Monthly Archives: December 2021

Are you aware of the opportunity cost of wasted time?

December 31, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”

Seneca

December 31st is one of my favorite days of the year. I love setting aside time to reflect on the year that is almost over, assess what I want to improve upon or achieve in the coming year and pause to appreciate all the good things that have happened over the previous 364 days.

If I am being honest, one of the things I typically review with some regret is how much time was “wasted” over the year. I remember the moments that created a positive memory for myself or others with joy and fondness. The time I spent doing things that didn’t add value to the lives of those I care about and serve never makes my list because it is GONE and has zero return on the investment. 

Truthfully, wasted time has a negative return on investment; it is a lost asset that can’t be retrieved in any possible way. So there is an opportunity cost for the wasted time that, unfortunately, is far too easy to ignore or rationalize away. But it is always there.  

So my challenge for this new year is to be even more intentional in spending my time and waste less. I will be focused on improving the daily, weekly, and monthly investments of precious time so that next December 31st, I have even more to be grateful for during my reflection period. 

2022 is going to be a fantastic year; 2021 certainly was.

Is this useful?

December 30, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“Everything gets harder if you start going on about how hard it is.”

Stephen Covey

Have you ever noticed that certain people always want to share how much energy they spent on something and how hard they had to work to get that thing done? The amount of time spent lamenting difficulties is always challenging for me to hear as it conveys a focus on what I see as a non-value-added use of time. As a result, I sometimes find myself screaming in my head, “instead of talking about a problem, invest your very finite amount of energy into fixing it!” Fortunately, I don’t actually scream that out or even whisper it; instead, a simple phrase that I have borrowed from my meditation practices serves as a great reset question, both for myself and others. “Is this useful?”  

It is incredible how this simple question can reset the mind and focus on what is and isn’t essential. So give it a try; you might find yourself going on less and getting more done.  

Do you have a plan to assess?

December 29, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“We can’t improve what we don’t assess.”

 Michael Hyatt & Daniel Harkavy

What were the most important things you wanted to accomplish this past year? Were you able to achieve them? If not, what got in the way? Did you have a routine process you used to evaluate progress and assess momentum? If the answer is no, how could you know if you were progressing towards your goals?  

One of my favorite exercises at the end of the year is to set aside a day to reflect on the year just past and assess what I did well, contemplate those areas of my performance where I was lacking, and begin to plan for the year ahead. I am not big on New Year resolutions, but I am a massive fan of taking the time to intentionally plan my goals and curate the experiences I desire to create. As I work through this process for 2021, I can see an opportunity to improve next year by regularly reviewing my progress and performance throughout the year. Therefore, I will be much more intentional about setting aside time to pause, assess, and incorporate improvements into my work for the coming year. 

Plan your work, work your plan, assess your performance, build a better plan, execute all over again…

Learning to love less…

December 28, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“The less I needed, the better I felt.”

Charles Bukowski

Over the past six months, I have chosen to put down my daily blogging habit. It happened because I missed a few days due to work; there was just too much going on at the moment in July when I last posted regularly. Over these past five months, something has been missing, and it wasn’t that I needed more time; I needed more intentionality with my time. I have realized how much I enjoyed writing for 15-30 minutes each day and reflecting on the meaning of a particular quote. I genuinely don’t know how many people, if any, read this blog regularly. But that isn’t why I write. I write because it is a meaningful use of time for me. It creates focus and discipline in my life. 

What does that have to do with today’s quote? Perhaps not much at all. But as I reflect on the year behind and make plans for the year ahead, it is apparent that less is truly more. The fewer distractions one has, the more focused you can be on the things that really matter. The better people that you have surrounded yourself with in life, the more impact you can have for others.  

As I wrap up 2021 and reflect on all the changes that the past year has carried, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn the value of less. I am excited about what is to come in 2022 and opportunities to serve more people in a balanced and intentional manner. It starts with picking up an old habit and writing again. It’s good to be back.  

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dusty

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