Can you afford to waste time?
If you can’t, you may have a problem. In order to be creative, to establish a unique position in the market, one needs the freedom for the proven-by-ages, infallible human activity known as “f*ck around and find out.”
If you find yourself so buried under a never ceasing influx of things needing to be done, without the ability to rise above it all and just think or experiment or chat with others, you are working within your business and never on it. This needs to change, if things are to go anywhere good.
Yuval Noah Harari in “21 Lessons for the 21st Century,” speaks of the luxury to waste time as a key element of progress of a society. This concept is obvious in hindsight – if, as a hunter-gatherer in the winter you spend all available time carrying firewood, who has time to sit down and teach themselves how to weave a basket that would make the task more efficient one day? Who can “waste time,” just to figure out they lack the ability to do something?
Thinking the same principle doesn’t apply to a modern day leader is rather foolish, yet frighteningly common. “I’m flat out busy” is a weird badge of honor for many, especially young founders and leaders, when asked “how is it going?”.
Do you know what the opposite looks like? Imagine answering the same question with, “Well, the company is doing great and I barely do anything besides thinking about how to make it even better.” Further, picture yourself saying this while golfing, perhaps and also having ample time for family and friends.
Which of the two leaders’s lifestyle do you aspire for?
As coaches, we are often approached by CEO’s exactly in this predicament. Flat out, close to burnout, with little (or just not enough) to show for it. We use various tools to break this conundrum, with the aim of shifting the ratios between the three types of work:
- In the business
- On the business
- Not work
We aspire to something more favorable, more enjoyable, and ultimately, more productive. My friend and fellow Metronomics coach Peter Oxley even identified this issue as the key value he provides to his clients – to create more time for them.
Where do you start if you find yourself in this place? Besides, or perhaps even before getting an experienced coach, perhaps take a look at Dan Martell’s “Buy Back your Time,” or Dan Sullivan’s and Ben Hardy’s “10x is easier than 2x.” Chances are your coach would put those on top of your reading list anyway (I know I would). Getting your own Time Audit done is also a great place to start.
How much time do you spend working in your business, compared to everything else?
