I have been thinking about why some people are so much more successful compared to others. Are they smarter, luckier, or have more connections? I think a lot of it comes down to having a lot of uninterrupted free time. That is the magic ingredient or secret.
Why does free time matter so much?
1. A lot of time is needed for mastery. Even though the ‘10,000 hours’ rule may not apply to everyone or has not withstood scrutiny, it’s evident that a lot of time is still necessary to become good at something, whether it’s 5 years or 20 years. Talent is necessary, but so is time. And having a lot of time can overcome some lack of talent.
2. Getting into a ‘flow state’ requires uninterrupted free time. This seems especially important with coding or writing. Tech companies invest a lot of money into resources to help workers be more productive by minimizing distractions. A 30-minute work session is more productive than two 15-minute chunks with a large distraction in the middle.
3. Successful people seem to care a lot more about ‘owning their time’ than owning things. This is why a common thread of advice of the most successful people in business is ‘learning to say no’. It’s not the missed opportunities that do you in; it’s not having the time to act on existing ones. Ownership doesn’t always mean constant productivity, but having the freedom to live life on one’s own terms.