I find it easy to stumble around in the forest of my to-do’s chopping wood.
Walk, stumble, lean head against tree unable to see anything else, blindly swing ax, chop chop chop. Repeat.
With my forehead against the tree, I can’t see the path and chop whatever is in front of me. When I’m too busy chopping, I can’t take time to think clearly. Am I doing the right things? Am I planting new trees for tomorrow? If I’m not careful, I might clear-cut the whole darn place.
Chop Chop Chop
Think about your work and how you work. Are you living at the top of your inbox, reacting to the latest email (chop, chop, chop), or are you making enough space in your life to think?
Our society values doing, not thinking. Productivity, to-do lists, GSD, and hustle. We chop till we stand proudly in front of a pile of done. This doesn’t work for me. It used to, but not anymore.
A) I know I can’t do everything. My time is finite.
B) I don’t want to.
I owe it to the team, at home and work, to spend my most important currency, time, wisely.
Balloon Time
It’s easy to blame others, but we can’t control them, so let’s look in the mirror first. While we need time on our schedule to chop wood, we also need time to think about what wood to chop. Let’s call this balloon time - I’m talking about the hot air variant here.
This is when you can be still, silent, explore, and rise above the forest of your work. Gain a different perspective, surrounded by quiet, and see the path from above - the course you will walk, what wood to chop, and where to plant new trees.
In our time-starved society focused on do do do, Balloon Time won’t happen by default, only by design. You have to plan for it, schedule it, and be intentional about it. Most importantly, you must recognize it’s required to do your work well.
From renowned management guru and former Intel CEO Andy Grove:
"Forcing ourselves to concentrate on the decisions needed to fix today's problem is like scurrying after our car has already ran out of gas. Clearly, we should have filled up earlier. To avoid such a fate, remember that as you plan, you must answer the question: What do I have to do today to solve-or better, avoid tomorrow's problem?"
Takeaways:
Schedule balloon time - time to get above the chop chop chop to think
With the proper perspective, the path becomes clear
Sources1
Sling Blade. Directed by Billy Bob ThorntonDirected. Performances by Billy Bob TSG Pictures, 1996.
Grove, Andy. High Output Management. Random House, 1983.
The Beatles. “Thing For Yourself.” Rubber Soul, Northern Songs, 1965.
Living At The Top Of Your Inbox