The Claritas Letter
Moving from Chaos to Clarity
Choice Architecture | 3-2-1
Summary of my family's 14 month RV adventure -
the result of a very intentional change in focus
Photo Credit: Lee Ann Lau
The View from Here
We are entering that high-stakes, late-spring sprint. For busy professionals, May is often a frantic paradox. We push ourselves to wrap up projects and clear our to do lists in a desperate bid to carve out some extra time during the summer. Time to spend time with kids on break, enjoy long-awaited outdoor activities, or just relax.
This past month I’ve been reflecting on choices I’ve made over the years to accommodate my priorities and how my decision-making process has changed over the years. For example, early in my surgical career, my default-mode was working towards career advancement without much consideration for what I was giving up in other areas of my life. Later, when my kids were in late elementary school, I made a very intentional choice to pause my career to have some dedicated time with my children. This decision led to a 14 month RV adventure when my kids were 7 and 10. The photos include some summary stats from the trip (happiest about 0 hospital visits!!), the states we visited, and a picture from Joshua Tree National Park.
The states we stayed in
Photo Credit: Lee Ann Lau
In recent years, the choices have increased in nuance. They are very personal but range from career decisions (changing from surgery to palliative medicine, starting a coaching business) to family-related (hosting exchange students, scheduling regular dates with family members) to personal (health changes after a new diagnosis, finding new hobbies). After making many highly intentional choices, I disrupted the cycle of default decision making.
Last summer, I read 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkmann for one of my book clubs. As a group, we explored how accepting the limits of time positively impacts our time management. The book and our discussions helped crystalize my thoughts about the decisions I was making. I am feeling the benefits of alignment between my actions and my priorities, creating a strong sense of accomplishment and contentment.
Time together at Joshua Tree National Park
Photo Credit: Lee Ann Lau
In this month’s deep dive article, I explore how living with finitude as a front-and-center value fundamentally impacts your decision-making, stress levels, and life satisfaction.
LINK TO ARTICLE https://www.claritaslife.com/resources/the-compass/time-is-not-money
3 | Your Turn
Where are you choosing the default “yes” to avoid temporary friction or the discomfort of establishing a boundary?
What would happen if you treated your calendar with the same disciplined budget that you apply to your financial capital?
How is the illusion of time as an infinite resource costing you your highest personal priorities?
2 | Worth Your Time
Concept:
Opportunity Cost: An economic principle stating that the true cost of any choice is the value of the next best alternative. Applied to time, this is a reminder that every “yes” is an automatic “no” to something else.
Paradox:
Efficiency Trap: The better you get at clearing tasks, responding to emails, and optimizing your schedule, the more demands you attract.
1 | The Lab
Try implementing a mandatory pause on all non-urgent requests. When a new commitment crosses your desk, use a default response from this month’s tool to buy yourself thinking space.
The Tool: Intentional Pause Script Bank
Where Clarity Meets Connection
Where are you currently choosing alignment?
Let me know what resonated most with you!
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CHAOS to CLARITY
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