Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Something I Taught:

Many of my clients tell me they don’t have time to sit down and think. When I hear this, I remind them that the issue isn’t a lack of time—it’s a lack of commitment to the time they’ve set aside for thinking and strategizing. They allow less important tasks to crowd out their thinking time.

The most successful leaders don’t just work in their business—they step back to think, strategize, and make the high-impact decisions that drive real growth.

For years, I’ve been guiding people through a program I created called Thinking Time. I support them through the first several weeks, helping them establish the process until it becomes a habit.

That's the key!

Here are the highlights that you can use to help you get into this habit:

Do this once a week:

● Create a great question that you want to answer.

● Sit in your favorite chair.

● Have a dedicated journal and your favorite pen.

● Set a timer.

● Think.

● Write.

● Review.

One of the keys is to start off with a great question! Here's an example:

"What are three ineffective habits or business practices we’ve allowed to continue that are quietly undermining our success?"

Here's another one:

"What key decisions or tough conversations am I avoiding that are holding us back from real progress?"

You get the idea.

You can use business or personal questions.

To maintain dedicated thinking and strategizing time, you need to answer these questions:

What day would be best for you?
What is the best time of that day?
Where is the best location?
What would be the ideal length of time?

When a leader takes even a small amount of time each week to think and strategize, the impact is huge. It gives them the space to step back from the daily grind, get clear on what really matters, and tackle challenges before they turn into bigger problems.

Instead of just reacting, they start making better decisions with more insight and creativity. It also helps them stay focused on the big picture, align their actions with long-term goals, and spot new opportunities. Simply put, carving out this time leads to sharper thinking, greater confidence, and a more intentional approach to leadership and life.

How do you get started?

Put it on your calendar! And make it a recurring time. For me it's 9:00-9:20 on Monday mornings. I choose that time because my mind is relaxed from the weekend, and I'm sharp at that time of day. Many times, I'll keep going for another 10 minutes, but you’d be amazed at what you can do in just 20 minutes.

Give it a try!

Something to Ponder:

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

Peter Drucker

Something I Learned:

I was working with a group this week, and we were talking about how to be a better listener. During the conversation, one of the men spoke about another leader that we all know well. Here's the gist of what he said:

“Every time this person goes into a conversation, he goes into it with the mindset that he's wrong and that the other person is right. Then he tries to see the other person’s point of view so that he can, if need be, change his mind. He never goes into the conversation with the goal of changing the other person’s opinion.

Most people go into a conversation only thinking about their side of the story. They couldn’t care less about your side, regardless of the topic.

But this person asks plenty of questions to make sure he's understanding the other person’s perspective before he gives advice. And often by asking those questions, he helps you navigate your own answers to your question.”

We all agreed that he is one of the best leaders that we know.

And now you know one of the reasons why!

Something I Saw:

I’m getting very close to a big number that I set for a goal number of subscribers I’d like to get to when I began this newsletter. If you are finding these valuable, would you please send this to someone who you think would benefit from reading these? Just copy and paste this link: RobertMallon.com/Newsletter

Thanks, and hope you have an incredible week!

Robert

Minute With Mallon: Make Time to Think!