The Arrival Fallacy, Thinking Differently About Time, Having Great Vacations, and More.
Article Round-Up: 9.25.22
Enjoy this week’s round-up of articles, podcasts, and more from the web.
Featured Thoughts:
“Why You Should Think About Time Differently”
Takeaway: This is a concept I’ve been thinking more about lately. After nearly ten years dedicating myself to growing a business, it became the most significant aspect of my identity. I’ve had to make countless sacrifices to reach this point.
My trip to Greece was my first true vacation (where I set aside all work) in that entire length of time.
As I’m getting older and gaining more experience and wisdom, I’ve started to shift how I think about where and how I’m spending my time. My ambitions have not gone away, and I still have goals that I’d like to achieve—personally and professionally.
I’m starting to shift how I spend this time and approach these goals. Focusing on efficiency and time management instead of staying busy. Trying to engage more in other areas of my life that I’d like to bring back. Expanding my identity outside of my professional goals.
How we make the most of our precious time is something we should all consider deeply at some point.
“How To Overcome The Arrival Fallacy”
Takeaway: The arrival fallacy is the idea that once you reach the “big” goal, you’ll finally be happy.
You see this with students who believe once they get that hard-earned degree everything will fall into place. You see it in individuals who think that once they get rich will have all of their problems go away.
You see it very commonly in folks who believe once they lose weight they’ll be happy.
Thinking of your happiness as a destination, a place you need to arrive at, can inspire you to action. However, once you walk into the party and realize it’s not what you expected… That can lead to a lot of frustration.
“How To Have A Great Vacation”
Takeaway: Clearly this topic is fresh in my memory. Interestingly, a lot of us think about when we can plan our next vacation, but few think about how to get better at planning their vacations.
Two interesting points of note:
The idea of planning vacations around your personality, and not just because an activity sounds cool. A sunset cruise sounds nice, unless you get terrible seasickness. Hiking to that waterfall sounds nice, unless a bottle of hand sanitizer doesn’t even last you a week. Stop planning activities you feel like you should be doing, and plan the ones you’ll actually like.
The finding that scheduling your free time actually makes you happier. This is applicable even at home. Often people find when they don’t have plans they fall to the default—wasting time at home on Netflix or scrolling on their phone. Sometimes this might be a needed reprieve, but be careful not to let that eat all of your free time. Plan activities for yourself and you’ll find your free time more enjoyable. (Wait, are we still talking about vacations?)
“Understand This Concept For Better Diet Control”
Takeaway: Work to build a good level of awareness around your food choices, understanding what factors influence your decisions. That skill can serve you well in navigating the tricky terrain of modern day nutrition.