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Still Checking Off Tasks? You May Have Missed the Harbor — and Forgotten the Buffer That Could Save Your Week.
What do a pilot in Rotterdam and your Monday morning have in common?
At first glance, not much; at second glance, surprisingly a lot, because both have to deal with traffic that doesn’t stick to the rules. That’s why, in shipping, there are people on land who compile the positions, identities, intentions, and movements of ships, monitor the overall situation, and intervene as soon as a risky encounter looms. The International Maritime Organization describes this Vessel Traffic Service as a service that supports the safety and efficiency of navigation as well as the protection of life and the environment (IMO Resolution A.1158(32)). No one in the control tower actually steers a ship themselves, and that is precisely the point.
Applied to self-management, this means that the individual task is the steering wheel, while the totality of projects, commitments, energy, time, risks, and goals forms the nautical chart. Navigating, then, does not mean getting even more done, but rather regularly zooming out from day-to-day business to assess the situation.
