classical_Liberal's Semi-ERE

[7Wannabe5]

@c_L:

Well, I would say that it only half works on the limbic level. It helps me evade the horrible stuck-in-a-rut feeling that is the worst for eNTP, but it doesn't fix my dysfunctional reactions along the lines of "I've worked 3 days in a row! I'm exhausted! Where are those cookies?"

[Jin+Guice]

@c_L: I think you are coming at this the wrong way. Instead of thinking about what the most efficient way to earn the money is, ask what the best way for you is. What works best for your other systems? 7w5 has suggested that your personality type likes to either be all on or all off, which would suggest that you should do the 3 months. For me, I'd much rather be PRN. If PRN is something like 5% better (hard to quantify of course) then it's probably not worth it. But even if you think it's something like 25% better, I think it'd be worth it, because money isn't your most important factor anymore. Getting out of the mindset is hard though.

There are a lot of different ways to slice this. I think the most important question is, do you still like nursing? If you do, how can you make it the most enjoyable for yourself? If you don't, how can you suffer the least while you figure out your next move. No reason to suffer just to "earn" extras.

As far as skill loss goes, as someone who's taken years off between jobs, skills are surprisingly stable overtime. If your really at the cutting edge of some profession you'll lose your edge, and if you didn't do the job enough to internalize you might not be able to restart it, but occasional maintenance will keep you at 90% and then a week back on the job will get you back to 99% (in my experience).

The ACLS class thing is important, I think. I never want to go to work the night before or when I get up, but when I get over to the hospital (and remember, I actively dislike this job) I'm often happy to be there. The same thing happens with work I "like" or even do for free. It's important to honor both of those feelings, mitigating the dread while maximizing the pleasure of the work.

[classical_Liberal]

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[7Wannabe5]

One rational argument in opposition to linear efficiency would be that life happens or is subject to cycles. For instance, consider the limitations of applying the measure of efficiency to tasks such as infant care, growing a pumpkin patch, or even relearning math topics at the age of 54.

Sometimes I wonder if all of the truths we hold (about personality and preferences) aren't just somehow delusions we've tricked ourselves into believing.

No. All you have to do is consider any humans you have known from early childhood into adulthood. Could you easily impersonate the writing voice of another member of this forum? How difficult would it be for you to sort posts without name tag and guess at writer, given reasonable number of previous examples of writing? Many people have physical presences that do not match their writing voices, but there is a certain consistency in this also. You have to read for what people directly say about themselves, because it is usually true, and also discern subtext. For instance, it would be pretty easy to discern that Riggerjack is a big guy physically without direct information revealing that fact, but it is more difficult to get a sense for how tall Jacob is from his writing.

[classical_Liberal]

,,,

[7Wannabe5]

For the past 8-9 years of my life (I now officially dub this the nursing period), time has really been that resource. Maybe emotional/social energy as the secondary, but I'm not sure how to quantify that other than the need for "recovery time". Now I have to decide what resource(s) is worth "effcientizing"

Don't forget that you have also been focused on being extremely efficient with use of money during this time period.

Maybe I am missing something, but if you are off the notion of "smart goals" then it seems to me that you must be on the notion of "best practices." As in "It is my practice to take an hour walk through the woods most mornings." or "It is my practice to make broth with the carcass anytime I roast a chicken." Therefore, one problem with choosing workaholic efficiency plan to top off your stock of money each year is that it may wreak havoc on many of the other "best practices" you are attempting to establish or try.

[jacob]

For the past 8-9 years of my life (I now officially dub this the nursing period), time has really been that resource. Maybe emotional/social energy as the secondary, but I'm not sure how to quantify that other than the need for "recovery time". Now I have to decide what resource(s) is worth "effcientizing". This will require a different set of metrics, so I'm nowhere near understanding this process yet.

I'm gonna quote that too. As an academic/intellectual in a non-useful field, the short resources for me where money and technical in kind. So that's what I focused on. Hence the priority of learning DIY and stretching dollars all the time.---Which then lead to my early journey. So you're maybe starting the ERE journey in reverse/from the opposite side. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how ERE was really a combination of the four quadrants of the ERE book that's relevant here. Google currently fails me though.

[classical_Liberal]

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[7Wannabe5]

Another consideration would be that you are likely somewhat caught betwixt and between for the time being given the fact that your GF is still working. So, for instance, you can't freely choose to optimize your outdoor exercise by choosing to tent camp down south for the worst months of the winter while also simultaneously optimizing your cyclical desire for sexual interaction and/or cuddling, etc. This is, obviously, a dilemma shared by many of us. Unfortunately, in relationship, it is often the case that lowest degree of freedom or functioning in any/every realm becomes the de facto reality.

