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Why Sean Lee feels time can be ‘earned’, like money

‘A lot of the people make money from money, and that’s also what you can do with time: make time from time,’ says Sean Lee, CEO of China Mobile Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

This story was originally published in XXIV magazine 2018

Sean Lee, CEO of China Mobile Hong Kong, has observed something precious about how we use time. “Many say time is money. A lot of us know how to manage money, but a few know how to take care of time,” he says.

“Time is so much like money. If you earn it hard but leave it untouched, it will never be yours.”

As a prominent business figure, Lee is a great timekeeper. But how can our time not be ours, and more interestingly, how can we “earn” time?

The advance of technology has taught Lee a lesson in managing his own schedule. When his company planned to commercialise 5G in 2020, he understood that he was part of a fortunate group as technology has been a huge help in using time. While he is working, speedy mobile networks facilitate his productivity, and when his family was half a world away overseas, he could FaceTime them within seconds.

Fast and reliable communication infrastructures allow for immediate connecting with family and friends, and higher productivity. Photo: Edmond So

But what is crucial in taking good care of our valuable time is how we see life. Lee doesn’t believe in an idea such as a work-life balance.

“Looking for ‘work’ is like finding someone we love. Instead of finding someone whom we can live with, we should find someone whom we can’t live without. Work should be so enjoyable that it is part of life,” he says.

Lee soon learned the two-dimensional model of time management. “It’s about considering the importance and urgency of the thing you are about to do,” he says. “When time is limited, you will do the most important and the most urgent thing first. Then it’s the more important but less urgent ones, then the more urgent yet less important ones. It’s about setting priorities.”

When time is limited, you will do the most important and the most urgent thing first

One day he realised that time, like money, can be earned. “A lot of the people make money from money, and that’s also what you can do with time: make time from time. You’ll need to live a good, healthy life so that you can add value to your time,” he says. “Someone else may live to 80, but you can live up to 100.”

When it comes to making time for his business, Lee hopes the brand can keep on growing, serving society and transforming the community into a better place.

Sean Lee’s preferred timepieces

Submariner Date

“I seldom buy two timepieces from the same model. But this is an exception. I bought a pair of them – one for my own keeping, the other for my wife. I told her I wanted our time to synchronise.”

Rolex 1926 Oyster. Photo: Edmond So

“In the old days, watches impervious to water were outstanding. A professional swimmer in the 1920s swam across a strait with an Oyster watch on his wrist not getting wet at all. I say this is innovation, a milestone. I want to be like that, a pioneer.”

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XXIV

CEO of China Mobile Hong Kong has learned that great time management is all about considering the importance and urgency of the thing you are about to do