Time

Let’s put aside the time god allowed you to have on this planet as this is 100% out of your control (unless your passion is base jump, in this case you might be playing with fire).

Time is a tricky bastard because it plays games with you.

Most of the time, you lack time to do “what you need to do”. Problem is that if you are like me, you put yourself in positions where you need to do a lot of things. I constantly feel like I don’t have enough time. Yet, did I bring my car to the repair shop to exchange money I have in relative abundance against this precious time? Nope. Never think of this. The reason is because I enjoy learning things. That’s actually the whole point of this reflection.

So how do I make time?

The harsh truth is that even though I really enjoy my work, this is my most time-consuming activity by a huge margin. And when it doesn’t burn time directly because I am working, it’s usually so intense that I need a non-negligible time after my day of work just to get back to being operational. Work is the main reason I spend hours in front of TV shows that are just good enough to not feel guilty. And to make things even worse, I also spend hours in my week thinking about work, stressing about deadlines and quarterly plans.

Writing these lines makes me laugh and feel sad at the same time. How can I let stuff as arbitrary as it gets create so much tension in me. I feel like those children that are freaking out because of something insignificant. Well, this is the adult version of it but it’s as ridiculous.

I hope that if someone ever reads this text, they will also recognize the futility of things and stop worrying about them.

I am so tired of letting people decide for me what’s important and what’s not. So today, I want to speak clearly. Hell, yell it.

Professional life is a fucking game. Play it hard, but end of the day, you shouldn’t give a shit. To me, pro life is like a video game. You did well? Awesome, you deserve to be on the top of the leaderboard. But you should remember that no one gives a shit about it and most of the other people are not even playing the same game as you. You being #1 doesn’t matter to them and frankly, it should matter to you really.

So why do it? Well, for the money it brings home of course. But there is a well-kept secret. You are not paid more if you cannot sleep because of a failed project. Of course, many people value “business” and “commitment” but you can be committed and not stress about it. You can be busy (or look busy) without spending your entire time working.

Let’s make time together and re-think how we work.

First, whether you are the boss or not, the weight of the world is not on you. Try your best, celebrate the success, acknowledge the failures and move on. Don’t resent people for not being as committed as you. Again, it’s a game and some are not playing the same game as you (whatever it is). In general, don’t get pissed at anyone. It’s useless, time consuming and energy-draining. Sure, it gives you something to complain about at the dinner table but nobody (especially your loved ones) likes this part of you. It makes you fragile and sad. So, let it fucking go and keep in mind that your world could be shattered tomorrow and all this won’t matter.

Second, put clear boundaries on your schedule. You won’t be paid more if you work a few hours more every week. And ironically, I never had better results working 60 hours a week than doing 40. When time is limited, you let go stuff and for some reason, it still works out. So try to find the smallest work day that allows you to do your job properly and stick to this. Also, don’t forget the inherent nature of our economic system. Infinite growth. Therefore, companies tend to expect infinite productivity from every employee. But unlike a spreadsheet, your life is subject to the hard rules of nature and while you can increase your productivity temporarily, it won’t be enough. Never. So embrace the infinite todo list, do what you can and see what happens. Otherwise, you might be creating some unrealistic expectations on you that will give you one hell of an ego boost but will bite you back pretty hard…

OK, so you have tight days and stop stressing about things. Now, how do you keep energy to actually use the little “free” time you have in your life?

Well, the trick is simple.

Do one important thing in your day. Do three things not important.

Period.