Don’t Undervalue Turning Up the Dial on Your Grind, but Don’t Overvalue the Last Turn
Regret minimization is often used to justify leaving a comfortable situation to grind towards an life-changing transition is uncertain and difficult in the short term.
This might seem like flipping a switch towards 100% grind, constantly pushing the boulder, but it’s important to keep in mind that regret minimization cuts both ways.
Yes, grind grind grind, but also don’t forget to take breaks to spend time with people you care about, especially around big events or when you’re not going to see them again for a while.
If you’re anything like me and have a nagging feeling that you should be making progress on “the thing” 100% of the time, what might help justify taking breaks is to think about relative speed increases: if you’re pushing on the needle X% of the time, what kind of speed multiplier are you leaving on the table?
Sure, if there is a make-or-break moment in your grind, then it might be worth temporarily turning the dial up to 100% to try to capitalize on it.
