Work is not your baby

It will always be true that if you work just a little bit more, you can make a little bit more progress.

For some people, including me, this is a slippery and dangerous slope.

Sometimes instead of ending the work day at 5, I’ll work “just a little bit more” until 6 or 7. If I’m feeling behind, I’ll sometimes even do a little work on Sundays.

Yes, I make more progress and it feels good — but at what cost? Missed family calls, late dinners, worse sleep, fewer conversations with friends and very little time to enjoy other things that I often regret not spending more time on like reading fiction books.

When you total both the immediate costs I just mentioned and the long term costs like more shallow relationships, it’s quite alarming.

Some individuals will shrug, finding no issue with what I just said. To which I respond, “if this is the price you’re willing to pay — great. It’s your time.”

However, I find myself increasingly unable to justify this tradeoff as I get older and as time becomes increasingly less on my side.

Just consider the tradeoffs and whether it’s really worth it to you in the long term, that’s all I’m suggesting. It is much better to have thought this through early on in life rather than later.