The most dangerous way to lose time is not to spend it having fun, but to spend it doing fake work.
We all underestimate our ability to massively change our life when it’s gone off track.
1% Better
In reading Tony Hsieh’s excellent Delivering Happiness there is a blog post by CFO, Alfred Lin, about what can be accomplished by getting 1% better everyday (personally, community, company, etc.).
Imagine yourself making 1% changes every day that compounds and will make you and Zappos 37x better by the end of the year. Imagine if every employee at Zappos was doing the same. Imagine how much better you, Zappos and the world will be next year.
A 1% improvement everyday will yield a 37x return. As an example, $100 with a 1% daily return would net you $3,700 at the end of the year ($100 * (1 + 1%) ^ 365 = $3,778.34).
While you cannot calculate mathematically a 1% life improvement it still a great daily goal. What can you do today to improve the world around you by 1%? Can you do it tomorrow as well?
Purpose Vs. Profit
This really gels with a great book I am reading, Start With Why.
Once you loose site of the purpose (WHY), nothing else really matters.
Kids can keep you up all night but it’s all worth it. Domestic animals give love freely to the least deserving, but their lives are short and their ends are often brutal. And it’s worth it. It is all worth it. Every day, even a sad day blurred by headaches and filled with business meetings, is magical and infinite. This dance, this particular proton dance, will never come again. This tune we’re too busy to hear will not be played again. Never forget to be thankful for your life.
Enjoy the full post and remember to enjoy your life.
There are all different kinds of currency in life. Numbers in a bank account are just one of them.
Very well said.
Why You Can’t Work At Work
…the modern work place is structured for interruptions. Interruptions are the enemy of work….
I also definitely buy into the fact people are working so much more today than in the past because of these interruptions.
The commuting paradox - (37signals):
I think of it as getting an extra hour a day. Add that up over the years and it’s a huge chunk of my life that’s given back to me.
Which links to this article: Extreme Commuting
This is what economists call “the commuting paradox.” Most people travel long distances with the idea that they’ll accept the burden for something better, be it a house, salary, or school. They presume the trade-off is worth the agony. But studies show that commuters are on average much less satisfied with their lives than noncommuters.
Here in NJ, a daily 1 hour commute is the norm. I did a 1+ commute in each direction for a couple of years. I don’t think you realize how much time you are really giving up to the “drive” until you stop doing it for a while.
I have been working at home now for almost 6 years. 1 commute hour per day, for 250 work days per year = 62.5 days saved (not including cost saved not eating out, no gas, limited wear on the car, etc). Of course my wife still drives 60+ miles in each direction every day, so as a family we are probably still negative. :)
