The paradoxical ability of constraints to unleash

When you’re responsible for the financial performance of your business or practice, and in charge of how you spend your own time, it’s not uncommon for the number of hours you spend sitting at your desk to rise and rise.

However, if we choose to define “work” as “activity that produces results”, I think it’s fair to say that while you’re at your desk a lot more, you’re not necessarily working a great deal more.

This is, in my opinion, the tragedy of modern professionals. We’ve created a class of intellectually (and—hopefully in your case—financially) elite people who spend the vast bulk of their waking lives in deep relationship with an LCD screen.

It’s a tragedy because it doesn’t have to be this way.

Recently I was working with my friend Rachel who said “I wanted to go to Italy and not look at email or talk to anyone in the United States for the whole trip, and subsequently discovered how much work I can get done in 2 weeks."

It reminded me of this hilarious tweet I saw earlier in the month:

The paradoxical truth is that by constraining our time, we unleash our ability.

Olivia Fox Cabane and Judah Pollack talk a little more about this effect in their book about creativity The Net and the Butterfly.

You will almost certainly achieve more by placing limits on the amount of time you have to spend on improving the financial performance of your practice.

It's possible there's no-one else in your life telling you this right now, so let it be me that says: Stop allowing yourself sit at your desk for unlimited amounts of time.