🪦 No funerals for failure
Ep 21: Judicious overtime, giving them the (ski) boot, and a tale of three failures.
It’s been a week, hasn’t it? Who’s ready for February? The month of Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day, and the Superbowl. All packed into a super-short month with all kinds of fun facts. Bring it on!
A Tip for the Modern Worker
Judiciously go into overtime. One of the benefits of working remotely is the ability to put in extra effort when it's needed. Are you on a deadline? Attending to some kind of work-related emergency? Trying to wrap up something you know you can't leave undone? It can pay great dividends to invest non-work time to get it done. Flexibility goes both ways.
This tip is one of 365 in my Handbook for the Modern Worker. I’m fairly regimented when it comes to my work schedule, but it’s true: it can be worth it to spend the extra time to wrap something up before the weekend, or to put in the extra morning or evening hours when you’re on a deadline. The peace of mind or satisfaction of a job well done is usually worth it.
#365DayDraw
I drew this and wrote the accompanying annotation as part of my #365DayDraw project 7 years ago today.
Give 'em the boot
Ah, the good old ski boot! We are a family that loves to ski and my kids were in ski racing programs the year I did this drawing challenge. The timing of this is apt, too: we’ll be heading to Canada in a few short weeks to enjoy a few days of skiing. Really looking forward to it!
Commentary
The theme of failure hit me head-on this week in at least three different places: Tim Ferriss’ 5-Bullet Friday contained a Quentin Tarantino quote about failure:
I want to risk hitting my head on the ceiling of my talent. I want to really test it out and say, ‘Okay, you're not that good. You just reached the level here.’ I don't ever want to fail, but I want to risk failure every time out of the gate.”
— Quentin Tarantino
In her Three Failures Substack post,
wrote about three of her failures as preparation for an interview.And in a Tech Ride episode, Jeff Sprecher talked about how he doesn’t tend to celebrate successes, as they’re more like expectations, just as if you fail (he cited many failures along the way to helming a Fortune 500 company), you shouldn’t hold a funeral.
So, dear reader, what about me? I thought I’d share a few of my failures, in the spirit of full disclosure.
For several years in the 2008-2010 timeframe, Amy and I worked for hours every evening promoting and adding content to our Lunchtaker endeavor. I designed and built the site and integrated it with the USDA database. Our goal: to help parents put together creative, healthy lunches for their kids. Heck, we even trademarked Lunchtaker. Well, we shuttered it after it was clear it was waaaaay too congested a space to play in. There was no way we’d ever make the money on ad revenue to make it worth our time.
I had the chance to join a startup early in my career, but I opted for the safety and security of my corporate gig. Well, they got bought for $100 million in stock and cash, netting the founders a nice nest egg. A decade later, I had another opportunity to join a startup, but would have had to move to California, leaving my family behind (the company’s board refused to support me working remotely). Guess what? They got bought, too.
And then there’s my two books. I consider them a success, because HEY I WROTE TWO BOOKS, but literary agents consider them a failure because of their lack of commercial success. I’m sure I could have done more to publicize them, but at the end of the day I really loathe self-promotion. It feels icky. I have to work on this.
So were all these failures in the purest sense? Hell, no. I learned something from all of them. Some were forks in the road and I’m really grateful I took the one I did. And some, while they would have been life-changing in terms of wealth, would have altered other aspects of my life that I wouldn’t change for the world.
Miscellanea
🛩️ Well, I’m back from a business trip to Atlanta, and the commensurate joy (snark intended) of flying to places. I brought my overnight bag on board to put in the overhead so I wouldn’t have to wait for baggage claim. I admit it was a stress to have to pack a smaller bag and lug it around the terminal. This article touts the benefits of checking a bag. What are your preferences when you fly?
🗺️ I love Strava, and I am psyched that their maps are going to get a facelift. Strava announced their acquisition of Fatmap, a company that’s building a high-resolution 3D global map platform. I can’t wait to share ski trips and epic trail runs in better resolution!
🍹 Amy and I enjoyed dinner at Ithaca’s Bickering Twins. Last summer, while dining outside, we ordered a special margarita and it was incredibly delicious. Others must have felt the same, because now it’s on their permanent menu. If you go, try the Mango-rita with pure mango puree, Cabrito reposado, agave, and lime. The chamoy and chili salt rim puts an exclamation point on this delicious drink.