The Gangnam Style Effect

The music video, Gangnam Style, surpassed 2 billion views – and still counting – on YouTube alone early this month. It is by far the most watched video ever. It lasts for 4:12 minutes and that means, like The Economist highlighted, it has been watched for 140 million hours or 16,000 years! I must confess I have contributed to at least 20 of those minutes. In this time we would have built 20 Empire State buildings (USA), or 7 Burj Khalifas (Dubai) or 4 Great Pyramids (Egypt).

Now, I am a considerate person and know that it isn’t logical to assume we shouldn’t watch a Gangnam Style or any other fun pop video but will like to raise the point of how productive resources such as time, money or energy can be gradually dissipated on unproductive activities by one little drop after another.

The fact that time goes in seconds makes it easy to waste. Money is spent in cents makes it easy to spend. Energy goes in tiny calories makes it easy to dispel. The difference between successes and failures is in one thing – the ability to use limited resources and get the very best out of them. To the success, little is much. He knows that the seconds matter, and the cents are important, and each calorie is all too needed. He uses the little of today to produce the much of tomorrow.

To ensure the Gangnam Style Effect doesn’t infiltrate you, you must understand the multiplier effect of “little” things. Remember it is the “little foxes that spoil the vine.” Nobody has it all – time, money or energy. Don’t look down on the little you think you have because as you do the best you can with your little allocation you will produce results that make it seem you have more than your fair share.

Identify what is important to you and your success journey and ensure you don’t spend most of your resources on the things that aren’t important. The “would-be” doctor who spends half of the day watching Entertainment TV will become a “wanna-be” doctor.

I am learning to prioritize and focus only on the things that are foremost to me per moment. I try to live through the day by starting with number one and go down the list. Setting priorities is a difficult habit in a world where things intrude into our plans and make us plan-less. But this intrusion is the reason we must prioritize lest we find ourselves helping Gangnam Style hit 3 billion views.