We don't need more time

Here we are, end of semester, holiday season, close of another year. Everything seems hectic as we race to the finish line. This is the time I hear over and over, “I need more time!” I get it—everything speeds up as we race to wrap it all up. 

Here’s the crazy thing: You DON’T need more time.

Think of the most-productive person you know—that person who seems to always be on top of it and in control and gets stuff done. Now think of the least-productive person you know, always late, a bit (or more) behind, always scrambling. There are many variables between these two but there is also a constant: how much time they have. Time in never the variable here.

Now this may seem depressing but actually, quite the opposite. You see, if we really needed more time, then we are victims and helpless. We can’t make time. Warren Buffet said that at this point in his life, he can have pretty much anything he wants except more time. So if we really needed more time, things would be hopeless.

Fortunately, they are not. And we are not victims. Because what we really need, we can have plenty of: clarity and discipline.  

I truly believe that life is plumbed in such a way that you can have anything you want. But you can’t have everything you want. What we need is clarity about what we won’t do. While most people worry about their to-do lists, I worry about my to-don’t list. We all die with a full inbox. We will never “get it all done.” So if that is true, let’s make sure we are doing the most important things. And let’s figure out what we won’t do. Things on your to-don’t list can be postponed, delegated or best of all, dropped. (How many meetings did you attend last week that you walked out of and said, “That was a great meeting that I participated in”? You might consider dropping the rest of them.) There are fewer things we must do than we think. 

Then we simply need the discipline to stick to our plan. If that means coming in a little early or staying late for the most important thing, so be it. If it means calling it a day so you can be with loved ones near the holidays, make it so. We are not victims. We have everything we need. We don’t need more time. Only more clarity and discipline. You got this. 

I wish you peace in the final days of our semester and year.