I absolutely love this post - a friend shared with me who thought it would resonate. Like you, I have been obsessed with efficiency. I would cross the street if the light was green and I knew that 9 blocks later I would have to cross anyway - that kind of OCD-level optimization :-) In my 23+ years working in tech without any real break (I did take vacations and they were sacred but nothing more than 2 weeks...) I never thought this kind of time optimization was "stressful" but I now realize that it was a constant low-grade stress. I left my last job at LinkedIn in April 2023 to initially take a year off and it was the best decision ever. Everything you say about being able to actually engage with everything - big and small - to really take your time doing things you love, not just learning new things... its all true. And when I returned to the workforce 15 months later, my bar was different. The kind of work I want to do to sacrifice my newfound "time wealth" needs to be worth it. And even while working, I now prioritize my time and especially my attention differently. I wish more of these time optimization books actually talked about how to focus your attention on what gives you joy and fulfillment rather than squeeze in more and more.
I totally agree Mitali. The 5 Types of Wealth touches on this in that there are of course other dimensions that time and financial wealth that matter. Social, mental, and physical are all important as well. I like how the author talks about different 'seasons' of your life where you may emphasize different dimensions more than others. For me it was nice to just raise awareness and consciously make decisions about different tradeoffs. Not just taking the default path.
I also appreciate that this all comes from a position of deep privilege to be able to make many of these choices. When spending a huge amount of time working is not a choice but a necessity to provide for you and your family the equation can look significantly different.
I can absolutely relate to this - the low-grade anxiety related to things needed to be done. I have been much more satisfied and happier after incorporating Cal Newport's "Slow Productivity" principles - Do fewer things, Work at a natural pace, and Obsess over quality.
Yeah, I hear you there. I feel like I have tried to follow those principles as well. It is definitely hard to manage the external time pressures, but if we can not impose our own internal time pressure that is a great start.
One benefit I've noticed since leaving Google to start my own thing (not retire) is that I am incredibly "productive" and creative in ways that would look like goofing off to a manager. I have amazing ideas sitting in my backyard hot tub watching the birds. I read lots of books that are tangentially related to work, but that give me unique and diverse perspectives. And, of course, I have traveled a LOT to experience different ecosystems and cultures, all which challenge my core beliefs and help me generate new approaches to problems. At Google, much of this was frowned upon. Now, I celebrate it as my greatest advantage... but more importantly, it's just a lot more fun!
That totally resonates with me. Even at Google, the small amounts I was able to make space, be it going on a walk, or the increasingly rate off-site, I often found inspiration or time to process and digest so ideas would come. The diversity of perspective definitely was hard to find though.
The graphs though! That made me chuckle.
It's backed with data! It must be true. *(N=1, self reported Likert scale survey results)
(long comment alert!)
I absolutely love this post - a friend shared with me who thought it would resonate. Like you, I have been obsessed with efficiency. I would cross the street if the light was green and I knew that 9 blocks later I would have to cross anyway - that kind of OCD-level optimization :-) In my 23+ years working in tech without any real break (I did take vacations and they were sacred but nothing more than 2 weeks...) I never thought this kind of time optimization was "stressful" but I now realize that it was a constant low-grade stress. I left my last job at LinkedIn in April 2023 to initially take a year off and it was the best decision ever. Everything you say about being able to actually engage with everything - big and small - to really take your time doing things you love, not just learning new things... its all true. And when I returned to the workforce 15 months later, my bar was different. The kind of work I want to do to sacrifice my newfound "time wealth" needs to be worth it. And even while working, I now prioritize my time and especially my attention differently. I wish more of these time optimization books actually talked about how to focus your attention on what gives you joy and fulfillment rather than squeeze in more and more.
I totally agree Mitali. The 5 Types of Wealth touches on this in that there are of course other dimensions that time and financial wealth that matter. Social, mental, and physical are all important as well. I like how the author talks about different 'seasons' of your life where you may emphasize different dimensions more than others. For me it was nice to just raise awareness and consciously make decisions about different tradeoffs. Not just taking the default path.
I also appreciate that this all comes from a position of deep privilege to be able to make many of these choices. When spending a huge amount of time working is not a choice but a necessity to provide for you and your family the equation can look significantly different.
A good read related to how you spend your time on weekends. 5 Ways To Achieve Weekend Relaxation : Life Kit https://www.npr.org/2019/12/17/788906118/how-to-have-a-good-weekend
I can absolutely relate to this - the low-grade anxiety related to things needed to be done. I have been much more satisfied and happier after incorporating Cal Newport's "Slow Productivity" principles - Do fewer things, Work at a natural pace, and Obsess over quality.
Yeah, I hear you there. I feel like I have tried to follow those principles as well. It is definitely hard to manage the external time pressures, but if we can not impose our own internal time pressure that is a great start.
One benefit I've noticed since leaving Google to start my own thing (not retire) is that I am incredibly "productive" and creative in ways that would look like goofing off to a manager. I have amazing ideas sitting in my backyard hot tub watching the birds. I read lots of books that are tangentially related to work, but that give me unique and diverse perspectives. And, of course, I have traveled a LOT to experience different ecosystems and cultures, all which challenge my core beliefs and help me generate new approaches to problems. At Google, much of this was frowned upon. Now, I celebrate it as my greatest advantage... but more importantly, it's just a lot more fun!
That totally resonates with me. Even at Google, the small amounts I was able to make space, be it going on a walk, or the increasingly rate off-site, I often found inspiration or time to process and digest so ideas would come. The diversity of perspective definitely was hard to find though.