changes you want to make.
My suggestion for working through this book is to keep it simple and achievable. Start small and work your way up to the bigger concepts. Read the book and choose one or two things that resonate strongly with you, and start to action those immediately. (You will thank me for this when you see how simple it really is.)
Part I is all about why we need to take back time and how we collect our 1‐Day Refund on the week. We will learn why 85 per cent is the limit we should be working towards (not 100 per cent or, dare I say, 120 per cent). We should all have a 15 per cent buffer in our lives for capacity and space.
Part II introduces strategies to help you spend your time saved wisely and to award yourself a daily refund. This will give you the capacity and space required to take advantage of opportunities to think and make great decisions, and to respond positively and proactively to changing conditions.
As you read, you will find I can be a little irreverent at times — because life and work are way too important to be taken too seriously. And reading a book should be a pleasure, not a pain!
So please read, implement, experiment and have fun being more productive!
PART I WHY WE NEED TO TAKE BACK TIME
Resources and energy are needed for growth; this applies to pretty much any area of our world where we want to grow or get better. It is true for communities, for individuals and for the natural environment.
And I'm not just referring to physical growth. I'm also talking about emotional and intellectual growth.
In science, this is referred to as a finite-time singularity. In a nutshell, unbounded growth demands either infinite resources and energy or a major paradigm shift. Without either, collapse is inevitable.
So tell me, how much longer can you go on before you exhaust your resources and energy, or you undertake a paradigm shift?
I'm not even asking for a major shift. Simply think about where you can refund yourself only 15 per cent of your time and resources across a range of aspects of your life to create some space that will allow you to be the truly adaptive organism you have evolved to be. Following a few simple principles will gain you one full extra day in your week.
But you don't have to believe me! There are a number of real-world examples where a 15 per cent buffer or margin is considered optimal operating capacity.
Capacity utilisation (mostly used in manufacturing) measures the difference between production and production capability. Accounting for the fact that it is unlikely that an economy or company will function at 100 per cent capacity, 85 per cent is considered optimal. This provides a 15 per cent buffer against setbacks like equipment malfunction or resource shortages.
Olympians and professional sportspeople, too, know they will perform better at 85 per cent because they are more relaxed and can optimise muscle strength.
Hugh Jackman, in his preparation for and performance in the role of Wolverine, aimed to expend no more than 85 per cent of his energy, in the knowledge this would enable him to function optimally over extended production periods.
If we are to keep our own performance levels high and to optimise our resources and systems, we should be aiming for a maximum energy expenditure of 85 per cent.
This 15 per cent margin might seem arbitrary, or too little, and in many ways it's more about what happens in our heads than about watching the clock. Strive to feel as though you are performing at a steady pace, always with this tiny bit of room to breathe, not as though you are constantly catching up or struggling. You will feel in control instead of overwhelmed and exhausted from pushing yourself (or those around you) too far.
Of course, there will always be things outside your control: traffic jams, flight delays and other unexpected obstacles. Building in a 15 per cent buffer means you'll have greater capacity to manage disruptions.
This is how I arrived at the 1-Day Refund: 15 per cent of 7 is … 1! By applying some simple techniques and looking to shave 15 per cent off where you can, every week you can take back a whole day in your life!
Let's now explore this in more detail.
CHAPTER 1 We're busy addicts
We are all living in an epidemic of urgency and busyness. Unless we are flat out, working ridiculous hours, we are judged, and we often judge ourselves, as lazy or unproductive.
My friend Sharon is a senior manager in a large professional services organisation. She is also studying part time and has a seven‐year‐old daughter. She arrives for work most days around 8.15 am after the school drop‐off and leaves around 5.30 pm most afternoons to get back to afterschool care by the 6.30 pm deadline. Some days are pretty tight!
Despite this, she is productive and effective, but not always super social at work. Her boss, having noticed her arrival and departure times, recently pulled her aside and said, ‘People are noticing that you come in around 8.15 and leave around 5.30 most days. I've noticed as well. This would indicate to me that you don't have enough to do.’
To her credit, Sharon didn't react badly (I might have). She asked, ‘What is it that others, or you, feel I'm not doing? Have I missed some deadlines or is my work not up to scratch?’ Her boss said, ‘No, no, your work is fine. I get great feedback. It's just that others seem to work longer hours.’
Sharon replied,
I'm focused and efficient. I have to be. I have to be able to hold the job down and get home to my family. When the quality or quantity of my output starts to be less than what you are wanting, please let me know and we can have a discussion about my work hours then.
I'm thinking she may have looked like a woman on the edge, because her boss agreed and backed away … slowly.
But let's not blame Sharon's boss. Urgency is the new black. ‘Busy’ is the natural response to ‘How's work?’ The effect is cultures that pride themselves on ‘fast‐moving’ or ‘adaptive’ workplaces. But they are often white‐collar sweat shops, pushing people beyond their limits, and the result is burnout.
Matthew Bidwell, from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, says of managers that when they can't measure outputs easily, they will measure inputs, such as how long you are spending at work.
Trading time for money
Sharon told me that in her workplace, people are often judged not by their outputs but by how many hours they spend in the office. Some were even careful to arrive five minutes before, and to leave five minutes after, their boss. I'm sure you have a similar story — most of us do!
My brother, for example, was once chastised in a performance review because he was ‘too cheerful and didn't exhibit signs of stress’, which indicated to his boss that he didn't have enough to do. He couldn't possibly be adding value and remain cheerful! My brother left that job shortly after and was told by colleagues that people kept discovering how much he did in a day. ‘Bill used to do that’ was the answer to just about every question asked about tasks in the department.
The notion that busyness, franticness and stress are indicators of hard work and
