Books on Work: Die Empty, week four

Todd Henry ends his book, Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day. with the story of an illness he contracted when he was sixteen years old. Though the illness was treatable, and he eventually recovered, there was a time during its course that he feared the worst.

“I spent close to two months in the hospital, lost nearly fifty pounds, and had to learn how to walk all over again … I recall thinking, ‘When I get out of the hospital, I’m going to treat my life with more purpose. I’m going to act on the things that matter.’ I’d had my first major life epiphany: someday I’m going to die, and there’s’ nothing I can do about it. I realized that all I could do was embrace the time I’d been given, and use it as best I could.”

We all should have such a gift at age sixteen.

Henry bookends Die Empty with stories that convey a sense of urgency about the dwindling nature of time. It can never be reclaimed once it’s spent, he says, and he wants to help us spend it well. So far in this series we’ve read about the value of the different forms of work and kinds of workers, the importance of remaining fiercely curious and avoiding mediocrity, and the dangers of shadow pursuits. There’s a lot more in between.

In this final section of the book, Henry gives us a simple five point checklist to more effectively engage our day and help us better spend our moments. The checklist only takes about 15-20 minutes to go through and forms the acronym EMPTY.

E: Focus on your Ethics

This step utilizes the code of ethics Henry had us create in chapter seven. He encourages us to carefully consider this code and anticipate the potential applications and pitfalls throughout the day.

M: Focus on you Mission

In this step, Henry tells us to survey our daily commitments and define the battles you will face for the day and determine what resources you will need.

P: Focus on People

People, Henry says, are the biggest opportunity for you to add and receive value in your life and work. Carefully consider who you will interact with today and how you can serve them.

T: Focus on Tasks

Schedule time for your priority tasks and define your projects concretely. Don’t get carried along by your work, Henry says, define it, daily.

Y: Focus on You

Don’t forget to work on your own personal and professional development. This will lay the foundation for your future effectiveness, Henry says.

It’s what you give that will define the legacy you leave behind, not what you receive. That’s the message of this book.

You know what that means? Pour yourself out. Die empty.

We’ve been discussing Todd Henry’s book, Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day, during the month of November. You can watch our Google+ Hangout with the author here. If you posted on the book on your blog, leave your link in the comments; or just jump into the discussion there. Next week, we begin a new book: Gray Matters: Navigating the Space between Legalism and Liberty by Brett McKracken. Next week we’ll discuss the introduction. Hope you’ll join us on Mondays in December for some lively discussion.

Image by Aftab Uzzaman. Used with permission. Sourced via Flickr. Post by Laura Boggess.