Steve Jobs wasted no time. Or if he did, it was to turn his ideas into something functional. His demanding leadership attitude has led him to build around himself a culture of excellence. Former Apple interns, like the hacker who was fired for not responding to a company email, recall that the company always maintained active contact.passionate attitude, with a clear and strict visionwho pushed each piece to give their best.
Thanks to the many recorded documents, we know that Steve Jobs hated work meetings and developed a model for being more productive. This model was always focus on small work groups and segment the workload into short, small goals. However, for this to work, a strict routine was required. Here’s what we know, thanks to several sources who shared personal anecdotes.
Productivity in power
But before diving into his routine, it’s worth recalling the thoughts he threw at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 1997, when Apple was experiencing one of its first expansions:
“People think that focusing means saying yes to what you need to focus on. But that’s not at all what it means. It means saying no to the hundreds of other good ideas that exist.. You have to choose carefully. In fact, I’m as proud of the things we didn’t do as I am of the things I did. “Innovating means saying no to 1,000 things”
As you can see, this coincides with that 30% rule where sacrifices will have to be made for something different and special that you believe in.
An effective routine that started early in the morning
The time of a character like Steve Jobs is limited. If you say yes to everything, you’ll arrive at the end of the day with virtually no progress on key tasks. The book “In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations with the Visionaries of the Digital World” recalls that Job spent 20% of his time hiringconduct interviews and meet the people who will shape the company in the future.
Jobs was known for starting his day very early, wake up at 6:00 a.m. each morning. An early morning which did not lead to a day of work. The first hour of the day was devoted to exercise and meditation, something he had practiced since his college days. He believed this routine helped him stay focused and creative throughout the rest of the day. After this first morning routine, he got on his motorcycle and headed to the office, where he spent much of the day in meetings with his trusted men, such as Jonathan Ive, work on the new product roadmap.
However, time spent in meetings was limited: much of their time was spent on individual work. Much of this information is also available in Jobs’ own archives. Indeed, he spent hours in his office, totally isolated, thinking, then “raising” ideas and proposing solutions and new ways of approaching problems that bogged down emerging projects. And that’s where his personality emerges, with short sentences, pursuing an idea with a certain force, with obsessive attention to detail. In short, he spent hours perfecting every aspect of a product, imagine everything in your head, prototyping even how users would open the boxes.
In his quest for perfection, Jobs also knew how to find space for his family and friends. He often dined with his family and spent time with his children. It is said that he always had weekends planned for about three months. Before going to bed, he would review tasks to ensure that the day ended with concrete and satisfying goals.
In summary, a combination of meetings, individual work and personal time They made their mark on their routine, which today serves as an inspiration to many aspiring entrepreneurs but is not easy to imitate. Because a lot has changed since his days as CEO, but the methodology for success remains a Holy Grail that no one governs.
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