The 4 Tensions of Time ⏳
↩️UNFOLLOW University — March 3, 2023
Not enough time? Time to realign.
Happy Unfollow Friday!
This happened a lot in my 20s…
I’d be sitting in a restaurant across the table from a very successful, very senior leader. Their title and tax bracket were just as sought-after as the dinner reservations we somehow secured.
After the steak, before the chocolate cake, the conversation thaws. Heroic accounts of professional reflection become confessions of personal regret.
“Don’t forget your family…”
“I wish I had spent more time with my kids…”
“I didn’t realize it until she filed for divorce…”
“It went by so, so fast…”
“You can’t get that time back…”
Whether it was the pricey wine or the shared dessert, each of them felt an obligation to warn me about an upcoming, undefeated enemy: time.
I’d nod my head politely, promising not to make the same avoidable mistake. I knew better so I would do better, right?
🤯 Radical Truth
Living without a plan to protect my priorities ensures I neglect them.
Fast forward 10 years and I was the one with the passport full of stamps, calendar full of commitments and paycheck full of commas - climbing a crooked ladder to the top.
When my to-do list became more important than my to-be list, I began to hire out parts of myself that were never meant to work for someone else. I didn’t lack discipline, I was walking in the wrong direction.
There’s no productivity solution for a priority problem.
Time is our most precious resource but it’s also the most temporary. No one cares how hard you work. There’s simply not enough time to do everything other people have convinced us we should be doing.
🤷🏼♂️ So how do we manage the demands of the workplace without putting ourselves or our families last?
Time is temporary. What we do with it becomes permanent. Instead of fighting for balance, try aligning your time with what’s most important to you. This means building your own ladder by managing the 4 tensions of time all leaders will face:
⌚️ Personal Time - Tension between being authentic to yourself (essential) and being an ambassador for yourself (social). Doing the “right” things has made you successful but has it come at the cost of being the “real” you?
🕟 Professional Time - Tension between your vocation (calling) and your occupation (career). How does the thing you get paid to do impact the thing you were born to do?
⏳ Relational Time - Tension between being present for the people you love and being productive so you can provide for them. How can you prioritize time for what’s most important (family & friends) while investing time in what’s most immediate (work & co-workers)?
🗓 Organizational Time - Tension between your organization’s values (what they say) and virtues (what they do). Are you spending more time talking about corporate principles than you are putting them into practice?
Each one is a tension to manage. Your work life is not a scale that needs balancing, but rather a series of rungs on a ladder. Make sure you’re climbing the right one.
God designed our work and family lives to collaborate - not compete.
⚡️Courageous Question
How would I feel one year from now if things stayed the same?
🗣 Wonderful Words
“The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.”
— Ritu Ghatourey
🙏🏽 Prayer Package
Dear God, renew my vision for the future you hold for me. Let the horizon of my hope stretch farther than I can see as I entrust my work, my family and my time to you. Thank you for the time you’ve given and restore any time I’ve wasted climbing someone else’s ladder. Give me the courage to face the consequences of living differently. Amen.
🎵 Make Room by The Church Will Sing
🛠 Practical Tool
The research is clear, overworking correlates to more stress, not more success. I believe we can do the best work of our lives - the work we’re created to do - without sacrificing our sanity or families. We just can’t do it like everyone else.
In the past 2 years, I’ve helped 15 senior executives redesign their work life by realigning their time.
Here are 8 foundational questions to start climbing your own ladder:
Was this helpful? Please drop me a note with feedback or share it with 1 person who needs a nudge. 😬
See you next UNFOLLOW Friday!
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Every Friday I’ll send you 5 courageous ideas to help you redesign your work life by making better career decisions:
🤯 Radical Truth - A story from me
⚡️ Courageous Question - A challenge for you
🗣 Wonderful Words - A quote worth remembering
🙏🏽 Prayer Package - A moment of meditation
🛠 Practical Tool - An actionable resource
