H. Jackson Brown Jr., best known for Life’s Little Instruction Book, offers a perspective that strips away excuses. His point: time is the great equalizer. Everyone — from geniuses to entrepreneurs to dreamers — gets the same 24 hours. The difference isn’t how much time they have; it’s how they use it.
This quote used to irritate me. I’d think, “Sure, but they didn’t have email, social media, or my client load.” But the truth is, they also had their own distractions and limitations. What set them apart was focus. As a small business owner, once I accepted that my problem wasn’t time but prioritization, everything started to shift.
A big pitfall is comparing workloads instead of outcomes. We tell ourselves we’re busier than everyone else, but that mindset breeds helplessness. To change that, I began tracking not what I did, but what I achieved. The pattern was clear — half my time went to low-value work. So I cut or delegated it. The result? More progress with fewer hours.
Another trap is romanticizing “being busy.” We love the adrenaline of urgency, but greatness grows in quiet, consistent focus. Keller and da Vinci didn’t chase endless tasks; they pursued mastery. I started reserving entire mornings for strategic thinking — no emails, no calls. It’s the most productive part of my week.
Brown’s message is humbling but hopeful. You don’t need more hours — just more intention. The masters of history didn’t have time; they made time serve them. That’s what leadership really is.