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Commandment #10
Lex Gonzales
August 31, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
In partnership with
Which popular U.S. president once worked as a bartender and co-owned a bar before taking office?
[ Answer at the bottom ]
In This Issue
Today’s Ladder: Stop trading time for tasks.
Takeaway: Time runs out. Impact does not.
Resources: I filtered out the fluff. Here’s the gold.
ICYMI: Back by popular demand: top past editions.
Career Ladder Intel: Must-know news and trends in today’s job market.
"Labor ends when the shift is over. Legacy begins when your impact outlives you."
Today’s Ladder:
Stop Trading Time for Tasks
Ever notice how some days vanish into a blur of emails, meetings, and small tasks…
Yet nothing truly moves forward?
You worked hard, but at the end of the day, you wonder…
What did I actually accomplish?
That’s the trap of trading time for tasks:
It feels busy, but it doesn’t build impact.
Think of your work like stacking bricks.
Tasks are single bricks:
Necessary, but small.
Impact is the wall they create.
If you spend all day moving bricks without seeing the bigger picture, you’ll burn out without building anything meaningful.
The goal is to shift from task-chasing to impact-creating.
That’s why I believe in Commandment #10…
Work Ends. Legacy Doesn’t.
Keep these 3 legacy-builders in your back pocket:
Step 1: Define Your Big Outcomes
Impact starts with clarity.
Example: Instead of “answer all emails,” define the outcome: “Strengthen client trust.” Now you know which emails matter most, and which can wait. Outcomes turn scattered tasks into focused progress.
Step 2: Prioritize High-Leverage Work
Not all tasks are equal. Some create ripple effects far beyond the time you spend.
Example: Training a teammate might take an hour now but will save you dozens later. Always ask: “Which action today creates the most future momentum?”
Step 3: Protect Time for Deep Work
Impact requires focus, not just presence.
Example: Block 60-90 minutes for strategy, writing, or problem-solving. Guard it like a meeting with your CEO. These uninterrupted sessions are where lasting impact takes shape.
Busy work fills the day.
Impactful work shapes the future.
What wall are you building with your bricks?
Takeaway:
Time Runs Out. Impact Doesn’t.
I remember sitting in that conference room.
The air was cold from the AC, humming loud enough to drown my thoughts.
The expert “guru” at the stage leaned on the podium and said:
“If you want to succeed, you’ve got to outwork everyone else.”
The crowd nodded. Pens scribbled.
But my stomach turned.
I thought of colleagues I’d seen stumble out of the office late at night, faces pale under fluorescent lights, bodies running on caffeine and regret.
They had labored.
Yet years later, their names were forgotten…
Their impact erased the moment they stepped away.
That’s when it hit me:
I don’t want to be remembered for the hours I worked.
I want to be remembered for the difference I made.
That was the day I stopped chasing labor
and started building legacy.
And it became the final principle in the 10 Career Commandments:
“Legacy over labor.”
If you’ve ever wondered whether all your effort is really leading somewhere, this will give you clarity:
Resources:
Leading with Your Legacy in Mind - this book unfolds an entirely new perspective on legacy and invites the reader to shift his or her thinking from goals to aspirations, from balance to focus, from results to commitments, from achieving to becoming, and from outcomes to actions.
Leaving a Legitimate Leadership Legacy - in this podcast, John Maxwell shares four standards for leaving a leadership legacy, followed by practical discussion from Mark Cole and Chris Goede on applying those lessons in a real-world work context.
ICYMI: Links to recent issues
📣 Master the Art of Delegation: How to unlock your team's potential.
❤️ Embracing the Journey of Self-Discovery: How to Find Your Career Identity
💱 Win the Tough Conversations: How to handle difficult people without losing your cool
Career Ladder Intel:
How did you like this issue? |
To your success,
Dr. Lex ✍️
Founder, Career Ladder | Career MBA
DID YOU KNOW?
Before becoming the U.S. President who ended slavery, Abraham Lincoln was a licensed bartender and co-owned a liquor store in Illinois.
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