How long does it take you to pack for a trip?

Let’s say it’s a 7-day leisure trip, traveling by plane.

Got your number?

​

Mine used to vary — usually 2-3 hours...

But often it would extend to take a full evening.

6-7 hours to pack a suitcase?

One that is probably ultimately full of the same outfits I wear daily anyway?!

​

Over time, I realized two root causes of why this was taking so long:

1. No focus - I was splicing in all the other parts of getting ready for a trip (cleaning the house, clearing the fridge, taking out the trash)
2. No time limit - in keeping with Parkinson’s law, the activity took as long as I gave it

​

Recognizing this, I started giving myself an hour max to do nothing else but pack.

Right before bed the night before the trip.

And voila! I magically became a more focused and productive packer.

​

A couple months ago, I asked this list what was standing in the way of getting your IP out of your head.

[Reminder, a consultant’s IP is simply a set of their unique insights structured into a shareable POV.]

Most of the answers revolved around lack of time or perceived difficulty.

I get it.

Structuring a summary POV of your domain seems overwhelming.

It seems like a chore that will take forever.

It’s hard to prioritize against active client work…

and all your other spinning plates as a business owner.

​

However, developing your IP is quite similar to packing a suitcase of all your go-to outfits.

To get started, you just need to constrain the time and focus you give it.

• Strip out the distraction.
• Give yourself a seemingly short amount of time. Even a one-off 30 mins as a start.
• Use an IP prompt to get a draft POV on paper.
• And start sharing to kickstart the feedback cycle.

Your IP will be zipped up and ready for your trip in no time.

💡

-Wes