I used to think the more I did, the better. I loved the hustle. I loved the dopamine hit I got from being overly busy, jumping on an airplane to see a customer and the feeling of everything being down to the wire.
Then I had kids. The thing is, I still loved all of this, but now I had to balance it with being a mom and spending time with my kiddos as well.
No problem. I can do it all!
Except, I couldn’t. Not well, anyway.
The reason I share this is that I know many of you also struggle to slow down. You love the feeling of being useful and needed. You love that others can depend on you. So you do everything for everyone.
And I promise you, this isn’t serving you.
There are a lot of leaders out there operating just like you – running from meeting to meeting, cramming work in between, and getting caught up on Sunday evenings.
Calendars full and cortisol high.
But what if a little slowness is actually the key to becoming the leader you really want to be?
In today’s newsletter, I want to dive into the ways we use our professional time and how you can be among the best by intentionally spending time in the last 2 categories.
Let’s dive in…
Earlier this year, I read The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom. There was a concept in it that made up only a tiny part of the book, but it felt so significant to me. In fact, it aligned 100% with what I teach my coaching clients (which was pretty validating if I do say so myself LOL).
The 4 ways we use our professional time
In the Time Wealth chapter, Sahil talks about the way we spend our time throughout our lives, but then dives into the way we spend our professional time. He divides this into 4 buckets:
1. Management time
This is what you are probably spending 99% of your time doing.
It includes meetings, 1:1s, emails, calls, Slack/Teams, etc…
Most leaders are spending most of their professional time in this category.
2. Creation time
This is what you tend to cram in between meetings, and most of us could use more of it.
It includes writing, coding, building, and prep work.
If you’ve ever said that you spend all of your time in meetings and don’t have any time to do actual work, you need more time here.
3. Consumption time
Most people are spending zero time in this category. If you are spending some time here, it’s probably outside business hours (and probably not work-related content).
It includes listening to podcasts or audiobooks, reading, taking courses and studying.
This category is hugely important and will help to set you apart as a leader. Why? Because this is the key to continuous growth. And as you consume more content that makes you think, you’ll also have better ideas (see bucket 4).
4. Ideation time
This is the final bucket, and the other category that most people spend no time on each week. This category is all about taking the time to actually think.
It includes brainstorming, journaling, walking and self-reflection.
When I talk about carving out time for ‘deep work’ (which I talk about a lot), this is what I’m talking about. It’s the key way to set yourself apart as a senior leader, because this is the space where you have your big, strategic insights.
Why is no one doing this?
I don’t have to ask you why you’re not spending time in all 4 categories today. I know the answer. You’re “too busy”. And I get it! Many of you are working in a meeting-centric culture. People are constantly emailing you and bombarding you with Teams messages.
It’s all you can do to get through the day. And by the end of the day, you probably feel like your head is spinning, right?
But here’s my question for you:
Are you having the impact you want to have? Really?
Are you showing up as the leader you want to be?
Why do you need to add both consumption and ideation time
If you feel too busy to spend time in the last two categories, that’s exactly why you need to make this shift.
You’re too busy to have the big ideas that are going to create real impact. You’re too busy to fully flesh out that new strategy before you present it.
And your colleagues are too busy as well, which is why if you decide to carve out time for consumption and ideation every week, you are going to be the one who comes up with the great new strategic idea or insight.
You are going to be the leader who gets recognized.
And the reason you need both is simple: the more quality information you consume, the easier the ideation becomes. They work together.
How to get started
One of the best ways to get started is to start batching your management time, add more creation time to each day, and then carve out 2 new blocks in your calendar every week: one for consumption and one for ideation.
Note that you don’t need to do these every day, but many of the best leaders of all time do. Warren Buffett spends about 80% of his day reading: consuming financial reports, newspapers, books, and academic research to deepen his understanding of businesses and markets.
But for now, spend at least some time each week consuming and ideating.
Full disclosure, I do a lot of my consumption outside work hours: I listen to business podcasts while working out and read before bed and on airplanes.
But I also carve out time for mastermind calls during work hours.
When it comes to your ideation time, you want to have a 1-2 hour block (I recommend 2), and you want to ensure there are no distractions.
This may seem too simple, and some of you won’t take any action, but those who do will see a real result.
Until next time friends… ✌️💜
Katy
