Sneak Peek: Tip #24 Quit Spending Time. Invest It

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

-H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Take another sneak peek into my new book: 128 Tips to Make You a More Effective Leader. The concept of this collection is simple, straightforward and broken down in to bite-sized pieces.

Sixty seconds a day is all it takes to make changes that matter.

Set that stop watch to one minute…Go!

Tip #24: Quit Spending Time. Invest It.

One of my frustrations with our common language about time is all the talk around “spending” time.  Where exactly are you going to “spend” your time? We all get the same 24 hours/day, 365 days/year. Time is precious. Quit spending time, make a shift and focus on investing your time. “Investing” has a stronger connotation of making a difference and doing something that matters.

 Where do you want to invest your time today? Invest wisely.

I don’t know about you…but that clocked in at 27 seconds on my end.

Pretty painless right?

Wisdom doesn’t need to doled out in huge servings to leave you feeling full.

Let’s continue chewing on this concept :

It’s easy to evaluate the ROI of our finances.  Gauging the ROI of our time is a whole different story. Investing time instead of spending it is easier said than done.

We all get a fair and equal payout of 24 hours each day. No more. No less

Invest in your non-negotiables – those things that matter most .

What allotment will you give to your non-negotiables in the core departments of a well rounded life?

Health: sound sleep, good meals, enjoyable exercise

Work: increasing your level of responsibility for bigger impact, building a profitable business, partnering with people who share the same core values

Family: great conversation with dinner every night, adventurous outings, making simple and meaningful memories

Fun: golfing with friends, reading a good book, doing what brings a smile to your face

Decide where to invest your time. Sixty seconds a day is all it takes to keep you focused on the allocation that works best for you.

There are 1,440 minutes each day. Invest one in yourself.

Shameless Book Plug

The Burning Question

"Managers light a fire under people; leaders light a fire in people."

-Kathy Austin

You’re probably expecting me to ask whether you think you are a manager or a leader, right?

Wrong! My question to you is this:

Do you have the fire in the first place?

If you don’t, it doesn’t matter whether you see yourself as a manager or a leader because you won’t be lighting anything…from under or within.

Why?

Simple. You can’t give away what you don’t have.

Without the fire, you are neither manager nor leader….

Take a minute right now and ask yourself 3 questions:

1.) Am I excited to get up in the morning and face my workday?

2.) Am I proud to tell people what I do?

3.) Am I fulfilled by my career?

If you don’t like your responses…ask yourself a final question:

4.) Did I ever like my answers to the first three questions?

If your answer is yes…consider the wisdom of Ayala Pines:

“In order to burn out, a person needs to have been on fire at one point.”

Give yourself permission to go take a walk today and ask yourself the hard questions you’ve been avoiding.

Like stoking any fire back to life, the best place to start is to give it air and  poke at it!

Where can you stoke your fire today?

Are You Listening, or Waiting to Talk?

When I first went into business for myself, I would spend hours and hours preparing for each client meeting.  I remember walking into my top client’s office ready to knock his socks off with the vision I had planned for our session. He sat down, and threw me a curve ball.

A crisis had occurred within his company and he launched into talking about the challenges he was facing. I listened intently as he described the situation. Before I knew it I glanced at the clock and our time together was almost up.  I was facing the daunting reality that the most meaningful feedback I had contributed to our meeting was mixed bag of simple verbal cues that let him know I was in this with him.  I had done nothing to help him navigate the minefield of issues he was in the middle of. Only a few moments remained for me to come up with a recommendation that would show him I could add value to this conversation.

Just as I started to formulate a meaningful response, he pushed his chair away from the table with a look of relief on his face.  I hid how puzzled I was that he was suddenly smiling. After a beat he said, “Abby that was the best meeting we’ve had yet. Thank you for listening. I can’t tell you how helpful this was."

He knew he had been seen. He knew he had been heard. And that is exactly what he wanted. He didn’t need me to solve his problem. He needed me to listen.

Over the course of my career I have realized good listeners are a rare commodity.  If you want to be a true asset to your company, your network and you family... learn to listen. People can tell when you are present and when you are just waiting for your turn to talk.

Don’t be afraid of silence. It is only awkward if you make it awkward. Try this in the next conversation you find yourself in today: Stop and listen. Instead of formulating what you are going to say next while the person is talking…just listen. Trust that the right words will come to you if you let yourself be fully present to the moment. You will not only be surprised with the increased quality of what you hear…you will be impressed with the increased quality of what you have to say.