Recently, I met a young lad trying his luck in start-up business. At first, his idea intrigued me because I couldn’t understand it. So I decided to catch up with him at a later date. What I concluded, even after the follow-up, was that he is months away from finalising his idea, let alone getting invested, which is what he wants. I couldn’t quite tell him that he is nowhere near where he thinks he is.
After a little while, I started to see some of my early years in him. Quite a random idea, but was convinced that he has found the unique idea that addresses one of the biggest challenges, perhaps in his immediate surrounding. So, I decided to correspond with him and give him some advice on some of the key questions he has been stuck on. It made me realise something. Although I try to achieve high efficiency in my work, once in a while, I need to introduce inefficiency. I sometimes need to waste time, even though I am overwhelmed with work.
It’s important for me to waste time once in a while because of 2 reasons. 1) I never know what’s around the corner and hence I don’t know if it is actually a waste of time and 2) even if it is a total waste of time, it confirms my believes and suspicions. So, what this lad did for me was, unexpectedly reminded me of my young days and the actual necessity to spend some time on your idea. Follow it through, seek advice, realign the business plan, seek stimulation and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Even though I am not convinced of this lad’s business, I am optimistic about this lad achieving his goals because he is acting like a sponge, ready to make mistakes and learn, some of it from me. So, I recommend to everyone that once in a while, you need to waste time, on purpose. Treat it as a genuine opportunity, with respect, and perhaps it won’t feel like a waste of time.
Shingo Potier de la Morandière 