Your Sorting Hat: On using neglect, doing nothing and the promise to yourself
Career Tuesday
Careers, Life and Questions (Jul 29, 2025)
Wish you a Happy Career Tuesday!
3 Career Ideas
I.
"When everything matters, nothing does.
You can't do it all. Nor should you try. Instead, consciously ignore what is not your priority, even if others may expect it from you.
Ask yourself - what will I consciously ignore this quarter?
Neglect it - strategically - and reclaim your edge."
II.
"Design the end first.
Before you start any project, visualise the final impact first. What outcome would make the effort worthwhile? Who needs to applaud? What would you be proud of.
Now reverse engineer the project from that success. You will find clarity and better execution from Day 1."
III.
"Upgrade inputs before demanding more output.
Audit what fuels you. Is it people, exercise or food? Early mornings or quiet evenings? What seems like laziness to you could be burnout and can be reversed with the right fuel and energy management.
Change your inputs before judging your output."
2 Life Quotes from Books
I.
Jerry Colonna, executive coach, in Reboot:
"Sometimes we have to let go of who we think we’re supposed to be, in order to become who we really are."
Source: Book: Reboot by Jerry Colonna
II.
Jenny Odell, artist and writer, in How to Do Nothing:
"The point of doing nothing, as I understand it, isn’t to return to work refreshed and ready to be productive again. It’s to question what we currently perceive as productive at all."
Source: Book: How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
1 Question
What’s one promise you’ve made to yourself (not others) but keep delaying?
What if you honoured it this week?
If you enjoyed that, please share this email with others.
Like, share & follow Your Sorting Hat on Instagram here.
Sign up here to receive this email every week or read longer career articles here.
Until next week,
Devashish Chakravarty
Author of YourSortingHat
Columnist for Careers at The Economic Times