You Are On Top of Things

I adopted a new mantra a couple of months ago: “I am on top of things.” 

I shared this with a good friend recently and we decided she needed a mantra too. Hers is: “I have plenty of time.” 

The thing is: the relationship between time and progress isn’t linear. Getting more time is no guarantee you’ll get anything more done.  

Have you ever achieved more in an hour than you managed the rest of the week? I regularly get “travel clarity” and achieve more on a flight from Wellington to Sydney than the rest of the week. 

What’s that about? 

Time, sure. But more than that: space. Spending more time doing the same stuff will not yield new results on its own. It can be like pouring water into a sieve.  

Richard A. Swenson talks about the concept of ‘margin’ – emotional, physical, financial and time reserves for overloaded lives. Margin, or space, isn’t a luxury. Yet, in a recent survey, 96% of leaders reported that they lack time for strategic thinking. My strategy and coaching clients tell me “BAU already demands 110%” and “we’re stuck in the weeds”. 

Strategic thinking and action doesn’t happen by accident. Creating mental leeway is critical if you want to think clearly, make non-obvious connections and pinpoint opportunities for change.    

And the more senior your position, the more margin you need. It is literally what you’re paid to do! 

When Michael Porter followed 27 CEOs of billion-dollar companies for 13 weeks, he found that the average CEO spends 43% of their time on activities that furthered their business. They also spend about 25 minutes of every morning, strategising and planning – leaving emails, calls and other stuff until at least lunchtime.  

The most successful CEOs report diligence about time away from work too – spending an average of 45 minutes a day on exercise, sleeping an average of seven hours a night, spending three hours a day with their families and two hours on personal pastimes.  

My opinion: if CEOs of billion dollar companies can do this, we can too.