There are no guarantees in life. 2020 was a good reminder of that. Technological change is happening at ever greater speeds, and COVID-19 has only accelerated the mass adoption of new technologies.
At one time, it wasn’t overly optimistic to expect years of steady income from the same employer, followed by a healthy defined benefit pension plan. Although it was never guaranteed, that career path has grown increasingly rare.
The coming vaccines provide hope that the pandemic will soon retire, but our world will never fully return to normal. Whether your job is vulnerable to a pandemic, the rise of artificial intelligence, or something else, job security is a thing of the past.
Throughout 2020 I’ve harped on the importance of an emergency fund. And my thoughts haven’t changed. But an emergency fund only provides a cushion to land on – it isn’t a long-term solution.
We need a better plan.
Investing In the Future
So how do we reduce our exposure to change? I have a couple ideas. And they both involve investing.
The first is investing in the traditional sense – making your money work for you. The second is investing in yourself – a commitment to lifelong learning and the acquisition of skills that “future-proof” your career.
This is the last issue of HealthShift until the new year. I assume the reading of newsletters won’t be high on your priority list over the holidays anyway. When we return, there will be an increased focus on investing as defined above.
Of course I will continue to provide physical and mental health resources. As we press ahead with our shift work schedules, keeping these two top of mind is of utmost importance.
“The three big ones in life are wealth, health, and happiness. We pursue them in that order but their importance is in the reverse.”
-Naval Ravikant
Here’s to a 2021 in which we make progress on all three.
Happy holidays.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Coffee can boost our alertness and help us cope with the rigors of shift work. It turns out it can also be used as a screening tool for COVID-19. Sudden loss of smell is normally quite rare with other viral infections. So if you can’t smell your coffee, it’s a good sign of a possible COVID-19 infection.
In fact, recent analyses suggest that if you had to pick just one symptom, sudden smell loss may be the single best predictor of a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Loss of smell is very specific to COVID-19, but not everyone with SARS-CoV-2 infection reports smell loss. Critically, being able to smell things does not mean you are COVID-free.
A Morning DIY Test Could Tell You if You Need to Get Tested For COVID-19 | Science Alert
Pour Some Allulose On Me
“Let that all sink in for a moment: allulose—slightly less sweet than the taste profile of sucrose, with the mirror image configuration of fructose—does not increase blood glucose, but actually drags glucose with it to excretion.”
A sugar substitute that doesn’t have a weird aftertaste and lowers blood sugar. If not for the high price tag and low availability, I’d say it was too good to be true.
Replacing sugar with allulose | Peter Attia
Break It Down
When predicting the amount of time it will take to complete a big task, we’re often overly optimistic. This underestimation of the time required is known as the planning fallacy.
Research has shown, however, that people are much better at estimating the amount of time required for smaller tasks compared with bigger ones. So a good way to combat the planning fallacy is to break up a complex project into many sub-tasks.
Ask Ariely: On Seasonal Steps, Vibrant Videos, and Peak-End Presentations | Dan Ariely
And Vice Versa
A quality diet can help you get better sleep. But it’s not a one way street. Quality sleep can also help you eat a healthier diet.
How Foods May Affect Our Sleep | New York Times
No Remorse
‘Tis the season to spend. But before you mindlessly reach for your credit card, have a look at these common wastes of money. Avoid buyer’s remorse by putting your money towards something more worthwhile – like retiring from shift work.
Don’t Buy This: Top 20 List of Things That Aren’t Worth the Money | Kiplinger
Stay healthy-
Jason Glenn