How to give less of a f**k
I’ve been asked to write this post more than once. It seems that many of you like the idea of only having a finite number of f**ks to give, but want to understand how to apportion them correctly. Simply put - how do you give less of them?
We need to start by remembering our motivation. In this context, giving less of a f**k isn’t simply about not caring, it’s about focus. Does this deserve my attention right now? How does this help me to achieve my purpose? Do i need to care right now? Is I’ve grown older and (arguably) uglier, I have developed a knack for focusing on the things that I can actually affect. Situations will always develop and bad things can happen. It is always wise to get ahead of these situations where possible, but this is about picking your battles. You cannot fight every fight and timing is everything.
So, HOW do you do this?
Personally, there are a few things I do. I think of it as triaging my thoughts.
What is the bad thing that could happen? What would that mean?
What’s the most likely outcome?
Does it really matter if that person doesn’t like me, if that thing doesn’t get done on time?
What COULD I do about it?
Is this more important than what else I need to do?
How much effort is required vs the impact it could have?
What if I do nothing?
Hopefully you can see where I am going here. Some situations, there is little you can do. Others, when put in perspective, maybe don’t matter as much to you. The most important things to do are to trust your decision making, re-evaluate as needed and OWN IT. Life is packed full of decisions. Some you will get spot on, others you won’t. On balance, it’s likely you will get more right than wrong. Make an assessment based on what you know, and run with it until something changes.
You only have so many f**ks you can give at any one time. Use them wisely 😉
