“Busy is a decision. We do the things we want to do, period. If we say we are too busy, it is just shorthand for the thing being “not important enough” or “not a priority.” Busy is not a badge. You don’t find the time to make things, you make the time to do things.” —Debbie Millman

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” —Charles Kingsley

“Every transaction is paid for at least three times. First, with the money you pay. Second, with the time you spend. Third, with the reputation you create through your behavior. Being pleasant, reliable, and easy to work with might cost you a little more time. Perhaps even a bit of extra money. But the long-term returns from a great reputation usually outweigh the cost of a single transaction. Most of the value in life and in business arises out of good relationships....

“People say you have to travel to see the world. Sometimes I think that if you just stay in one place and keep your eyes open, you’re going to see just about all that you can handle.” —Paul Auster

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall

“Life is about balance. Be kind, but don’t let people abuse you. Trust, but don’t be deceived. Be content, but never stop improving yourself.” —Zig Ziglar

The Trees by Percival Everett is a novel that takes on the history of lynching in the United States of America through the lenses of minority police officers and stereotypical White do-gooders with a healthy dose of satire aimed at the worst leaders that the country has ever had. Everett writes with perfect pacing and surfaces many uncomfortable truths with superb dialogue. This is a book that every American should read....

Laura Vanderkam posted some excellent thoughts on making what little time we have more memorable. Basically, time is elastic. When we decide that we need to do something, we find the time to do it. Other stuff either doesn’t happen, or it takes less time, or it gets punted forward. Much other stuff turns out to be more malleable than we might have imagined. And so, of course, the key to time management is treating the things we want to do with the urgency of the things we need to do....

This article popped into my email newsletter feed this morning and is apropos to something that I was thinking just last Friday as I watched an attempted software release delay and ultimately cause many additional hours of work for developers who should have been preparing for a weekend of relaxation instead. https://world.hey.com/jason/watch-out-for-12-day-weeks-b4441874

“A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.” —Paulo Coelho, The Fifth Mountain