What is the best time to start towards our goal? How should we judge the right timing? When is the best time to act?
It is no surprise that the ‘when’ question in The Right Questions refers to time. Timing is critical, as time is the one truly limited resource, but selecting the right time to do something is not straightforward. Good timing makes the difference between success and failure but ideal timing is hard to achieve. It takes an equal measure of planning and wisdom to know when to implement strategies, to go for goals and ultimately achieve a mission.
Therefore we have to answer:
What are we going to invest our time in?
How much of our time should we invest?
When is the best time to do so?
Knowing when to move and how much time to invest in something is the secret of perfect timing.
“You may delay, but time will not.”
Benjamin Franklin
What should you spend your time doing?
Knowing what to spend your time on is a matter of prioritisation. You have to know what is the most important thing to do. To do that you have to understand why you even want to do something in the first place. If you are unsure then I recommend you read the following post on finding your values.
Once that you know why you are wanting to do something you can confirm what is the best thing to do. It may be that you already have a goal in mind.
We would all like quick success but our biggest dreams will take considerable time and a lot of hard work to achieve. One wise person once told me that people overestimate what they can achieve in one year and underestimate what they can achieve in five or ten years. I have found this to be true.
Don’t underestimate the cumulative effect of applied time. Investors understand the power of compound interest when it comes to money. The same applies to the time we invest in something, including our personal development. If we continue to invest our time wisely and with focus then we can achieve great things.
Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers: The Story of Success did a study that explored the lives of many of the world’s most successful people and looked at the patterns behind their achievements. One large theme prevails: that it takes a concerted application of time to achieve anything truly great. Gladwell estimates that it requires 10,000 hours of quality practice to become an expert at one given thing or become world-class in a particular field. The key point here is not so much the 10,000 hours but the idea of effective or deliberate practice, something explained in detail by Robert Pool and Anders Ericsson in Peak: Secrets from the new science of expertise.
Deliberate practice:
Develops skills using a proven training techniques
Stretches the comfort zone; being just on the verge of one’s ability
Is based on specific, well-defined goals (both overall and for each practice)
Is purposeful and specifically focuses on those specific goals
Is a learning cycle reflective of Kolb’s model, where the concrete experience of practice leads to reflective observation, new abstract conceptualisation (mental representations) of what is being learned, followed by modification and active experimentation to get further feedback, and so the cycle continues.
So we not only make good habits and routines, but we then, through deliberate practice, make sure that the time we put in has the maximum impact and effect.
If we are going to be that focused and invest our resources in one particular way we are going to have to count the cost. For every outlay of time or money there is an opportunity cost; the cost of not investing our resources somewhere else. In other words when we choose to do one thing, by default we choose to not do various other things.
You can become good at almost anything, but you cannot be good at everything.
We watch sports stars, standing on a podium receiving their gold medal at the moment of glory. What we don’t see is the years of training, the sweat and tears spent hour after hour, day after day, invested in the dream of that moment, in the winning of the prize. How many days and evenings out with friends were sacrificed? What number of holidays were foregone? Which alternative careers were declined? You can be sure that the opportunity cost was high.
There is no easy or quick win but through the right application of time, we can create our own perfect timing. The fulfilment of a vision is going to take time and hard work. That is why we need a dream to compel us, a mission to focus upon, and a passion to spur us forward, no matter what the obstacles are that lie in the way. If we have that level of compulsion we can make the investment of time that is needed to succeed.
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Tim Notke
Choosing the right time
Our time is finite; once spent we cannot claim it back. Therefore we need to be careful about how we spend it and when we spend it. Application is needed over the course of time to achieve success, but also there is often also a key moment to play the high stakes if you want to win big.
“I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.”
Mia Hamm, Olympic gold-medal soccer player
You can invest the same amount of money in the stock market for a given amount of time, but when you choose to invest, re-invest or spend that money will make a big difference to whether you gain or lose money.
A marathon may take hours to run, so for an athlete, choosing the correct moment in the race to dig deep and close down the front runner could make the difference to between winning and losing.
Picking the ideal time is vital in maximising our effect and fulfilling our potential.
Creating the conditions for perfect timing
What a casual observer might call serendipity or synchronicity, those involved in a successful venture would call the careful aligning of positive factors – however seemingly unrelated – to bring about a positive outcome. Successful people create conditions for perfect timing.
Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple, was a master of this. It would seem that he was fortunate to launch products just when people needed them. The iPod, the iPhone and the iPad have all helped redefine the market for gadgets and made Apple a world leader in mobile technology. But it was no chance. Steve Jobs knew that you made your own luck, your own perfect timing. He produced a quality product but he also stirred people’s perceived need for his creations. The genius of Steve Jobs was that he did not do what his customers wanted; he did what they were going to want. Purchasers never quite knew what they needed until they had one, but upon owning an Apple product they were left unsure how they managed without one before.
Practice, patience and poise
It needs to be the right moment as even a good idea can fail because of bad timing. For example, there are good and bad times to change one’s career or launch a business. Everything has its season.
Equally some visions are ahead of their time. Leonardo de Vinci designed the revolving flying machine that preceded the invention of the helicopter by 400 years. We just have to hope that our dreams do not take so long to come to fulfilment!
