Trade-offs

I get stuck in black-and-white thinking in lots of areas, but time usage is top of the list. Sometimes I consider everything a trade - either do one thing or do another, and one choice must be better. That's a trap to be sure, but I think it's good to realize that often we are lucky enough to choose our own adventure with our time.

I think the idea of trading good for great is pressurized. More of a self-value judgment than a self-improvement exercise.

So, now I try to think of it as trading nothing for something.

Two years ago, I took an Instagram break and filled the time with a very helpful Microsoft Excel course by Miss Excel. Her story is very interesting - and her approach is very relatable and personable.

At the end of the month, I was functional with Excel, which really helped with work projects. But I went back to Instagram, and without guilt. I took the break because it (social media) had become a nothing - mindless time burner - and I needed to find a something instead. No life-change or monasticism, just took a break and traded a nothing for a something. Wound up back on Instagram, a little more mindful, and with a practical skill.

Ever tried that little move - nothing to something?