You have 17,378 unread messages

My inbox is empty. My calendar is organized. My todo list is up to date. I’m also always on time for meetings…. Mostly.

My business partner has 17,378 unread emails in his inbox. As well as 78 unanswered meeting invites in his calendar. I’m not even sure he has a todo list and he’s often late to meetings or forgets them entirely.

While none of that seems very efficient to me, he still gets shit done. And that makes me jealous.

I’m jealous of how he seems to easily manage everything without wasting time on boring details. Spending any amount of time getting your inbox empty and your todo list organized isn’t exactly looking at the big picture.

Being efficient and seeming efficient are two different things. Am I well organized and efficient, or do I spend too much time on superfluous things?

Everybody works in their own way – there’s no infinitely perfect method to doing something. And what works for you won’t necessarily work for everyone else.

Times change. Different industries require different skills. Advice is great, but there’s no guarantee it’ll translate across the board.

So find what works for you, and stick with it.

This is my introduction text for last week’s issue of our TNW Weekly update. You can read the whole newsletter here, or sign up to receive your own copy.