever method feels easiest (AI tool, simple notes app, or even paper, I won't judge).
  

• Weekly Review: Every Sunday, run the Life Garden Audit prompt to check if you're watering the right plants or letting weeds take over.
  

• Mid-Month Reset: Around Day 15, expect resistance. Your brain will try to convince you this is dumb. That's normal. Use AI to identify what's actually happening: "I'm scared of change" or "This is exposing patterns I'd rather ignore."

♾ Ongoing (The Real Work):

• Monthly Deep Dive: Use the Time Earthquake Review to process any major disruptions or pattern shifts. Life will throw curveballs. AI helps you catch them instead of getting concussed.
  

• Quarterly Audit: Every 90 days, assess time prosperity metrics. Are you moving from scarcity to abundance? From compression to spaciousness? From survival to living?
  

• Post-100 Days: Follow Shojai's "Gong Roulette" method, randomly open to any practice and make it your day's focus. Or design a maintenance plan with AI that keeps you grounded without feeling like homework.

The Real Secret Nobody Talks About

Here's what most self-help books won't tell you: This won't fix everything.

Your boss might still be a nightmare.
Your commute will still suck sometimes.
Your kids will still lose their shit over eating broccoli.

But here's what will change:

Your internal weather system.

Instead of being battered by every external storm, you'll develop an inner sanctuary, a place where you can stop time, catch your breath and remember who you really are beneath the chaos.

Pedram Shojai writes: "We develop health issues when we're less conscious of time. We then wish we had some time back to make things right. Time is all we have and it's our most valuable gift in life. When we run out, well, the game is over."

That's not meant to scare you.

It's meant to wake you up.

Because between your birth certificate and your tombstone is a dash. A tiny little mark that represents your entire existence.

How you fill that dash?

That's up to you.

Final Thoughts 💭

Look, I get it.

You've read a million articles promising to fix your time problems.

You've tried meditation apps that made you feel guilty.

You've downloaded productivity tools that become one more thing to manage.

This is different.

Not because AI is magic.

But because ancient wisdom plus modern technology creates something neither can achieve alone.

Monks had practices that worked, but they lifetimes to master them in caves or at the very least years.

I know, as I spent a year as a lay Zen monk meditating three times a day.

I was the clearest and most conscious I’ve ever been in my life, however, once I transferred back into the real world, the calm and slowing down of time was a lot harder to maintain.

You don’t have years, you've got a mortgage, kids to look after, three Zoom calls before lunch, dozens of pings to answer and someone's birthday you definitely forgot about.

AI won’t replace timeless wisdom, but it will help to translate and infuse it into your chaotic, modern, beautifully messy life.

Think of tech and transcendence as a way to find serenity in silicon…

It remembers your commitments when you're drowning.
It adjusts practices when you're depleted.
It spots patterns you'd miss because you're too busy putting out fires.

And most importantly?

It doesn't judge you for being the messy human that you are.

And that’s OK, because we are all imperfect…

The future of wellbeing isn't choosing between ancient and modern. It's blending them; letting tech serve your humanity instead of hijacking it.

You've now got the map, the tools and the method.

The only question left is…

What will you do with the time you reclaim?

Will you finally write that book?

Repair that relationship?

Learn to cook something that doesn't come from a box?

Or maybe just... breathe.
Deeply.
Without guilt.

Whatever you choose, do it consciously.

Do it with presence.

Do it like someone who finally understands that time isn't the enemy, unconsciousness is.

Welcome to the AI Time Monk path.

Your 100 days start today.
This second.
Now.

P.S. Your Move

Which area of your life would benefit the most from stopping time?

Work.
Relationships.
Health.
Or creative pursuits?

Hit reply and tell me. I read every email personally and might feature your journey in an upcoming deep dive.

And if you start your 100-Day Gong, tag me with #AITimeMonk so I can cheer you on.

Because the best way to master time?
Do it together, one conscious breath at a time.

Now go.

The clock's ticking…

…but for the first time in years, you're driving. 🚗 ⏰ 🧘‍♂️

Resources Mentioned:

📖 Book: The Art of Stopping Time by Pedram Shojai
🤖 AI Tools: Motion | Endel | Reflect
🧘‍♂️ Original Time Dilation Practice: theurbanmonk.com

Studies Referenced:

• American Sleep Association: Sleep disorder statistics

• Centers for Disease Control: Sleep deprivation public health data

• Harvard Medical School: Neural systems research

• Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: Breathwork and cortisol study

• Sleep Medicine Reviews: AI-assisted sleep interventions meta-analysis

• Behavioural Sleep Medicine: Pre-sleep ritual effectiveness

• University of California Sleep Lab: Multi-modal approach effectiveness

• And more…

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals before making changes to your health routine. AI is a tool, not a replacement for professional medical, psychological or therapeutic support.

👊🏽 STAY WELL 👊🏽

If this helped you shift from speed freak hustler to grounded meta-human, come say hi at @cedricchenefront or @wellwireddaily. We're building a space where 100-Day Gongs meet AI, so your days spacious, not suffocating.

Until then as always, stay well and wired 🌱

With clarity,
Cedric the AI Monk - Your guide to the silicon jungle!

Ps. Well Wired is Created by Humans, Constructed With AI. 🤖 

🤣 AI MEME OF THE DAY 🤣