It takes discipline as well as wisdom to seize the moment. Like a vigilant soldier, we need practice, patience and poise; practice to ensure we have all the preparation we need, patience to wait and poise in order to strike at the right moment.
How do you know when the time is right?
To have the best chance of creating the right conditions and picking the ideal time we have to be sure of where we are ultimately headed, of what we are doing and why. That is the reason that the ‘why, where and what’ questions of The Right Questions approach create the strategic framework within which we make our plans.
So what is the perfect timing for achieving your goal?
“Life is all about timing… the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable… attainable. Have the patience, wait it out. It’s all about timing.”
Stacey Charter
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for leaders who want coaching towards greater clarity, purpose and success. We are all leaders (whether we know it or not) as we all have influence. So the question is, what are you doing with your influence?
Wherever you are on your leadership journey, I hope that you find resources on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and coaching them to achieve their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!
What is Mind Mapping and why should I use Mind Maps?
I am hoping to address three main questions in this post: What is a Mind Map? Why should I use Mind Maps? And why are Mind Maps so effective?
In the next post, I will then cover how to create a Mind Map and look at some of the best software options for Mind Mapping.
What is a Mind Map?
Mind Maps are a form of visual, non-linear notes developed by Tony Buzan. The term ‘Mind Map’ is actually a trademark of his company. While conducting research, Buzan realised that whether it was a genius like Leonardo de Vinci or a high-achieving college student, many successful people did not take linear notes.
Instead, they had free-flowing notes full of illustrations, keywords and connections. Combining this discovery with his knowledge of psychology and memory systems, Buzan was able to develop a system of non-linear note-taking. He developed a system that anyone could learn: the Mind Map.
What are the 7 basic principles of Mind Maps and Mind Mapping?
There are seven basic principles that lie behind Tony Buzan’s method of Mind Mapping. These are:
One page: A Mind Map is created on a single page, usually in landscape format, so the whole subject can be seen at one time.
Start with the central idea: The main idea or topic goes in the middle of the page.
Organic branches: The key related ideas radiate out from the central idea as curved branches so it is free-flowing and organic looking.
One word per branch (equal to the branch length): A single keyword or image goes on each branch and the branch length is equal to that word or picture.
Thicker to thinner branches: The inner branches are thicker than the outer branches (like a tree).
Colour and images: Adding colour and images aids creativity, recall and engagement with the Mind Map.
Connect ideas. Connect ideas and group themes to create new insights.
What’s another name for a Mind Map?
Although not strictly the same thing, some people refer to Mind Maps as Concept Maps, Spray Diagrams or Spider Diagrams.
Why should I use Mind Maps?
I first came across Mind Maps when I was training to be a Bomb Disposal Officer. It was an intensive course where I knew I would have to learn a lot of information very quickly. A friend recommended Tony Buzan’s book, Use Your Head to me, as it includes various very useful learning techniques. It was here that I came across the chapter on Mind Maps, and this intrigued me enough to get another of his books, specifically on Mind Mapping.
Having devoured the book, I took to the system very quickly. At school, I was an avid doodler (often to the annoyance of my teachers), and now I had found a system that embraced and encouraged it; I was a convert! Mind Mapping was engaging and fun, and I was so enthusiastic that I immediately taught one of my friends how to create Mind Maps, too. We both put our new Mind Mapping skills into practice on the course and promptly came first and second in the class for the theory exam. I was doubly sold on the system and have used it ever since.
Since adopting their use I have used Mind Maps for many things including:
Planning essays
Taking notes (for example in talks and lectures)
Making notes for presenting and prompts for public-speaking
Memorising facts
Brainstorming and problem solving (Mind Maps really help to see new connections between ideas)
Visual facilitation in workshops
Creating learning materials, presentations and videos
And there are many other uses too. By experimenting with Mind Maps you will find your own applications.
Why are Mind Maps so effective?
There are some basic principles behind Map Maps that make them such powerful tools. Using images as well as words is seen as engaging both your creative and logical attributes. This is seen as engaging both left and right brain activity and pictures are particularly good at representing whole concepts. As the famous phrase goes: a picture paints a thousand words. Pictures are also better for recall and memory. The use of colour, codes, symbols, highlighting – and anything else you need to bring your notes to life – is encouraged. Arrows and lines are also used to show relationships. In this way, you can create connections between various concepts. You can also group related ideas together.
The discipline of keeping the notes to one page means that the finished product is an efficient summary of a subject. Equally, having to summarise each section of a Mind Map in a single word or picture forces you to actively engage your mind. This is in contrast to just scribbling things down by rote. This avoids the problem highlighted in this quote:
“Lecture: a process where the notes of the professor become the notes of the student, without passing through the minds of either.” (Anon)
Who should use Mind Maps and Mind Mapping?
Mind Maps can be easily made and utilised by anyone. The principles behind Mind Mapping means they can be an aid to everyone to improve their creative and critical thinking, as well as their recall. Mind Maps are popular with:
Students
Creatives
Presenters and speakers
Teachers and trainers
Leaders and managers (especially for brainstorming and problem-solving)
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for leaders who want coaching towards greater clarity, purpose and success. We are all leaders (whether we know it or not) as we all have influence. So the question is, what are you doing with your influence?
Wherever you are on your leadership journey, I hope that you find resources on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and coaching them to achieve their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!