Business Tips
When there is Never Enough Time
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- Parent Category: Business Tips
- Category: Time & Organisation
In fact, the busier you are, the faster you work, the more you can multitask - the better. That is how our society now measures competence and success. If you’re busy, you’re important.
Yet, leadership experts would argue we’re measuring the wrong thing. It’s not about how busy you are, but rather feeling present and productive in every aspect of your life. In the book, “5 Gears: How to be present and productive when there is never enough time” by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram present a revolutionary method to not only grow your relational intelligence, but increase your daily impact as well.
The 5 Gears metaphor is based on a manual stick-shift transmission in a car, with each gear correlating to a corresponding behaviour that people shift into at certain times and with certain people. Each gear has a purpose, and if you apply this driving analogy to the way you “drive” your life - aligning the right gear with the right speed and situation - it will allow for a smooth journey.
Your gear order is strategically important to your life. You need to understand the tendencies of where you spend your time or in what gears you tend to get stuck in as well as those that are harder for you to experience.
“By understanding how the five gears work,” writes Kubicek and Cockram, “you can improve your ability to connect with the world around you. All too often people go through life without truly knowing how to connect, and as a result, miss out on experiences and relationships.”
When was the last time that you truly connected with someone in a meaningful way? How did that experience make you feel? When was the last time you went deep with someone and left the meeting fully recharged?
This is what 2nd gear is truly about - the ability to shift into connect mode and become present with someone in your life who brings you joy. Whether work colleagues, family, or friends, it is time geared toward relationship building without an agenda or pressure to be productive.
Reference: Jeremie Kubicek: “5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There Is Never Enough Time”