If I Had More Time …

If we had more time to do anything, what do you do with that time? What a great question to ponder. However pondering and pontificating are the opposite ends of the spectrum that I am pointing at.

Lincoln’s greatest speech given was his Gettysburg address. It was a total of 272 words. Lincoln gave this speech after a 2-hour oration by the former Secretary of State Edward Everett. After the speech Everett wrote Lincoln a letter, in it he writes “I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

I have written on this subject a few times in the past. Use the KISS method; don’t say in blah, blah, what you can say in blah. Respect others time, and don’t use unnecessary words or actions. These are all great lessons to learn, and one that I want to emphasize today.

Many people have been given credit for this quote, but it goes like this:

“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter”

When you set out to communicate. The goal is not to fill time. It is to transfer knowledge, motivation, a certain point, or something of substance to the other person. Filling a page with unnecessary words pays little respect for the audience. Keep it simple, short, and specific. Use concise and precise thoughts and phrases to make your point.

Then stop …