There was a time, once, when it was considered unseemly for a well-to-do individual to be concerned with the time. That was for the scrabblers and strivers—not a mark of success.
Today, a luxury watch is one of the first trappings of success most individuals acquire. The time is available on every one of our three standard devices—phone, tablet, computer. We have stock tickers, feeds, notifications and alerts. We live by time first and reaction second.
But how does quality fit into a schedule? How much time does excellence take? What is the state of one’s work when the clock strikes five?
The fact of the matter is that time is an arbitrary metric for standards like quality or excellence. Moving up in a career means moving away from “hourly wage” jobs—that’s not to say it’s wrong to be paid by the hour; it just means that with increases in success we tend to take on responsibilities that are hard to value by time-spend.
How many hours should a good business strategy take? How many minutes to craft a great marketing campaign? To lead a team of people effectively—is one hour enough? Two hours? Of course not!
Working by standards doesn’t mean working always. It can even mean working less. Working by standards is simply that: identify the tasks that need doing, assign yourself a deadline, and work till the job is excellent.
There’s no 5 o’clock in that world. There’s just excellent and not excellent. Work till the job is done, then move on to seeking excellence in another part of your life—health, family, your spirituality, or whatever it is you want to do. Choosing to work by standards instead of the clock is one of the most liberating kinds of responsibility you can imagine.
Question: How can you be more effective by focusing on standards instead of time?
