Its Leap Day Startups! What Are You Going To Do With These Extra 24 hours

Waqt ki qaid mein zindagi hai magar; Chand ghadiyan yehi hain jo aazad hain

Inko khokar mere jaan-e-jaan; Umr bhar na taraste raho

Immortal lines by Fayyaz Hashemi romanticizing the value of precious moments captured with a loved one. I’m going to Golden Hammer these beautiful lines to the equally alluring universe of startups in this blog.

How I wish I had 48 hours in a day!

Everyone receives the same 24 hours, what really matters, is how you use them.

The more I grasp at time, the faster the seconds hand seems to run.

If only I had more time…

Did these statements bring back some uncomfortable memories? That exam where you spent too much time on your favorite answer. When you had to make a sudden overnight review presentation. Wrongly estimating evening traffic when catching a flight. Time can do so much.

Trust me; no one experiences the love-hate relationship with time as much as an entrepreneur. Okay, maybe no one except the great Milkha Singh. There’s always more to do. One more feature to build, one more customer to acquire, one more crisis to conquer to make the day worth it.

Zig Ziglar brought the concept into focus by claiming that while we all get the same 24 hours, the focus and planning with which we use them to separate the wheat from the chaff. Startup founders don multiple hats every day and often this jugglery can get in the way of achieving an ambitious to-do list. Over time the problem exacerbates and suddenly, a whole quarter has passed with a momentous backlog of important tasks. And they’re all important.

2020 has a lot going for it. We are going to experience a unique and exciting Olympic Games in Japan. It’s the prophesised Indian year of impact by Dr Kalam. It also happens to be a leap year. Which means March is going to have to wait an extra 24 hours before making an appearance.

Imagine receiving a gift card of 24 hours when you most need it. What are you going to do with these extra 24 hours? What if you could use them for something that you’ve been putting aside for a while?

Been meaning to write an email to a set of your most valued customers thanking them for their continued loyalty and evangelism? How about 24 hours of fun with your family, who often bear the brunt of your packed schedule? Invest them in getting your team closer together by listening to their challenges and brainstorming solutions? Or cash in your chips by cutting off for 24 hours to recharge your own batteries, preferably at a spa.

One of the hallmarks of being an entrepreneur is that you are able to spot the unseen in the seemingly mundane and obvious. February 29 is a once-in-4-years occurrence.