Speed Thrills

Instead of looking at lack of time as a problem, look at it as an opportunity.

When any of us here at LaBov & Beyond look back at some of the coolest, most exciting things we've had the good fortune of being involved with, we notice that many of them have one thing in common: Time. Or, more accurately, the lack of time.

Here are just a few examples: We had to figure out how to help a client in a 24-hour period so he could present a recommendation to his boss. We named a magazine while sitting in Barry’s office, in about 45 seconds. A couple of our people created a campaign—in two hours—that has resulted in a 500 percent increase in sales.

The list goes on and on. The famous rock band, the Eagles, recorded their blockbuster album, Hotel California, in months—yes, months—less than their unsuccessful follow-up, The Long Run.

Time is not on our side. We can waste it just like we often waste other precious resources, such as money, people and opportunities. And, as we squander our time, our focus and passion can often wane.

When you have little time, on the other hand, you have to get to the point, you have to make decisions, someone has to step up and own the situation. This generally leads to an increase in focus, in collaboration, in ownership and, most important, in the possibility of greatness.

Next time you need a breakthrough or are feeling bogged down—focus on the project or task at hand as if you don't have time to waste. Because, in reality, you don't.

Don’t try to get one or two solutions to an issue—why not invest one hour and come up with 30? We recently created the name for a new business. We brainstormed more than 400 names until we narrowed the list to five. Our client initially said, “I don’t want 400 names, just give me one good one.”

The truth is that you never know where or when a good idea will happen, so you need to come up with as many as possible as fast as you can. Then you can judge them. Because if you stop at the first good idea, think of how many you would have missed if you would have just kept going.

Submit your opinion on this article. (2 comments)