“The most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking.” That’s the productivity advice that Senator Barack Obama passes on in a recent conversation with Tory leader David Cameron, according to an Associated Press article. He says that as a manager, you’ve got to be able focus on the big picture, and that means taking time to separate yourself from the tasks of the day and letting the people who work for you do what they do best. “The truth is that we’ve got a bunch of smart people, I think, who know 10 times more than we do about the specifics of the topics,” he states. “And so if what you’re trying to do is micromanage and solve everything then you end up being a dilettante, but you have to have enough knowledge to make good judgments about the choices that are presented to you.”
Slate agrees with Obama’s strategy from a GTD POV, as does Merlin Mann. It fits well with Linda Stone’s theory on receptive distraction. And while most of us don’t have legions of little people to take care of the minutiae, it makes sense to clear your calendar for a least a little while every once and a while to catch your breath and reflect.
