I can’t tell you how many executives I work with who can’t take ownership of their lives.
To be specific – they don’t own their time.
The very time we are graced by God with each day to use.
They constantly move around with no deliberation, intentionality, or ability to control their fate.
As a result of these decisions, they offer excuse after excuse to their peers, subordinates, and loved ones as to how “crazy things are.” And how busy they are.
In short, they enjoy wearing their busyness like a badge of honor.
How often have you heard someone brag about how many hours they “work” each week?
Just this week, I pissed off a friend of mine calling for advice. He said, “Dude, I don’t know what to do; I work 100-hour weeks E.V.E.R.Y week.”
To which I promptly said: BULLSHIT.
Let’s examine why I came up with that. There are (obviously) 7 days in a work week. Each day (obviously) has 24 hours in it.
But if I were to divide the 100 hours claimed by 7 – I’d get 14.28 hours daily.
14.28 hours would mean that they worked every day from (for example) 6 a.m. to 815 p.m. or from 7 a.m. to 915 p.m.
I don’t doubt the hours they are awake, but I do doubt the hours they claim as “work.”
When he went quiet on me (clearly pissed off), I just waited.
Then I asked – “All that was work? No social media perusing, no googling, no internet rabbit holes…”
Then I wait.
For the excuses.
And oh man, do they come. Strong.
But here is the difference: I don’t brag about the hours I work—I brag about the hours I don’t work.
I brag about the hours I spend each week watching my son win at soccer or the hours I spend playing with my 5-year-old daughter in the pool.
I don’t brag about how much time I spend on social media. Why, in God’s name, would I?
Why would you?
