My Operating System: How I stay productive and get things done
The #1 thing I get asked isn’t how to create a startup. Or how to raise money from angels and VCs. Or how to start an agency. Or even, how did you come up with the name Dragon Army (I didn’t)?
No, the question I get asked the most is: How do you do so much?!
Now, I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, I don’t work more hours than anyone else. But I can see how it might appear that I do. I’m a husband and father of five (my top priority), I run a company (Dragon Army), and I’m involved in a LOT of organizations and community efforts.
I try really hard to only spend time on things that will help me achieve my Purpose, and things that I feel can make a big difference in the world. I do very little else because, well, there’s no time.
Having been asked how I do so much, and not having a great answer, I decided to take stock in how I manage my time and I came up with several keys to what I’ll call my Operating System (OS).
Clear Mind
It all starts with having a free and focused mind each day. I accomplish this in three ways. First, by having a clear Purpose that guides me. I use my Purpose – to have an out-sized, positive impact on the world – as a lens to determine what I’m going to be doing and if I’m making progress.
Second, I get my to-do’s out of my head and on to paper. I use a hybrid bullet journal approach to keep track of to-do’s and priorities. I review that list each day and make sure I know what I need to accomplish.
The act of getting your to-do’s out of your head is huge – it frees your mind and reduces stress.
Third, I know what’s most important to me. I want to be a great father and husband, I want to do good in the world, and I want to build great companies. In that order. As long as I’m focused first on being a great father and husband, everything is going to be just fine.
Calendar
My calendar (I use Google Calendar) is my brain. I joke that, like Ron Burgundy with the teleprompter, if someone were to hack my calendar and put an entry at 8pm tonight called “Flight to Iceland,” you’d find me trying to check-in for my flight at 6pm at the airport.
I color-coordinate my calendar so I can see at a glance what types of things I’m doing that week. I try to schedule calls when I’m driving to maximize every minute of the day. And my goal is to make it home by 5pm every day so that I can spend appreciable time with my family.
Education
As an entrepreneur, I’m a big believer in “education by doing.” Get out there, try stuff, and don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers when you start.
And if you’re going to be learning by doing, its helpful to reflect on your experiences so they really sink in, which is a big reason that I blog so frequently. I blog about what’s on my mind, what I’m experiencing, and what I’m trying to solve for.
And I read over three books a month in lieu of attending conferences/events so that I can learn on my own time. I can read at night, on the weekends, and still be with my family. And I listen to books in the car as well.
Delegation
The final piece of my OS is to make sure I’m doing things that I’m great at (or at least that I think I’m great at), and then off-loading things that I shouldn’t be doing. I believe delegation is the one “must have” leadership skill. It’s how I picked my co-founders at Dragon Army and 48in48. And its how I build my Leadership Team at Dragon Army.
Delegation is also a great way to grow other leaders. By giving them more responsibility and helping them build their skills, I can focus on the things that I do best. And everybody wins.
Conclusion
So that’s my Operating System. Everyone will have their own process for this, but the most important thing is that you have a process! Too many people kind of “wing it” all day and don’t have any grounding principles that help them be the best version of themselves they can be. Start by coming up with a system, and I’m sure you’ll see results immediately.
Related posts:
Advice on how a CEO should prioritize their time
No to-do system can substitute for discipline
The to-do time first thing in the morning is clutch. I use the Productivity Planner but it’s effectively the same approach as yours. If I take ten minutes a day to just go through priorities, I have a great day. If I fly by the seat of my pants and just sit down at my desk and start going, it’s usually a stressful day.
I think the hardest thing for me to adjust to is delegation. Learning a lot about that right now. Still feels weird but know it’s a necessary change.
Yep, delegation. I think part of why people find it hard is because of the word itself and what it sounds like. “I’m going to take stuff that is beneath me and give it to lower level people.” Instead, I think of it as giving other people an opportunity to step up, learn new skills, and grow as individuals. If you don’t delegate, you are restricting someone else’s ability to take on more responsibility.
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