I am working sixty hours a week and running from meeting to meeting, which leaves me zero time to think about long-term strategy. How do I build white space into my schedule while still keeping the business on track?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If you are a business owner working sixty hours a week, you are a bottleneck. You cannot scale a company or prepare it for an exit if you are constantly stuck in the daily weeds. You need white space.

- White space is unscheduled time with no assignment, designed for thinking, planning, and reflecting.

- To reclaim this time, you must practice the Strategic Pause. This is a deliberate cessation of activity to step back and gain objectivity.

- Start by scheduling white space in your calendar just like any other important meeting. Block out two hours every week where you do not check email, answer phone calls, or allow interruptions.

- Use this time to look at the business from a high level. Review your V/TO®, evaluate your talent pipeline, or think about long-term strategic opportunities.

If you struggle to find these two hours, you must use the Delegate and Elevate tool. Look at your daily tasks and identify the things that are holding you back. Delegate them to capable team members who have the GWC™ for those responsibilities. This is the only way to free up your mind and build a self-sustaining business.