The F1 Pit Stop System ⇪

Our aim at Athena is to give you your time back so you can spend it in the ways that matter most.

In each issue of our newsletter you’ll get unique delegation tips.

Delegate by Voice

9:50 AM, a CEO steps out of a two-hour board meeting. Her notes app is a graveyard of half-finished thoughts and to-do’s:

• Update sales deck

• Reach out to Sarah about Q4

• Review that thing John mentioned

A few hours later, she’s still typing out detailed instructions to her assistant. By then, half the context is fuzzy and the momentum has evaporated.

Meanwhile, down the street, another CEO is already in action.

After a meeting, he recorded voice notes for his assistant while everything was fresh. He rambled across multiple topics and his assistant transcribed them and assigned action items.

Voice delegation is effective not only because it is faster and more timely than typing, but also because it allows you to add context and clarity. It conveys tone and emotion, making it easier to express feelings like urgency or gratitude, which helps build a stronger connection.

Here’s how to start using your voice to delegate:

1. Pick one repeatable task (like email drafts) and commit to voice delegation for a week.

2. Create a voice note template if it helps: "Context, desired outcome, timeline, specific instructions." Stream-of-consciousness works too, what matters most is to get started.

3. Set up quick-access recording in your preferred apps (WhatsApp, Loom, Voice Notes, etc). You can use transit time (walks, drives, waiting rooms) as dedicated voice delegation blocks.

New to recording voice notes? Check out a great exercise here.

The F1 Pit Stop System

The average Formula 1 pit stop in 1950 took 67 seconds.

Today, if your crew takes longer than 3 seconds, they're considered slow. Just watch a Formula 1 pit stop in slow motion and something fascinating happens.

Twenty people, moving in perfect synchronization, change four tires and adjust a 1,000-horsepower car in under 2 seconds.

Not a single wasted movement. Not one person out of position.

The front jack man lifts the car before it even stops. The rear jack follows a fraction of a second later. Three crew members per wheel – one removes the old tire, one puts the new one on, one operates the gun.

There's also a person who never even touches the car. The 'lollipop man' stands at the front, orchestrating the entire sequence. While everyone else focuses on their specific task, he's watching the whole operation.

His only job is to make absolutely certain it's safe for the car to leave.

Red Bull's pit crew did 200+ stops last season. Average time of 2.6 seconds per stop. Their record was 1.82 seconds.

But the real magic is what happens between races. The crew practices their sequence hundreds of times.

They film it. Study it. Break down every millisecond.

When something goes wrong, they don't point fingers. They analyze. Every mistake is a chance to refine the process.

I used to think scaling myself and delegating effectively was about finding people who could do my job, and making myself “obsolete”. Turns out it's about designing systems where everyone can focus on doing their job exceptionally well.

Here are a few things that got me started on the right path:

• Realizing the J-curve to things; using a simple framework

• Curbing my perfectionist tendencies