The Great Myth

The Great Myth

Google has been given a lot of credit over the years for their implementation of their 20% time rule for engineers at the company. If you are like me, you have heard all about it over the years and how great it is, and how forward thinking Google is for having this rule. But in case you haven’t, the basics of the program are to allow their engineers one day a week to work on something that may or may not be in their job descriptions. Whether the engineer wants to develop a new product, fix a bug in another program, the time is theirs to use as they see fit.

What if your company gave you 20 hours a month to use how you see fit.  Or heck even 4 hours a month. What would you do? How would you manage that time? What would you work on? Have you thought of something that may help your company in some way that you secretly wish you had time to work on? Would working on this project help you receive the next promotion quicker? Would you read a book related to your industry in hopes to learn something new? Would you try to network with other members of your industry? Or heck, would you work on developing your own business? The possibilities are nearly endless to me.

Tell me, how do you plan to use your lunch hour this week?

Most days we all take an hour or so to eat lunch. Most of the time we head out to a restaurant with the same people and relax for a bit. What if, this is a big what if, instead of doing that 5 days a week, you decided that one day a week you would brown bag your lunch and work on a project that you found entertaining and beneficial. That would be four hours a month at least that you were able to utilize Google’s 20% Time rule at your own company. Would it be worth it to you to try this out for a few months to work on that project you have always wanted to see your company do? Would it help you personally or professionally in any way? I guess, there is only one way to find out.