Accomplish Anything by Doing Nothing

Show Notes

 

• [0:01:00] Episode Summary | Intro

 

• Most “Excitingest” Episode Ever?
• • The Work Between the Work, Vacations, Etc. 
  • The Most Neglected Topic in Business
• Margins
• • Lots of managers and leaders don’t like to talk about pausing. 
  • We believe in margins so much that we’ve dedicated a third of our schedule to margins. 
  • Without an emphasis on Margin, Burnout is a very real danger. 

 

• [0:05:10] It Doesn’t Always Take Active Work to Make Progress

 

• Margin can facilitate progress.
• We think of progress as linear, but that’s just not realistic. 
• • Progress has fits and starts. 

 

• [0:07:59] Active Rest-- What is it? Why is it Necessary?

 

• You should be scheduling active rest into your calendar. 
• You tend to lose focus on the importance of margin with age. 
• • Which emphasizes the need to make margins intentional. 
• If you don’t fill your calendar, someone else will steal that time from you, and fill that time for you. 
• • Memorialize and protect your intentional disconnects. 
• Is boredom the missing item in your workday toolkit?
• • You have to find incremental ways to schedule margin into your schedule. 
  • • You won’t come out the gate a detox/disconnect professional. 
    • • Regardless, you have to treat margin like it’s business, to keep it secure and sacred from the infinite things that could or would detract from it.

 

• [0:14:25] If Possible...

 

• Try a Week Out of Office Per Quarter
• Start Each Day With a Plan 
• • Set aside planned time for others, whether that’s morning or afternoon. 
  • • Bookend your day with margin. 
  • Be present with your thoughts. 
• Attempt ‘Boredom & Margin Interval Training’
• • You start with a lot of work time, and then gradually increase the margin and thought work time. 
  • The time away from active work makes you better and faster when it’s time to run. 

 

• [0:19:50] People Who Have no Margin Are Stressed 

 

• Having no margin will have an unintentional negative run-off on others.
• Everyone needs different amounts and types of margin.
• A lot of us think we need less margin than we actually do. 
• • Challenge: build in more margin into your schedule, and be retrospective about the effects.

 

• [0:22:43] How We Use Margin Intentionally in Our Business

 

• A tool for reflection.
• A tool to acknowledge what’s important today. 
• • The world changes so fast, and what was important mere weeks ago, may not be important today.
• Margin can be the gateway to progress, and therefore margin IS sometimes the work itself. 
• • Example: Circles Fulfillment Theory was birthed from the margin. 
• Margin is a very real world tortoise and hare scenario. 
• • Don’t let the modern world trick you and your organization into being burnt out hares. 
• Group Margin
• • How we plan and execute margin together. 

 

• [0:29:30] Parting Words

 

• Tips for making your margin and pauses more effective. 
• Next time on AIB
• Recommended Reading: Seven Tips for Getting Unstuck - Ciircles