The ability to be present with others is, sadly, becoming a bigger and bigger differentiator. We’ve all spent time with others who were constantly checking their phone, so if you can simply avoid doing that it can really set you apart.
On a recent episode of the “Hard Fork” podcast, host Kevin Roose shared this quick story:
“And one thing that always strikes me when I meet these people is that they are never looking at their phone when they’re talking to you. And we were at our dinner last week, in fact, and I can’t say who it was with, but it was with someone who is very busy, very successful, presumably has people making requests of them at all hours of the day. And we sat down to dinner with this person for like two plus hours. And I did not see them look at their phone one time. And to me, that was a lesson that you actually don’t have to know what’s going on in all of the pockets of your life at once.”
The interesting part in there was his thoughts on “someone who is very busy, very successful”. While that would seem to imply that they’d be more apt to check their phone, my experience has seen the opposite (and lines up with Kevin’s story).
Last year I shared a short list of people I know that seem to be able to get it all done, and two things stand out with all of them:
- They would be considered very successful by most people.
- They’re all incredibly present when you spend time with them.
“Being busy” has kind of become a way to say “I’m successful”, but it feels like the tide might be starting to turn — at least I hope it is!
The next time you’re at lunch with someone, if you can leave your buzzing phone alone in your pocket and stay focused on who you’re with, they’re likely to leave thinking “wow, they must really have it all together”.
Successful people accomplish a lot during the course of every day, but it’s calculated and not frantic. The more you appear to have your life in order, the more successful others will see you as.