Radical suggestion would be that you might consider throwing the funds you generate from next workaholic cycle directly at your GF's freedom fund rather than towards expensive compensations for fact that she is still working. Of course, other option which is very frequently chosen by older retired men with younger still-working wives or girlfriends is to offer support more in the form traditionally offered by competent homemakers, but in somewhat more muscular manner. For instance, retired BF would be more likely to take care of car stuff for working GF. Like if you are not working, and there is a blizzard, and you don't do something to help your GF with her commute to work, that might be near deal-breaker. The fact that you worked hard to save money in some past where you were not in relationship with her does not count and will not compute.

[classical_Liberal]

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[7Wannabe5]

Well, unlike the ENTJ/ENTP* pairing , the ENTJ/ENFP pairing is supposed to be quite easily workable. The two of you together are likely very comfortable in host/hostess role. ENFPs are not great with money, but like all NPs, they are happy with a frugal lifestyle and they appreciate nature. So, off the top of my head, resorting to some stereotype here, an ideal compromise sort of lifestyle for the two of you might be something like buying a private campground which you can run and where she will have constant inflow of new living things and people to care for.

*huge fights due to difference in essential world-view

[Jin+Guice]

@c_L: I like efficiency too, but in order for efficiency in one area to be better, everything else has to be equal. Efficiency in money-making is not efficient for you if it throws other things out of wack. In our culture, we're taught from birth that money is the most important thing. If we become what we measure, making what we measure dangerous, measuring money is at least twice as dangerous.

Personally I try to make my system efficient. If I had a system where all nodes had quantifiable local goals that I could measure, this would reduce slack, but I don't so slack (inefficiency) remains. I think this is ultimately a good thing.

If you need money, having an efficient way to make money is great. If you think the most efficient way is the best way, then you might as well try it out. The concern is that you seemed really miserable before, so why is this time going to be different? As an external observer of your life, when you were focusing on earning as efficiently as possible, I didn't think you were making an efficient trade-off to maximize the potential (efficiency) of your system. I'm glad you pushback when you disagree because it furthers the discussion and makes me reexamine my own way of doing things.

[classical_Liberal]

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[Jin+Guice]

Monetary outflows is a good one that's pretty easy to measure. If you could reduce monetary outflows low enough you'd never have to work again right?

My metric is "how much time do I spend doing what I want to do" or "how much control do I have over my time." Like I've said before, I like working at a job in small doses. It helps add some structure to my week and I like the feeling of accomplishment that comes from getting money and completing a task with other people. That's why I think it's important to figure out how you like to work.

No matter what your metric, it'll never accurately measure the efficiency of the system. In most circumstances, this will automatically create some slack. If you can take on the mindset of abundance, the slack comes pretty easily.

The whole thing's likely a wash, financially, but definitely positive sum when it comes to familial relationships. Pretty easy to quantify an individual event like that. I'm just having a hard time scaling up this type of thing. How do I live my whole life in a net zero or positive sum way like this? How can I even experiment without a way to really measure any progress?

It really depends where you're trying to get. The situation defined your goals in the example you gave so it gave you a metric. Not as quantifiable as money in this case, but still quantifiable enough to know when you're ahead. Money is tantalizing because we're taught to fetishize it from birth and it's so easy to measure. I don't see how saving more money is going to help you though, so you're probably going to have to settle for a less easily measurable and less sexy metric. I think you have to let the situation define your metric as you did in your example.

[horsewoman]

Perhaps you are overthinking this somewhat? I've reflected a little on your discussion with G+J and I think I measure only two things.
1. Money - do I spend significantly less than I earn?
2. Wellbeing - am I happy /content?
This determines where I need more slack, because too little slack in key areas makes me stressed out and unhappy. Am I oversimplifying this?

[7Wannabe5]

I pretty much agree with horsewoman and/or similar protocol described in YMOYL for regularly reflecting on utility of each expenditure. I always remember the example offered about how much fun it can be to go out to eat at a restaurant just once a month, rather than making the practice totally verboten.

However, it can be interesting and revealing to try tracking some other practices towards overall increase in fulfillment. For instance, I have suggested that sexual interaction frequency might be a good index, because it generally combines aspects of physical and mental health, aesthetic sense, and social functioning. Another one I have tracked would be hours devoted to worthwhile reading matter or similar studies. Success at foraging (given widest possible definition) would be another multi-faceted metric. I'm sure you could come up with some others that might feel more relevant to you.

[classical_Liberal]

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[Seppia]

it's fairly incredible how easily I put myself in your shoes.
I mean I'm not in your situation but it seems to me I would approach things in the exact same way

[classical_Liberal]

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[7Wannabe5]

I kept a spreadsheet which tracked certain daily activities and my self-reported daily happiness level and then looked for correlation. For instance, that’s how I determined that teaching very young children two days in a row was more disruptive to happiness than two days week max with a break off in between which was slightly net positive. I think this rule of thumb would apply for me in any activity resembling physically and emotionally demanding social or community service work. It’s fulfilling at the 16 hours/week level given that I am otherwise well able to care for myself.