How to Manage Purpose, not Time

Good Morning!

1. Feature: How to Manage Purpose, not Time (3 min)

2. From the Archive:

   • Who Really Owns Your LLC When You’re Gone

   • Changing Registered Agents in Florida & Wyoming

-TCoL

Missed our last feature article? Growing Quietly with Customers That Keep Coming Back for More

We’re keeping things simple this Sunday. Today’s issue is part of our Dear TCoL series, where we take reader questions and share practical insights straight from the inbox. A lighter read, but just as useful.

Question: I have a problem with constant interruptions and have waded through different to-do hacks for something that helps. What’s proven and has purpose to it that I can try?

Answer: Most to-do systems fail because they manage tasks, not output. When I have problems with to-do’s, which occur regularly, I’ll re-read Chapter 6 of Andy Grove’s book High Output Management.

His principle is simple: what you do today determines tomorrow’s output.

The goal isn’t to find the prettiest list app. It’s to build a simple, output-oriented planning habit that turns daily work into forward motion. Personally, I can’t seem to stick to normal to-do hacks because I need to associate the tasks with a purpose. Grove explains it better than anyone.

If you don’t know who Andy Grove was, here’s a short introduction.

Andy Grove co-founded Intel and led it from a small startup to a global powerhouse. He was a Hungarian refugee, an engineer by training, and one of the most practical business thinkers to ever run a major company. High Output Management wasn’t written for professors or consultants. It was written for people managing real work under pressure. His thinking later influenced how Google and many others built their management systems.

Now out of print, High Output Management is still one of the best business books ever written. Used copies surface on eBay and AbeBooks, and it’s also available on Audible. If you read only one chapter, make it Chapter 6.

Here’s what it teaches.

Planning: Today’s Actions for Tomorrow’s Output

Planning is a manager’s highest-leverage activity. It connects what you do now to what happens later. It is not forecasting or wishful thinking. It is a clear process for deciding what actions today will improve tomorrow’s results.

Grove breaks planning into three steps.

1. Determine demand. What result must exist in the future? What output are you trying to create?

2. Assess current state. What is true right now, not what you hope is true.

3. Close the gap. Choose the specific actions that move you from today’s state to the desired one.

Most people skip the first two steps and jump straight into activity. That is why their plans dissolve under pressure and interruption.

Planning as Leverage

Time is finite. Planning multiplies its value; interruptions divide it. Every minute spent clarifying what matters saves hours later. The earlier you make a good decision, the more leverage it has. Waiting until you are overwhelmed means you have already lost half your output.

Grove also warns against waiting for perfect information. You will never have it. Act with the best information available, then adjust. Planning is a living process.

Output vs. Activity

Chapter 6 separates busy people from productive ones. Grove’s question cuts through every list and every hack:

“What do I have to do today to solve—or better, avoid—tomorrow’s problem?”

If your task list cannot answer that, it is not a plan, it is just a list.

Management by Objectives

Grove ties planning to measurable results. Every objective should have a clear metric. “Improve sales process” is not a good task or plan. “Shorten response time for leads from three days to one” is. Precision forces accountability and keeps the task clear.

How to Apply It

For small-business owners drowning in tasks, start small. Spend a few minutes each morning writing three short sentences.

1. What future result matters most?

2. Where am I now?

3. What one action today closes the gap?

Then protect that action from interruption. Measure your progress by output created, not boxes checked. You may end the day with fewer tasks done, but you will finish with more results achieved.

Why It Works

It works because it is simple and logical. You can do it on paper, on your phone, or in your head. It ties every action to a purpose, which most productivity systems forget. Grove’s model does not promise calm. It promises progress.

Purpose Mutes Interruptions

When you plan like Grove, interruptions lose their power. Each request, ping, or meeting has to answer one question: does this increase or dilute my leverage? If it doesn’t move output forward, it can wait.

Most hacks try to help you manage time. Grove’s method helps you manage purpose. And purpose, not time, is what really multiplies output.

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Have an interesting business question and need a free bit of advice? Send your question to [email protected]. No confidential info, please!