The cost of giving extra or “going the extra mile” in our careers for any period of time inevitably means being a below average partner/parent/friend/child/sibling for that period of time.
Nobody “has it all” or “does it all.” Not without a ton of help, support, patience, and understanding from people that matter in all those other areas of our life anyway.
We just make trade-offs. And they’re best made intentionally because we get to live with the consequences.
Win-win or no deal.
Sometimes, it is just that simple.
I used to have much better habits around disconnecting from work. Of late, I’ve slipped up on them.
It is one of those bad habits that has a collection of negative effects. I’m more effective when I switch on after having switched off. And, being on for long periods of time messes with my quality of engagement both at work and at home.
Time to re-learn how to do this.
Or perhaps learn how to do this. To learn and not to do is not to learn after all.
One of the fascinating things about the way our minds work is that we don’t appreciate progress in absolutes. We only appreciate progress relative to expectations.
It’s all relative.
I find myself paying for careless mistakes from time to time.
A few weeks ago, it was a parking ticket. I was visiting a place with a different system.
More recently, it was something toll related.
These mistakes cost a lot more to fix than to do it right of course. The parking ticket, for example, would have cost all of $4. The fine was $40.
While the goal is not to repeat these kinds of mistakes (it is a worthy goal), these slip ups happen from time to time.
As long as they’re (a) small and (b) happening on occasion vs. often, I just chalk them up to an imaginary careless mistake allowance.
Doing so helps me avoid time spent kicking myself. Pay the fine, learn the lesson, and move on.
Onward.
I am grateful to the folks at Wirecutter.
We needed to buy a washer and dryer combination recently. The decision making involved reading through the Wirecutter page, doing a quick Google search on the one I liked the most, and placing my order. It took about 10 minutes.
This process repeats itself anytime I need to buy something for the home. I appreciate that they do the research and explain everything in simple terms. It is a product built for satisficers like me.
Thank you, Wirecutter!
Every time I’m short of sleep, I’m amazed as to how it deprives me of any sense of possibility. Combined with tiredness/weariness, it is a recipe for making bad decisions.
It makes me wonder as to how many of the poorest decisions made by humans have simply been a result of sleep deprivation.
A realization as I’ve been working through a transition – there’s a lot written about how to approach a new job. There’s comparatively very little about how to leave a job (especially considering that happens just as often :-)).
And, yet, I’d argue that paying attention to some version of “the last 90 days” is just as important. Taking the time to say our goodbyes, writing those transition documents, and communicating consistently and clearly with those on the team all go a long way.
As humans, we remember peaks and ends. So, in the long run, how we leave a role matters just as much – if not more – as how we began it.
“Living the dream” is a fascinating phrase.
It implies there is one dream – the dream – worth aspiring for.
Of course, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
It’s best to take the time to figure out “our dream” and avoid being sucked into the upholding the prevailing dogma.
A simple equation to understand how much we’re learning on any given day: (Time spent attempting to get good, ) / (Time spent attempting to look good).
Then, increase the numerator and reduce the denominator.
