Staying on Track

Sam Hinkie, former general manager of the NBA team Philadelphia 76ers, has an interesting approach to keeping himself properly focused:

Every hour between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., his Fitbit watch vibrates. Not to remind him to exercise; as Hinkie says, “I do not feel compelled to impress it.” Rather, it’s a cue to consider the previous hour. Was he productive? Did he achieve his goals? He then spends the following 60 seconds considering the hour to come. Once properly centered, Hinkie proceeds with his day.

Hinke’s idea made me think. Too often, I immerse myself in short-term urgencies rather than long-term priorities. By letting my time be dictated by just what’s in front of me, I’m ceding control of my life’s direction.

I suspect this is a problem everyone faces. We get busy in the micro and lose sight of the macro. While I probably wouldn’t employ a 60 minute reminder like Hinkie, I do like the idea of big-picture thinking at regular intervals.

I’ve read about the practice of evaluating one’s day in a journal, before going to sleep. I think I’ll adopt something similar and see how it goes.