Found Time
I love found time.This morning, I had a meeting. Google maps said it was a 1:45 drive, so I rounded that to 2 hours. Then I thought, being NY, the traffic through the city could be bad so I added an hour. Then I got worried about rush hour so woke up an hour early and decided to leave right away.
And I found at 5:30, there is no traffic. So I ended up with almost 3 hours of "found time".
One time management trick I almost always employ is to have "useful" things that need doing with me. So I have my computer and could get on top of my endless email. And I have a couple of books.
And I am enjoying my Getabstract subscription. Always handy to research any challenge I have quickly. I use reading as one way to help solve problems.
One of the books I read during my "found time" was Buy in - Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down by John Kotter and Lorne Whitehead.
I like John Kotters' books and writings. I previously reviewed A Sense of Urgency and What Leaders Really Do.
I get tons of entrepreneurs presenting new ideas an venture. Ideas are a dime a dozen. It is the implementation that counts. Wondering how selling the idea relates to implementing well. I suppose anyone who can sell an idea is more likely to be able to sell the product or service of their venture so it likely bodes well.
It has a chapter with 24 objections and how to overcome them. It talks about 4 ways to kill an idea (one simple way I do this is to put it on the shelf for a week. If the idea continues to grow in my mind and I cannot get rid of it, then it likely has potential. Other ideas drop out of mind though.)
This book, as expected, is excellent. Short, easy to read, to the point.
posted by Jim Estill @ 8:12 AM 
5 Comments:
Thanks for introducing me to Getabstract & the novel by John Kotter & Lorne Whitehead - great resources.
Good post on personal experience on planning time and manage the extra time... good links on leadership and time management...
Hi Jim,
I've just found your blog for the first time. It's a really easy, pleasant and stimulating read. It's more personal and direct than most - and I like the way you use time differently. I see you love books and reading - are you familiar with or influenced by the aphoristic style of writers like Wittgenstein, Nietzsche or Elias Canetti? Writing like this is direct, makes connection and feeling easy, and is a pleasure to "read along with" - thank you!
I used some "found time" this morning to read some of your blog posts and found they were well worth the time. As a CEO running an executive coaching firm, one of the biggest challenges our corporate clients face is time management, even at the highest levels. Of course you can't find time if you don't practice good habits, like leaving early!
So no-one else found time to join the conversation? Is there a paradox in the observation that the thinkers/ commentators - the very folk who have comments of worth - are too absorbed with work and creativity to join and share within strands like this?
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