Choosing to work vs Having to work

Sent on July 6th, 2021

Hi, I’m Aravind Balla and you are reading letter #15 from the Hackletter where I talk about my learnings and give you behind the scenes of things I keep doing for fun.

There wasn't a letter last week because I wasn't doing great mentally. The week was pretty rough. I went on a short vacation to a nearby hill station and things came back to normal. Not completely, but better.

Choosing to work vs Having to work

I feel some tasks take energy from us, and some leave us energized. The task that take energy from us leave us depleted after doing it. And generally, these are the type of tasks which we are responsible for. Day job comes first.

Nothing is fun as a full time job – Ali Abdaal

The fact you have to get things done takes away all the energy.

On the other hand, side projects are energy giving. Whenever I finish some side project or solve my own problem, I feel great and energized for the rest of the day.

Not just projects involving code, but other hobbies like art or travel or reading energizes me.

The right balance for me is to do both energy consuming and energy giving things in a day. This keeps me up for the long run. Doing only energy consuming tasks, burns me out fast.

Do you feel the same? What are your energizing tasks?

See you next Tuesday πŸ‘‹


My friend Bhanu launched MDX.one which converts your Notion pages to blog. It's crazy fast πŸ’¨ and has got a sufficient free plan to get you started. Check that out if you are planning to start a blog or looking for alternatives to your current setup.


Thanks for reading. Forward this to your friends if you think they’ll enjoy too.

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