Day: May 16, 2021

How we work is not good for us

Likely in a few hundred years people will look back at us and wonder how we could be so screwed up when it comes to work. If you are reading this while you have the Sunday Scarries, you likely won’t need much convincing.

If you do need convincing, then read these two pieces:

There are benefits that we as individuals get out of work. But we need to seriously question and challenge how good those benefits are in comparison to the drawbacks.

Many of us are becoming less religious in the 21st century. We recognize some of the benefits, but the drawbacks of it are too great to keep us religious. If you were to go back in time 500 years ago, most people would have thought this inconceivable, that we would give up on religion. Well, what those people think of religion then we think of work now.

If you do have the Sunday Scarries, I don’t envy you. But at least you know the problem is not you, it’s work.

(Photo by Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash)

Getting out of your comfort zone gives you a new and better comfort zone

During the pandemic I have found myself retreating into my comfort zone. It makes sense to some degree: life is hard enough with the lockdowns and worse that this stupid disease has brought us: why make things harder?

What I have realized now though is my comfort zone has shrunk as I retreated to it more and more. This has led to a bad downward spiral. Take exercise, for example. A 30 minute run used to be in my comfort zone while a 60 minute run was not. But as I exercised less during the pandemic, now even a 5 minute run is barely in my comfort zone anymore.

This made me realize that to have a larger comfort zone, you need to regularly go outside your old comfort zone and get uncomfortable. Staying in your comfort zone only shrinks it. But by going outside it more, you expand it. Having a larger comfort zone means you feel more comfortable and in control more often.

I’m going to start pushing on the boundaries of my comfort zone not because it is fun, but because I want a bigger one. I believe life is better when you do that.

One provision I would add is to make sure that when you go outside your boundaries it is in the direction of growth, not harm. Some people avoid going outside their comfort zone because they are afraid of getting hurt. Other people go too hard (eg runners) and end up returning to their old comfort zone and get stuck. Don’t do those things. Be gradual and be consistent as you stretch yourself: that’s the best way to expand your comfort zone.