The 20 Minutes That Gave Me Back an Hour

This morning, I left the house 20 minutes earlier—and arrived at work an entire hour earlier.

Let me explain.

The first few times I took my grandson Triton to school, the trip became an hour-plus mission. We left around 7:35, encountered the heavy traffic and chaos surrounding the school car line, got him to school around 8:15, and I finally made it back to the dojo at approximately 9:00.

Today, I tried a better plan.

We left at 7:15. Triton arrived at school at 7:39, and I was back at the dojo by 8:00.

By leaving only 20 minutes earlier, I saved approximately 40 minutes of total travel time—and arrived at work a full hour earlier.

At first, I thought the lesson was simply, “Start earlier.”

That is certainly valuable. But as I considered it more deeply, I realized that wasn’t the most important lesson.

The real advantage came from making a better plan.

A better plan didn’t merely save me time. It changed the conditions under which I operated.

It allowed us to travel before the worst congestion. It eliminated much of the frustration and stress. It reduced the danger created by rushed and impatient drivers. It protected my energy, improved the quality of my time with Triton, and allowed me to arrive at the dojo calm, focused, and ready to lead.

   That is what good planning can do in every area of life.

Sometimes we believe we need to work harder, move faster, or become better at enduring unnecessary difficulty. But before applying more effort, a Blackbelt Leader asks a better question:

“Is there a better plan?”

A better plan may not eliminate the work—but it can eliminate enormous amounts of wasted motion, unnecessary stress, and avoidable difficulty.

Don’t merely become better at fighting the traffic.

Look for a better road—or a better time to travel it.

Prepare to Live. Empower to Lead.

Grandmaster Stephen J. Del Castillo