Thanks, I appreciate this detailed response! My advice for what to do in practice is something like āfocus on output against priorities, not marginal hoursā. I no longer believe that, for most people, there is a real trade-off between hours spent on self-care* and amount of impact. If someone is making themselves miserable, I think āput real effort into becoming less depressedā is a likely good short-term bet for increasing productivity, but this post is meant to be about a general pattern, not just advice for people struggling with their mental health.
* aside: I donāt love āself-careā as a phrase, since it always conjures images of someone, like, reclining in a bubble bath whilst eating chocolates. Which is a fine thing to do, obviously, but I would love a phrase that more clearly points to ātaking the time and actions you need to feel okay doing your lifeā.
Thanks, I appreciate this detailed response! My advice for what to do in practice is something like āfocus on output against priorities, not marginal hoursā. I no longer believe that, for most people, there is a real trade-off between hours spent on self-care* and amount of impact. If someone is making themselves miserable, I think āput real effort into becoming less depressedā is a likely good short-term bet for increasing productivity, but this post is meant to be about a general pattern, not just advice for people struggling with their mental health.
* aside: I donāt love āself-careā as a phrase, since it always conjures images of someone, like, reclining in a bubble bath whilst eating chocolates. Which is a fine thing to do, obviously, but I would love a phrase that more clearly points to ātaking the time and actions you need to feel okay doing your lifeā.
yeah that seems right to me