On Finding Time…
It is certainly not a surprise, nor a profound statement to say: there is a lot going on in everyone’s lives and in the world, right now. In my personal life, I’ve been trying to pull back from my worldly to-do list and pour into some inner and outer connective work. And lately, I’ve been thinking about time. The idea of “finding time…”
A lot of people seem to perceive that I’m a busy person. But if you ask me, I actually never use that word. Busy. I hate it. People use it as badge of honor – or maybe more like a badge of validation. It’s a tool of the ego (and don’t get me wrong; I have plenty of ego! But it shows itself differently).
So though I don’t use the word “busy,” sometimes I replace that word with “full,” as I think it implies a different sentiment. My days are full l because I choose to make them so. I decide what opportunities, appointments, and even work I’d fill them with. I own my time, my day, and my choice of how I fill it. And this also means I live a full life. Isn’t that what everyone’s chasing, after all?
This philosophizing could be received poorly for some, I realize. I acknowledge: I own my own business. I don’t have kids. I have a partner who does more than 50% of our household chores. I’m lucky, yes. 100%. And I made intentional choices along the way, each day. It’s all because of a quote I read 20 years ago that changed my life:
Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life.
This week, I was talking to a client about it. He recently read 4,000 Weeks, and the lightbulb clicked on. He realized: there’s no finding time. He chooses to make it – or not.
In his words, he immediately got “really intentional,” and adjusted his work schedule to 3-4 days per week:
Monday: full work day, Kundalini yoga with his wife in evening
Tuesday: play golf in the morning, start work midday
Wednesday: spend morning with son, start work midday
Thursday: full day
Friday: weekend begins
This type of schedule implies: when you’re on, you have to really be on. You have to be rested, focused, connected (and I don’t mean to Wifi). And not to be too Ellevated Outcomes-y about it, but it also means that your target client, services, and pricing need to be bulletproof and maxed for impact. Your business must have a clear and simple strategy.
And in a wider way, this is the definition of strategy, no?
The allocation of scarce resources to the highest priorities.
It’s definition for a strategic business, and it’s the definition for a strategic life.
