You don’t sit around on the basketball court waiting for the ball. If your feet aren’t moving, you’re not really in the game. You are looking ahead, watching, and always preparing for the ball. Even on the bench your mind is on the court.. moving, ready. My coach taught us to “hustle.” I’ve learned, if you want to stay at the top of your game, you have to hustle while you wait.
Action is Required
When there is nothing I have to do, it is so easy to sleep in, relax, and squander my time. My body loves the catch up rest, and I look forward to reconnecting with loved ones. I love to lose myself in a new book. Free time can be wonderful, providing necessary opportunities for relaxation and building relationships. In a way, spending more time on self-care and enjoying others is an important way to hustle while we wait until another productive and time consuming activity forces us back onto the court.
But, waiting around for someone to ‘throw you the ball’ while you are sleeping in, just doesn’t cut it if you want to make it to the “cutting edge” of your field. Action is required.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” –Thomas A. Edison
Not only is it dressed like work, I’ve found that most often opportunities are discovered, in fact created, during the moments that most people would be taking it easy.
When to Work
Benjamin Franklin was a planner. At a very young age he put himself to work and wrote a journal while passing time on a long voyage. In his autobiography he realizes,
“Perhaps the most important part of that journal is the plan to be found in it which I formed at sea, for regulating my future conduct in life. It is the more remarkable, as being form’d when I was so young, and yet being pretty faithfully adhered to quite thro’ old age.”
Benjamin Franklin also improved his vocabulary and taught himself to write better during his “free” time. He gave himself challenges and compared his work to those he admired. “My time for these exercises and for reading, was at night, after work or before work began in the morning…”
When life slows down, it is the perfect opportunity for growth and planning that set the stage for future opportunity. Benjamin Franklin seemed to sense this and made himself into a writer and speaker that led to his future influential statesmanship, and he did it while he was waiting.
How to Focus My Work
A slow down is a great time to consider what key area needs to move to make everything else shift or open up. Business books call this “leverage.” There are many ways to ask yourself the same question:
What am I lacking that is making a log jam in my progress (professionally or personally)?
What key action would have the most impact on my goal?
What could I learn today that would be a game changer and open up my future opportunities?
What equipment or people are essential? What is my back up plan if something goes wrong?
Two teams bid to be the first to reach the South Pole. The difference between the winners and those that went off course and died was a leader who brought along an extra compass. We must think ahead and focus on critical things. Preparing well could literally save lives.
Winning Begins While Waiting
I know that planning out every detail can be really frustrating if you have a lot of other people you have to work with. If I plan out every minute of my day, I am often disrupted and upset before the morning is even over. I’m not suggesting we try to anticipate every little delay. What we need to do is be ready for when there is a delay.
Did you know you can study a second language on your phone or tablet while you wait at the doctors or in the grocery line? ANKI has a wonderful, free website where you can practice other’s amazing flash cards or make your own. You can take a book, a notebook, or a project along with you. You can have hobbies that move you forward while you are waiting. It just takes a little planning and noticing those free moments when a little extra effort will make all the difference.
Not Doing is also Key
What fritters away your time?
Consider:
What are the biggest wasters of my opportunity-making, free time?
Am I over-scheduled so I have no planning or learning time?
Am I sleeping or playing too much?
Am I distracted with minor things and losing track of the critical ones?
Is there anything I can automate so that I can focus on more important things?
Anything I can delete or delegate?
If you want to create free time to plan or to grow, and you don’t have any, not doing may be the most important step. I used to believe that because I wanted to do more in a day I could just “make it happen.” Often I would make it happen, but many other, unanticipated losses would be left undone at the end of the day. Life regularly reminds us that we are human and that we can not give up sleep or nutrition indefinitely.
Self Improvement- To read more of DarEll’s articles, click here.
Sometimes the best way to speed up important progress is to slow down in other areas.
Know where you are going.
Know what you need to do that matters.
Take the action that is required to make it a reality, and
Hustle while you wait.
Namaste,
DarEll S. Hoskisson
DarEll S. Hoskisson loves to do hard things, but not too hard. She shares her own challenges, goals and experiences as she guides you into a realistic path of self-reflection and self-improvement. She shares tips on how to find, know and trust yourself so you can decide if other’s suggestions are right for you.
DarEll has the world a little upside down—where work is play and play is work. She actually thinks other people’s problems are fun to try to solve and lights up with a personal challenge. She loves people, harmony, and excellence. She also loves useful things like tools and ideas that make work faster, easier and more fun.
DarEll married in 1993 and graduated from BYU (1995) with a bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education. Since then she was adopted by 5 children and has worked with many non-profits. She is currently a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor—leading pilates and yoga at her local YMCA.
DarEll lives in Florida where she enjoys her family, nature, her work, and encouraging people to live well.
She periodically posts her poems, what she is learning, and service opportunities on her personal blogs:
https://personalabridgements.wordpress.com and https://darellhoskisson.wordpress.com
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My husband was so good at this. He read Benjamin FrNklins auto biography when he was husing while he waited. . I try to make use of the “waiting time” working on menus, grocery list, reading, organizing my to do list. Sending a note to a gamy member etc.
Thanks for sharing other good ideas!