The problem with huge, heroic acts of change

The Daily Drip

It's hard to think about work, projects, or productivity with all that's going on.

There are important and urgent issues taking place.

In huge, social moments like these, it's important to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

We often do day-to-day work in contained bursts called sprints--but social impact is a lifelong journey.

It's just as important to consider burnout from social impact work as it is from your typical project work.

Here are some thoughts to consider for burnout prevention:

Instead of donating $500 to a cause, consider adding a recurring donation of $25/month to your budget.

Instead of binge-reading tweets, news, and Instagram stories, carve out a small space for daily news consumption.

Instead of only posting one huge rambling thought on social media, consider how you'll mentor others on a regular basis and form trust-filled relationships.

To be clear, I'm not saying that any bursts of change are bad. They're needed for moments like this.

The seed I would like to plant in your brain is:

"What sustainable systems can I build to maintain my impact?"

The more we build systems and operations that impact our world, the less we'll need huge, heroic acts of change.