In Leadership Plain and Simple, Steve refers to Lao Tzu who wrote

“Consciousness or awareness is the source of your ability.”

Martin Carter has found a really creative way of staying aware each day.

When my eldest son, Nathan, turned one, I scoured the local toy shops until I had acquired 884 marbles, this being the number of weeks – and in particular weekends – until he turned 18.  I put them in a jar, marked the top of the stack on the side and put it in our kitchen.  Every Saturday I took one out, put it in my pocket and carried it with me for the week.

The idea was two-fold.  Firstly, the growing space between the original ‘high watermark’ and the top of the stack is a daily reminder of how time slips away. Secondly, and more importantly, knowing the marble I was carrying represented a small portion of a limited period of time – Nathan’s 18th – it helped me focus on what’s important.

Carrying it round, I was constantly challenged to make the most of every minute.  At home, it not only helped me be more present for Nathan but also challenged my mood – I began to see how often events that had nothing to do with him affected how I ‘turned up’ for him.  And by carrying it at work, it reminded me of my wider responsibilities – the marble regularly saved me from doing ‘just one more email’ or making ‘just one more call’ before I left the office, knowing that either could, in fact, wait.

Interestingly, though, it also made me more effective and efficient at work, because, of course, the marble didn’t just represent my time with Nathan, but it represented my time, my life.  I became more aware of how I spent that time, and worked hard at not allowing anyone or anything to rob me of it.  I didn’t want to wake up one day and find that I had literally lost my marbles.

So why is this story written in the past tense?  Well, after 4 years of marble carrying, I found that the thinking pattern it drove became hardwired in me, and so I don’t need to carry the marble anymore – which is a relief because as we now have 3 children and I’m not sure I could afford that many marbles!

p.s. Nathan turned 7 yesterday – the 30th October.  That’s 312, or 1/3rd, of the marbles gone already!

Leadership nudge: Are you losing your marbles?!  Are you constantly aware of the way you decide to use your time, and are you consciously practising squeezing the most out of every moment?

By Martin Carter, Head of Engineering Academy, E.ON UK