Priority vs. energy

At his blog, Will Larson writes (emphasis added):

Rigid adherence to any prioritization model, even one that’s conceptually correct like mine that prioritized the company and team first, will often lead to the right list of priorities but a team that’s got too little energy to make forward progress. It’s not only reasonable to violate correct priorities to energize yourself and your team, modestly violating priorities to energize your team enroute to a broader goal is an open leadership secret. Leadership is getting to the correct place quickly, it’s not necessarily about walking in the straightest line. Gleefully skipping down a haphazard path is often faster than purposeful trudging.

This is particularly important when you’re leading a small team, or if you’re self-employed; personal energy is often the limiting constraint. You want to do things that’ll fill up your reserves of energy, and sometimes (a lot of times!) that won’t be the thing that’s the highest priority. 

It’s a constant oscillation between exploring and exploiting, discipline vs. play, deep work vs. door open

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