The key, I think, is focus. If our lives outside work are unbelievably important to us, we must redouble our efforts to make time at work important. Technology must be optimized to assist us in getting to the important tasks and weeding out the minutiae. Every hour of work must have a goal, so we can come home to the unmarked time our bodies and minds naturally crave. Too often today, the reverse is true—workdays are spent unproductively and home life is a scheduled race to get dinner on the table and the kids to bed. Such a state of affairs cannot be tolerated when time is so precious.

The emerging leaders of my generation will be the ones who know that time—not money—is the commodity of choice. The creative optimization of time will produce exceptional work, while sustaining people with full lives at home.

Sander A. Flaum is managing partner of Flaum Partners. He can be reached at sflaum@flaumpartners.com
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