How busy are you?

Have you filled up your capacity so much that you have created a vacuum where you don’t have time for anything new?

Filling your capacity may seem noble but nobody likes a busy fool nor should you want to be one.

In my book The Fourth Moon I describe the Busy Fool as a person who immerses themselves in busyness, so they never have to see who they really are. They defend themselves piously when attacked about not having any time by objecting ‘But I’m so busy’.

Capacity 2.0 is shorthand for opening up your capacity by allocating more time to new and emerging opportunities.

Capacity 2.0 releases the vacuum and lets opportunities into your life.

Here are just some of the tell-tale signs you have created a vacuum where time is unavailable:

· Stress and anxiety are regularly present in your day

· Not feeling in flow

· Constantly refusing invitations to connect

· Regularly cancelling meetings

· Feelings of letting people down

· Overwhelm at not getting to your most important projects

· Exhaustion

· Rising anger and volatility displayed in your actions

· Perception by others that you are never available

· Not being present in important moments

· Impatience and annoyance in response to minor issues

· Sensing your world is shrinking

· Not wanting to be around others

We’ve all felt these feelings on our business journey and we’ve all been guilty of being The Busy Fool in the past.

Capacity 2.0 is not about blame. It’s about self-awareness.

It starts by reverse-engineering your schedule.

First book in your non-negotiable pillars where you schedule your primary business work. For me, this is typically Tuesday to Thursday.

Now book in activities that you want to allocate time to before your diary fills up. For me I use some time on Mondays, Wednesday & Fridays.

Next create windows of unscheduled time. These are regular black-out zones that can’t be booked. Include time for reflection and reach out to people that you want to connect with. I have the first week of every month clear of existing meetings for new opportunities and projects.

Allow spontaneity into your capacity. Accept invitations where possible and schedule this within your unscheduled time.

Understand that if you are shifting from Capacity 1.0 where you have no capacity to Capacity 2.0, you will experience discomfort.

Discomfort precedes all change. Remember study? Starting work? Running? Starting to learn a foreign language?

I implore you to embrace Capacity 2.0 and commit to the process for the next 90-180 days.

You will enjoy the synergy in doing your best work while being the best version of yourself.

The opportunities will far outweigh the discomfort and your family, friends, employees and customers will appreciate you far beyond your imagination.