Landon Buford
Steven Griffith is a man that wears many different hats. He is an author, speaker, researcher and performance expert. He is also considered by many to be one of the leading authorities as it pertains to the connection between time, productivity and performance.
In his latest book entitled “The Time Cleanse“ sheds light on strategic ways to approach and effectively alter one’s relationship with time. By allowing companies and individuals to close performance gaps to achieve their full potential.
Griffith used his over 20 plus years of work experience with CEO’s, top executives, entrepreneurs, pro athletes, military leaders, celebrities to fall back during the creation of the book “The Time Cleanse.“
Per Griffith, “it is is the first wellness solution in the world that both adds time to your life, and life to your time” while increasing performance, reducing stress and improving mindfulness on what matters.“
In the past, Griffith has been a keynote speaker and performance expert on several different platforms such as ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Style and Esquire TV. He has also partnered with companies, organizations like the United States Military, Citibank, Wells Fargo, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and professional athletes and coaches in the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL.
The Hype Magazine recently spoke with Griffith about his new book and how it is different from time management techniques that were implemented in the 1980s. We also discussed how Millennials and the generations after can use this in their everyday routines moving forward.
What inspired you to write your book “The Time Cleanse“?
What inspired me to write the book was that a lot of my clients would tell me that they don’t have enough time. I saw the stress, unbalanced life, and the pain that they were going through and I realized that time was affecting me. So, I made the decision to solve the problem on how to get time back and how to perform with it.
How is your method of time management different from other techniques dating back to the 1980s?
Great question and it is one of my favorite questions. So, time management worked when your phone was attached to the wall by a cord. What I mean by that is the change of pace and speed that aligns with knowing that today you can’t manage time. So, my philosophy is that those old techniques based on an hour, which is to get as much done within that hour. You can organize things but focus on getting things done in an hour. The difference with me today, I look at time from the perspective of what is called Timefulness, which we are introducing in the book.
Timefulness is about being present and being aware and intentional with your time. Where you increase the quality experience and the performance with it. So, when we are trying to get a bunch of things done and manage the time, it creates pressure. In the process, we are not addressing our relationship with time and time management goes up against something that our schedule allows. So, we have created this image that time is outside of us and we have to manage that illusion. Time comes from us. It comes from our yes’s and no’s and we can perform from it with the use of the template of timefulness by creating a positive relationship with time. The book is trying to shift our mindset to have a positive relationship with time where you will have time to focus on your hopes and dreams while reclaiming time and go on a “time excuse diet”.
Have you thought about partnering with some of the colleges and universities around the country to have some of the chapters in the book taught in Humanity Classes?
It is interesting because I have, but not fully to what you just said. We get trained on how to use time as a kid, but we never really get trained on how to use time to maximize our performance. The concepts are there but I really like the idea of getting it into universities. Time is the most valuable thing you have and if you don’t know how to use it, it is like not knowing how to use money. It also keeps us from being a victim of time.
How do you propose Millennials approach The Time Cleanse process? Being that it seems like they are working harder than any other generation in terms of the workplace?
It should be even more beneficial for them because “The Time Cleanse” is about identifying what you want. What is it you want personally and professionally in terms of two or three things. It is looking at your life and figuring out whether something is contributing or contaminating your success. After you determine what has been contaminating your life, that is when you can retake control of time. You are reinvested in a high return on time activities. You can’t have it all but you can have what is important to you. This is the challenge for Millennials because there are a lot more distractions with devices and social media, but with “The Time Cleanse,” you become aware of what you really want and being relevant with your time. I am making a difference not just for me, but for the collective.
How can it be used to receive higher compensation in the workplace?
When you go to a job they are going to ask you how you perform. There’s many tools that make up social intelligence, but they are going to ask you how fast and well you can do this job. When we start training ourselves to be present, aware and attentional to use time more effectively, the more focused and present we are, the more creative, and resilient we will be. That is a gamechanger for any birth age especially when you have Baby Boomers hiring Millennials.
You were featured on the Tia and Tamara show helping them with relationship advice. Can you share why you selected the venue of go-carts racing?
They had some ideas on recreating trust and they had been working on that. They wanted to rebuild trust in a fun way. They decided to blindfold each other so they had to trust each other’s voice and direction to reach the finish line.
From your role as a relationship coach can you share three techniques that work well with your clients?
1. Listen first and speak second.
2. Get to a mutual purpose and find out what you both want from this relationship.
3. Comes from the heart
Originally posted on The Hype Magazine.
