Timeslicing like a Banshee May 5, 2009
Posted by brianwlink in entrepreneurialism, socialmedia.trackback
There was a time when I worked my job all day then went home. In consulting, I often worked 60+ hour weeks. But, back then (in the 90s), I wasn’t so obsessed with Internet startups… and there were periods of time where I could clearly say I was working and times when I wasn’t working. Now, I don’t know about you dear reader, but I’m sorta glad I don’t count exactly how much time I spend working. There are only about 5-7 hours a day you can send me an email or text message that I’m not aware of. But if you catch me before about 2am, I’m pretty likely to send you a response right away. I often keep my email up to date even when I’m on “vacation”. The line between work and personal time is increasingly blurred thanks to technology.
So, while I may trick myself into thinking I only work 9 to 6 or something. The reality is my iPhone is under constant surveillance all day long. And after my son goes to bed, I often find time to get some more work done – dedicated bursts of work, not just quick email checks.
But the opposite is true as well. We all sneak some personal time during the day don’t we? How else are you going to survive with all the silly banks and customer service jokers that only stay open 9 to 5, right? And writing this blog post reminds me I need to continue to be diligent with my time. I’ve got way too many things going on. But my family time is more valuable than anything else. So I make sure to carve out time every day and if my son wants to chase me around the house and tell me to pretend I’m a gorilla and play with Darf Vader and Formfroopers, that’s what I’m gonna do. My schedule may be sporadic and unpredictable in general, but we make sure to have dinner as a family almost every night.
If you’re an entrepreneur you’ll understand. There’s no such thing as a predictable work schedule anymore. My schedule is rarely planned beyond a few days in advance. But it fills up quick. I’m running an Internet startup Toobla (www.toobla.com), in the process of launching an Internet company accelerator called webuild, working with a team to launch another Internet startup in the small business productivity space, writing content for a thoughtLEADERS social media leadership course and writing an eBook on Social Media for Small Business. Life gets *real* busy.
The point of the list isn’t to brag, it’s to illustrate that I, like many other people, juggle multiple “jobs” these days. And because perhaps I’m addicted to multitasking, I wouldn’t have it any other way. But with timeslicing and overclocking ourselves, these kinds of things are more than just possible, it’s pretty normal. I use ‘Things’ for to-do list tracking, based on ‘Getting Things Done’ on both my iPhone and MacBook Pro, which helps me keep track of everything.
Who knows, 5 or 10 years from now it may actually be strange to have just one job. One thing’s certain, entrepreneurs are paving the way to the future. And the smart people I find myself hanging around with are embracing new and creative ways to get more things done in a day.
How much are you juggling? What do you do that helps you multitask?
Nice Post Brian, Also do you feel that the To do list never ends. Earlier we use to have a to do list that finishes happily at teh end of the day. Now it spills over and gets reprioratized.
Right on target! Nice piece.
Absolutely, Vinod. It used to really bother me that I’d have items that were supposed to be done one day that lingered for weeks on my to do list. Now, it’s common practice and I’m constantly juggling those “late” to do items until I find time to catch up on those lingering ones…
Nice post. My work/life sounds very similar. I really enjoy it this way. I can work during “normal” work hours and yet feel comfortable knowing that if I decide to take some personal time away from work, I can still be reached. I can reply to an urgent email from my iPhone from anywhere. Alternatively, my friends and family know that I am reachable at almost anytime of day and I’ll reply quickly. With work and play so intertwined, I think I actually accomplish more in a day than I ever used to. Todays technology enables us to multi-task and get more done, but allows us to take some time away when needed.