4000 Weeks – what will you do with them?

A friend recently introduced me to a book by Oliver Burkeman, 4000 Weeks.  The average person lives about 4000 weeks, and the book is about how to make the most of this finite time that is full of unpredictability.  My friend enticed me with a story from the book that I’ll share with you – because, as leaders, we are always challenged with “too much to do, and not enough time.”  How to prioritize so you have the maximum impact and success? I was captivated and immediately got the book and have started listening to it on my drive to and from work. 
 
The story - and I’m paraphrasing - involves Warren Buffett (coincidentally, Buffett is a man whose opinions I trust, is someone I follow on YouTube, so I was especially interested in this!) talking with his pilot one day, and the conversation went something like this:
 
Buffett: “what are 20 things you want to do in your life?”
Pilot shared 20 things.
Buffett: of those 20 things, what are the top 5?”
Pilot shared top 5.
Buffett: of those top 5, what is THE most important priority for you?”
Pilot shared the #1 priority.
Buffett: “Your job, now, is to AVOID the other 15.  At all costs. Don’t waste time on those priorities; instead, ensure your focus never wavers from those Top 5.”  
 
My initial reaction was, “WHAT? Avoid all these other good things???”  The idea, of course, is that we can only be terrific at a limited number of things. Among all the good things we could do, considering all the potential good work that could be done, how can we have the MOST impact?  By choosing very carefully what to focus on – and staying away from the other potentially-interesting-but-not-number-one priorities. A limited life makes every decision we make so meaningful. 
 
Efficiency is NOT everything, people. As Burkeman says it, “Rendering yourself more efficient … won’t generally result in the feeling of having ‘enough time’, because, all else being equal, the demands will increase to offset any benefits … You’ll be creating new things to do.”
 
Something I’m noodling a lot on this week!
 
See you in the trenches,
B