Quit Something

In the caption for a video they recently produced for The New York Times, Lindsay Crouse and Kirby Ferguson write:

It’s been a brutal few years. But we’ve gritted through. We’ve spent time languishing. We’ve had one giant national burnout. And now, finally, we’re quitting.

We are quitting our jobs. Our cities. Our marriages. Even our Twitter feeds.

And as we argue in the video above, we’re not quitting because we’re weak. We’re quitting because we’re smart.

When something isn’t working, and you want to improve the situation, you have two options: Make it better, or quit.

Quitting can be painful, but sometimes making something better just isn’t worth it. Persistence is important, but so is freeing up your physical and mental energy to focus on what matters most.

In a similar spirit, this quote from The Tim Ferriss Show has stuck with me ever since I heard it:

"If you want to really challenge yourself, turn down an opportunity and take a nap."

I regret to say I can’t find which episode it’s from or who said it. But I love the way it inverts the traditional mindset of high achievers.

Want to push yourself out of your comfort zone? Quit something and go rest.

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