Time’s Up

In business, and in life, everyone needs to work within their time limits.  It’s just one of those facts.

I was recently the timer for the presentations at the first round of the Go Code Colorado contest.  Each team had five minutes to present their idea for a business application built on public Colorado data, and then a 5-minute Q&A from the judges.  I offered to be timer since I have no compunction about cutting people off.  (I used to tell folks in some of my train-the-trainer classes – “you ramble, you gamble.”)

Out of twelve teams, four hit the time limit, even though I held up time warnings at 3, 2, and 1 minute.  One team, in fact, was just about to start a demo of their application (which I wanted to see myself) when the alarm on my iPhone went off (I like to use the “uplift” tune…).  And that was it.  Their time was done.

Time Limits Have a Positive Purpose

As frustrating as time limitations can be, they have a purpose.  In a contest like this, one purpose was fairness.  Every team had to have the same amount of time, and no more.  If they used less, which some did, that was their option.

Another purpose is focus.  Having a limited amount of time forces you to focus on your big idea.  Experts have a lot of information inside their heads and are often ready to enthusiastically share it.  All of it.  Every detail.  But that leads into the next point.

Most of all, you have to meet the needs of your audience.  What do they need to get from you?  In this case, the judges needed enough information to determine which teams and their ideas would go forward to the next round.  More importantly, they needed to see how the teams had met the judging criteria.

Time Limits are a Painful Reality

One of the most valuable skills you can have in tech or any business is the ability to work within your time limits, whether it’s a five-minute presentation or a six-month project.  You need to decide what to ruthlessly throw off the raft in order to make those deadlines, because good ideas abound.  It’s hard to say “no” to some of them, even painful sometimes, but you have to do it.

If you can come to see time limits as a helpful challenge, a way to help you focus and drive your idea to completion, then you can make the most of your opportunities.

Photograph by Eva Doyle.  Why it turned sideways on me, I don't know.  
But I have a time limit to get this puppy posted, so it stays that way for now...