This past winter, I was delayed 7 hours and 10 minutes for a flight. It turned out to be the best 7 hours and 10 minutes I’ve had in a LONG time.
Snow was coming down hard at LaGuardia. Flights were being diverted and cancelled everywhere. It was clear – I wasn’t getting out anytime soon.
Now what?
As I sat in the packed Delta SkyClub, I did what I often do: observe. I noticed 4 ‘people types’ that night:
- The Freebie: The SkyClub serves unlimited food and alcohol to its members. Many, understandably, chose that path. And tended to stay on that path and it grew in members as the night wore on.
- The Homie: I heard them all around the club. Phone calls to loved ones with news of delays and disappointment in not getting there when originally anticipated. After each delay, another call. Usually with escalating frustration around something that can’t be controlled: a winter storm hitting a major airport and the ensuing chaos.
- The Entertainer: ESPN, Cosmopolitan magazine, Candy Crush, TV. Rotate between them at a regular interval to burn the minutes off the clock.
- The Grinder: They chose to GSD. If you don’t know what GSD is, you may not be a grinder. Email me, I’ll tell you. They hunkered down and became productive. Weren’t thrown off by the events. Made a plan and did it.
Why am I sharing this with you? Because we all make choices. We make them daily. We make them about 15 minutes here, an hour there, 30 minutes somewhere else.
The choice we make is:
Invest Time or Spend Time
Time invested creates positive outcomes and lasting impact. Time spent is, well, spent. Never to be recovered.
In my 7 hr 10 min delay, I had about 6 hours of time where I could CHOOSE how to spend it. Here’s how I invested it:
- 20 minutes or so enjoying Delta’s food, mostly brownies (I call them protein bars to feel better about it.)
- 15 minutes on the phone and 10 texts back home re: flight status.
- 20 minutes on entertainment.
- 5 hours grinding. Wrote a blog (if you are a sales leader, you’re gonna love it). Got dozens of open action items knocked out. Got several projects my team is working on moved forward, clarified or started. Followed up with this week’s workshop attendees. Put together prospecting call plans. Followed up on Linkedin leads.
BONUS! Ran into Saif Rahman, a fellow grinder, and we reminded each other that this inconvenience was out of our control; the Serenity Prayer in action. Got as much done in the SkyClub as many might get done in a full day.
I know I am a little odd. A little ‘too’ focused at times. I also know by winning these time blocks, whether it’s 15 minutes or 5 hours, I continue to step forward and accelerate my success. I want to be the best I can be. Period. End of story.
Being great is way harder than being good. Good isn’t good enough for me.
How about you? What choices are YOU willing to make? INVEST time or SPEND time? You really are in control, and you are worth the results.
I noticed something interesting about the Grinders that night. They weren’t as stressed, fatigued, cranky or worn out as the rest. Focused productivity has a way of energizing when doing nothing can wear you down. Funny how that works.
#BeBrave!