Do you block time to be Extraordinary?

I want to express my appreciation today to Michael Bungay Stanier, a Canadian Coach that I have never met, but wrote a book called “Do More Great Work: Stop the Busywork. Start the Work That Matters”. Was after this book and listen to many of his Great Work Interviews that I begin to think on how I was going to stop doing Good Work and begin doing Great Work.

Michael defined Good Work on the Productive Magazine as:

The familiar, useful, productive work you do and do well. Good Work is how you spend most of your time, and there’s nothing wrong with it. This work blossoms from your training, your education, the path you’ve travelled so far – all in all, it’s a source of comfort, nourishment and success.

Michael also define Great Work on the same Productive Magazine as follows:

This is what we want more of. This is the work that is meaningful to you, that has an impact and makes a difference. It inspires, stretches, and provokes. Great Work is the work that matters.

Great Work is also a place of uncertainty and discomfort. The discomfort arises because the work is new and challenging and as a result, there’s an element of risk and possible failure. Because this is work that matters, work that you care about, you don’t want it to fail. And because it’s new and challenging, there’s a chance that it might.

After you have read all this, you may be asking yourself, well thats a noble idea, but I really have no time, for more than what my plate has. Let me tell you a secret, me neither, and I am sure Michael or any of the people he had interview. They make the time, they make Great Work a priority.

I made the decision that Great Work was going to be a priority for me this year, I have enough good work for you and me to work forever, but my life was lacking of that feeling of leaving a mark, or making something that really matter, was missing a real challenge. I was convince that I was going to be able to make it happen, and I therefore begin making that a priority. I create in my Calendar My Be Extraordinary Hour. 

Usually is an hour from 8am to 9am, but I have even got to the office early to make sure I keep it. Confession time, I have not been able to keep this appointment, 5 times a week, as it is in my calendar, actually the first week, I was able to keep it only one day, but I am getting better, the last two weeks, I have done four days of the week.

My Be Extraordinary Hour has certain rules, I am not allowed to work on my list, or email, or Twitter, or phone, unless I a helping someone to be Extraordinary. This is a thinking time, this is the time to be out of my comfort zone, in Michael words, this is a time to get inspired, stretches and provoke my thinking.

The result had been amazed, I made an incredible breakthrough on something really personal, that has bother me for years, regarding my writing, was this time that I was able to see it from a different angle, and pinpoint something that change everything. Was this time that allow me to close a deal at work for over 3000pcs on a product that on the year 2009 we sold only over 300pcs, I have been able to think on issues that I always want to but never had the time.

Is this time worth, my answer without any doubt is yes, 2700pcs prove it, the breakthroughs, the ideas, the feeling of accomplishment, the energy I get out of this hour, for me are incredible worth it.

I can’t avoid the good work, pay the bills, I can’t avoid the boring parts of the job (another secret, all jobs had boring parts, and some had really really boring ones), but I can provide myself to something to look forward, I am looking forward to this Be Extraordinary Time I am looking forward to this time, to inspire me, to provoke me, to stretch me, to bring me to a new level.

Before you stop reading (well I am an optimistic person, and hope that you have been reading until now) before you begin thinking, good for you, but I do not have that time, don’t think on the hour, I guarantee you that 15 minutes of Be Extraordinary Time will do more than nothing, the more you can set aside the better, but block 15 minutes, hide in the bathroom if you need to, and spend that time, Being Extraordinary forget for that short period of time the Good Work you make, forget for that little amount of time all the responsibilities, problems, issues, focus on Inspire yourself, focus on push yourself, focus on provoke yourself, focus on something wild, focus on something impossible, focus on stretch yourself, and if all that failed, simply focus on be Extraordinary!

 

 

 

Comments

[Brian Darnell]

That is fantastic Augusto! Do you have any insight on how to find what is extraordinary?

[Augusto Pinaud]

Thanks for the commet Brian, How do you find what's extraordinary? For me is something that is out of my Confort zone, that I am afraid, that seems imposible or way out of reach.

Sometimes is just quiet the mind, but I will ask myself if this will make me proud in the future, if the answer is yes, most likely is Extraordinary.

[Shang Lee]

Hi Augusto. This is a great post. I just want to know if there are days when this hour couldn't be fulfilled? And if so, how did you cope? Or do you just let it go?

[Augusto Pinaud]

I do the best I can, remember to be gentle with yourself. When I begin doing this, I did only one hour a week, now I do it five days a week. I keep this as an important appointment, and try to do it first thing in the morning, mostly I am really successful with this. Remember be gentle, in the worst case scenario, if you do consistently one hour a week more of great work than what you are doing now, you are already getting ahead.