How scary was your Sunday?

“There is a saying that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. At Apple, I learned that is a total crock. You will work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands.” – Tim Cook, Apple CEO

You ever heard of this “Sunday Scaries” thing?

I started seeing it online so I looked it up:

“The Sunday Scaries” is basically a dopey Insta-term about the chronic anxiety many feel before going back to work on Monday morning, which sounds about as much fun as a sandpaper handjob, or spending a first date being lectured about astrology.

I have a faint memory of the feeling from my school days, but thankfully, that’s about it.

If anything, I have “Sunday get the fxck out the way, let’s get back to it” syndrome, and I know that’s not normal, but I think it should be.

Now, don’t worry:

This isn’t a lecture on how to “do what you love so you never work another day in your life”…

…In part, because it isn’t true (hat tip Tim Cook ^), but more, because it’s not useful.

Quitting your job on blind faith is the right move for almost nobody, and hating your work is part of the path for almost everybody.

So, my advice is this:

Never do work you hate without also working towards doing work you love.

The cure for the Sunday Scaries isn’t to bury your head in the pillow and spike your coffee with vodka on Monday morning.

It’s to set your alarm 90 minutes earlier, and spend that time…

  • Building your business
  • Learning the skills required for your dream career
  • Sharpening the skills required to advance in your current career
  • Taking creative control of your life.

Repeat Tuesday through Saturday, and I’m betting your Sundays will feel a lot less scary.

A final, deeper point:

Dopamine is released in pursuit, not on reward, which means — literally, biologically:

Your happiness is not determined by your current position, but by the feeling of making progress towards a better future position.

There are plenty of miserable, burnt-out blokes at the top of the mountain, looking down in envy at the hungry lions climbing below.

So, if your Sundays are feeling scary, and your Mondays are feeling miserable:

Put your boots on the ground and get to climbing.

– T

P.S. In other news, this just dropped.

Taylor Allan Avatar