I was listening to a podcast where Sam Altman was being interviewed, and he dropped two one-liners that really stuck with me:

• “Are you working on something that is urgent, but not important?”

• “I have a fixed daily budget of cognitive output.”

Both of these hit home. They made me reflect on my own work—and then on the work of my team across different departments. As I thought about it more, it all boiled down to one phrase in my head:

“DO WORK THAT MATTERS.”

That phrase needs two lenses to fully unpack.

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Lens 1: Operations

Our operations team does work that matters every single day. It’s more prescribed and clear-cut. Everything they do is centered on the customer. For them, details, quality, and efficiency are the name of the game.

My ops team is excellent at this—I’m impressed day in and day out.

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Lens 2: Executives, Marketing, Sales, and Commercial-Facing Roles

These roles come with more autonomy, which is where I think Sam’s comments really land. They prompted some deeper reflection on my part.

Here’s my current take on “Work That Matters”—not that I’ve mastered it, but it’s what I’m striving toward:

Business – What Matters to Me

• The act of doing matters most. You learn in real time from real results.

• Supporting others often matters more than doing what’s best for me.

• The path to cash matters. Anything that supports, smooths, or speeds up that path is critical in a small business.

• Taking action for a customer matters. It builds trust and lasting relationships.

• Building the business for the future (sometimes referred to as working "ON" not "IN" the business

Personally - What Matters to Me

• My health. This is aspirational—I’m a workaholic, so it’s a daily battle.

• Supporting my family’s needs— emotionally, financially, physically, and spiritually.

• Finding peace and space to think, explore, and learn.

Where “Work That Matters” Goes to Die

It’s easy to get pulled into fun conversations, office drama, or obsessing over details that don’t actually matter. Applying the “what really matters?” filter to your work, conversations, and meetings is tough—but it’s powerful.

It’s just as easy to get stuck in anxiety, fear, or endless “what if” scenarios. I see incredibly smart people get caught in these traps. But none of that is doing work that matters.

Trying to always make your point? That eats up precious time—save it for when it really matters.

Worrying about perception? Another energy drain that takes us away from the real work.

For me, doing work that matters brings me closer to the goals I daydream about—the real luxuries in life:

• Plentiful deep relationships and meaningful conversations

• Time

• Health

• A quiet mind

• Slow mornings

• Rest without guilt

• A good night’s sleep

• Calm, “boring” days

• Home-cooked meals

• People I love

• People who love me back

 

Thanks for the read.
- Ben