At a social tools conference a few months ago, someone asked a question of the speaker. He said that he would love to blog but did not have the time. "How can I find the time?". Someone in the room piped up and said he should "Stop doing other things!" The questioner wasn't amused and thought it a flippant answer.
But to my mind, the answer was spot on! In today's hyper-busy world we all have far more that we would like to do than we have the time. The issue is not a question of insufficient time but priority. Things low down our priority list don't get done. But we don't say "Oh that's not a priority for me" we simply answer - "I don't have enough time".
Our priorities, typically, reflect the value we see in doing something. If we don't perceive the value in blogging as greater than other things then we won't do it. Its the same with knowledge sharing. Saying "I don't have enough time to share." really means "I don't believe it is of sufficient value to me to stop doing other things". And its why I try to help people to see the value for themselves!
But as I write this, at the back of my mind, there is a little voice saying, David, its not just about the business value - we tend to do the things that we enjoy doing regardless of the business value!
The value of knowledge sharing, indeed many things, is in the enjoyment for many of us.
The Gurteen Knowledge Search Engine is a customised Google search engine that searches over 800 KM related websites and weblogs.
David Gurteen
David having a meal in the Old Singapore Market, October 2008
I help people to share their knowledge; to learn from each other; to innovate and to work together effectively to make a difference!
