Life is too short to think only about work.
“Those who are wise won’t be busy, and those who are too busy can’t be wise.” - Lin Yutang
There is no way to be healthy, wealthy and wise working 14 hour days. You will be too tired and frustrated to learn anything. Your productivity started to fade hours before the end of the day. Monday may have been productive, but by Wednesday or Thursday you are not sharp. Friday you come home and fall asleep on the couch.
How are you supposed to think? Thinking and learning are how we get more efficient and productive. New skills earn us more money. Not brute force.
I use to schedule an hour or two a week to read the business articles I cut out during the week. Found ideas and tools from other industries that improved factory productivity. Reading was not a waste of time.
Your goal is not to be a good worker. You want to be a complete, well-rounded person. Emotionally healthy, physically sound, and mature are desirable goals.
It is not the long workdays you think about when you get older. You think about time with friends, family and loved ones. Think about adventures and experiences. You think about mentors and classes who changed our life. Successes and the strange paths they all took.
Hard work is necessary to be successful. But choose the right work to do. Happiness is important.
“The three American vices seem to be efficiency, punctuality and the desire for achievement and success. They are the things that make the Americans so unhappy and so nervous.” - Lin Yutang
Credit Mark Skousen’s “The Art of Letting Go” inspiring these observations.
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