The Golden Question

Ask a better question...

...get a better result

During the space race, NASA faced a problem: pens wouldn't write in zero gravity. So they asked,"How do we create a pen that writes in space?"

Paul C. Fisher, an American inventor, took on the challenge himself. He invested his own money, developed a pressurised pen, and patented it in 1965. NASA adopted it for the Apollo 7 mission in 1968.

The Russians asked a different questions:"How do you write in space?"

They used a pencil.

This is the power of asking the right question.

Einstein knew it too. He said,"If I had one hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes figuring out the right question, and 5 minutes solving it."

How does this apply to modern work?

The golden question is:

"Is this the best use of my time right now?"

But that question becomes even more powerful when you add context:

"Is this the best use of my time right now to achieve [insert business outcome]?"

For example, when I worked with the Early Childhood Directorate in NSW, their guiding question became:

"Is this the best use of my time right now, as measured by the quality - not the quantity - of potential impact on child outcomes?"

This question changed the culture of how time was valued in the organisation. They saved 700 hours of meeting-time per week, and reduced burnout from 50% to 7% in 6 months.

When you anchor your time to your business outcomes, you stop reacting and start designing. You shift to intentional.

And that's where the real productivity lives

Productivity Tip of the Day

• Write down your big exciting business outcome - what does success look like?

• Before each task, ask: "Is this the best use of my time right now to achieve one of those outcomes?"

• If the answer is no then Delegate, Delete, or Deprioritise.