Comments on: Magic Pill

By: CAS

CAS — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:44:45 +0000

Art…it seems we’ve already lost our competitiveness in the global economy. And it wasn’t due to distractions of playtime by the workforce. Perhaps an acceptance of the fact that life is for living AND for working would have KEPT us a global model for success.

By: Tom Foster

Tom Foster — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:40:46 +0000

Art,
It’s been an active morning of comments on this subject of the Magic Pill. The Magic Pill was created for those managers who work 80 hours a week and only create 10 hours of productivity. They confuse busywork with effectiveness. Or use an 80 hour time card as a substitute for effectiveness. It’s not that they need to work more, they have to change what they do.

Sometimes, in the midst of a really busy week, I stop and ask myself, what would “Art” do? As I examine my own busy activity, I realize I am putting in hours that are only minimally effective. To get better results, I have to change what I am doing. Remarkably, I find more effective activity often results in fewer actual hours. It’s the difference between spinning your wheels or gaining traction.

By: Art Keiser

Art Keiser — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:41:49 +0000

Tom,

Give me a break. Why is the 40 hour work week even desirable. Historically, this is a level in which the workers negotiated with management the lowest amount of work possible through collective bargaining. Do we want to become France in which little if no work get done and the USA becomes a second rate country.

There is a reason we will loose our competitiveness in the global economy when work becomes a distraction to play.

By: Tom Foster

Tom Foster — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:33:29 +0000

Evan,
The hat trick is finding a job where the work is something in which you place a high value. You will know this work because it will attract your interest, passion. The tether becomes a connection to meaning. Life is still too short.

By: Tom Foster

Tom Foster — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:30:52 +0000

Mike, thanks for sharing your experiment for the next couple of weeks. The magic pill was inspired by Dan Wertenberg, a fellow Vistage Chair.

By: Evan

Evan — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:41:46 +0000

At our credit union if you are a manager when you go on vacation if you check your e-mail you are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. We take vacation very seriously at our shop. Do people live to work or work to live? When you die will they put on your tombstone that you were a dedicated worker bee? Life is too short to be tethered to a job.

By: Mike Foster

Mike Foster — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:28:03 +0000

I’m going to commit to taking this pill each day through next Friday to see what happens. I know my wife will be shocked! (in a good way). I suspect it will help me delegate better to my team, focus on what’s most important, and e-mail responses will be shorter while still conveying the message.

I am going to modify the pill slightly to allow study time outside of the 40 hours – IT Security changes so quickly I find myself studying at least 20 hours a week in addition to all of the work hours. I hunger for knowledge so the “studying” feels more like “fun” than “work” anyway.

What I like best is the pill is 40 hours per week not 8 hours per day. That adds awesome flexibility such as a 4 day workweek sometimes! Thank you Tom!