Contents
“A Million Minutes” is the directorial debut of Christopher Doll and opened in German cinemas on 1 February 2024. Tom Schilling and Karoline Herfurth play Wolf and Vera Küper. It is based on the autobiographical book by Wolf Küper from 2016. The film tells how a Berlin family gives up its everyday life and goes travelling for 694 days. It is an object lesson in the Law of Priorities: activity is not the same as accomplishment.
A lot of bustle, little impact
Situation
The Küpers live in Berlin, with good jobs and a lovely flat. Wolf advises the United Nations as a scientist. Vera manages the household and two children alongside her part-time job. The exhausting daily routine puts an increasing strain on the marriage.
Link to the law
Whoever gets a lot done easily considers themselves effective. But the Law of Priorities asks about the result, not the workload. A leader should check regularly what their full days actually produce in the end.
A question that sorts things out
Situation
Five-year-old Nina is diagnosed with a disorder of fine motor skills and coordination. One evening she wishes for “a million minutes, just for the really nice things”. Wolf realises that time together is more precious than professional success.
Link to the law
Priorities rarely become clear in the calendar. Often it takes a simple sentence from outside. Good leaders hear such sentences, even when they come from the quietest people, and then ask: what brings the greatest return here?
Deciding means leaving things out
Situation
The parents make Nina’s wish the family’s guiding theme. They clear out the flat, part with their possessions and set off. A million minutes is 694 days. The first stop is Thailand.
Link to the law
A priority is only a priority once something else makes way for it. This is where the Law of Sacrifice applies: whoever wants to move forward has to give something up. In everyday leadership that means deliberately cutting projects, appointments and status symbols.
The blind spot travels along
Situation
The film does not leave out the imbalance between the parents. The review by epd Film points out that childcare, household and job still fall mainly to Vera. Wolf’s reordering alone does not solve that.
Link to the law
A change of place does not change habits. Priorities only count once they actually change how the work is divided. Leaders should check who pays the price for their reordering.
A new everyday life instead of a break
Situation
From Thailand the family travels on to Iceland. There, according to the synopsis, it finds a healthier everyday life. The parents rethink learned patterns of thought, norms and traditions.
Link to the law
The goal is not the break, but a lastingly different order. Whoever takes priorities seriously builds their everyday life around them. Otherwise the old pattern returns after every break.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Measure your week by the result, not by the number of your appointments.
- Take simple questions seriously, especially from people who are close to you.
- Cut something when you declare something new a priority.
- Check who bears the cost of your decisions.
- Build your everyday life around what matters instead of pushing it into the gaps.
Summary
The film shows a family that gets a lot done and loses itself in the process. A child’s wish reorders the priorities. The decision is followed by real sacrifice, and yet work remains to be done on how the burdens are shared. The same applies to leaders: what counts is not how much someone does, but what for.