You’ll spend a third of your life at work. So make it count.

Get a plan that doesn’t look like ‘40 years of slugging your guts out, for another man’s gain’.

If you are not in a job that draws from your main strengths and inspirations you will decay. Literally.

If you do not know what your main drivers are. Find out. Quick.

Fear not. Fear in a person is easy to take advantage of. Fear of not having work, leads to people working in jobs they HATE because they feel stuck (because they’re scared theres nothing else for them out there). Set your eye above fear. You are worth more and your time is limited. Get a plan.

Your time is finite so make it count.

_SKA

We want to create pioneering or lead pioneering companies, but we give ourselves or the people who work for us no time to think. Thinking requires; permission (do your staff job descriptions allow for the task of ‘thinking’?), time, and the protection of that time. (And of course, the ability to think). Thinking | Inspiration (in the space where you work) is aided by; a well designed space, a library, significant amount of greenery, sunlight, music, silence, and protection from EVERYTHING else. I know, ask any business operator or owner to build a library and a glass house in these times of ever increasing costs, and they may tell you to go jump. Even though it might be the very thing that; leads to inspiration and thinking that catapults their company ahead into clear space. It’s sad that the thing that sets us apart as human beings - the ability to think and create - are actively discouraged in most workplaces (even the term ‘workplace’ needs a rethink). Let your people create and they’ll create something amazing for you. Give your people time | permission to think. _SKA

It makes sense to me, that if certain parts of your business are not performing as you intended, that the reason may be that there is a disconnect between it and the original intention you had for your business in the first place. Start at the beginning | start at the top and work your values down.

I wonder also, if the percentage of ‘things going awol’ are likely to be higher the further down the chain it is, ie. the further it is from your business’ core values. Bring in here the argument of the real benefits of ‘top down’ staff structures if your people at the ‘top’ are completely out of touch with the ‘bottom’. All the real action happens at the bottom.

Solution 1?: Attach those things that do not work, to the things that do.

Solution 2?: If there are rogue elements in your business that do not stand on, or sing the praises of - your core values - Give it the chop.

Solution 3?: Who am I? Who are we? This will determine who we are not. And what we will not do. This requires the skill of saying ‘no’. Learn it.  

_SKA

And damn the world for trying to rush us through the time we have.

Your time is valuable. And besides your loved ones - time is the most valuable thing you have (though you could argue that those relationships exist in the confines of time). Take YOUR time. Slow down.

It’s your time, it’s my time, but we give it away so easily. Like its worth nothing. We let busyness steal it. We let bosses steal it. We let worry steal it. We let our inability to say ‘no’, steal it. Time you only get one pass at is slipping through your fingers.

That’s a bit dramatic, but only if you feel you’re finding value in what you’re giving your time to.

Take your time. I recently took my time through Radiohead’s new album - King of Limbs. I got up early, locked myself away and listened to the whole album in one sitting. It was the highlight of my week (get out more, I know). So there’s a major difference between ‘active time’ and ‘passive time’. I ‘happened’ to my time. It didn’t happen to me.

Some where along the way, the world convinced us that we were on the worlds clock. Let me assure you - the world is on yours.

Take your time | slow down

_SKA

Time is literally - a wastin. 

Time that will add value to our days:

1. Time spent with loved ones (time in front of the TV/a movie, does not count)

2. Time creating

3. Time outdoors (like, near a tree or something)

4. Time exercising

5. Time thinking (thinking about new business ideas counts)

6. Time dreaming

7. Time relaxing

8 Time resting

9. Time taking risks

10. Time Learning

Time that deducts value from our lives:

1. Any time spent, that deducts time from the above 

My typical 168hr week and the time I spend/waste:  

Time spent sleeping -  52.5 hrs

Time working on/for someone else’s business  - 50hrs

TV/Internet – 24.5 (yikes!)

Time thinking /stressing about someone else’s business that I work for - 16

Learning - 13

With loved ones - 4

Exercising - 2

Thinking/Dreaming - 3.15

Creating 1

Outdoors - 0 hours

It’s not rocket science - finding fulfillment in the days we have on earth. I dont think the answers are magical or even spiritual ones -  I think the answers are practical ones. Practical Solution: Make an effort to spend more time on things that matter and less time on the things that don’t. 

As you can see, I’m failing miserably. I spend nearly 130 hours, pratically unconscious! We need to protect the value list. That way, we’ll have less regret when we get to the end of our time.

_SKA

You dont get paid enough to stress

I had a number of revelations the other night, as I lay in bed stressing about work -

1. I dont get paid enough to stress

2. I dont get paid AT ALL while im in bed

3. Stress is DANGEROUS stuff

3. Post 5pm - is my time.

Somewhere along the way, we get convinced that work is important enough to stress about. Stress is evil stuff. Stress is harmful. Stress is un-healthy. Now this is hard to apply to those who own their own businesses, as your heart / mind will be where your money is. But I’d argue, that in that context - that if you’re awake most nights - stressing, that your business is adding no real value to your life.

Beware of and get out of -  the false agreements that give you little return for the hours you work/ the energy you spend / your health / your investment.

Sleep well.

_SKA