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#65: Start with the rocks.
Shem Opolot
March 29, 2024
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Who am I? I’m Shem Opolot, a health professional turned content creator, passionate about helping people be their best selves in life and work.
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Happy [Good] Friday 🎉 I thought about balance a lot this week when I stumbled upon a funny TikTok video.
Apparently, you can only possess two of these four attributes: hot, smart, funny, and sane. I like to think of myself as smart and funny, but my wife would disagree with the latter.
If I could choose, I’d pick hot and funny because attractive people can get away with almost anything if they master how to wield it, I overrate a good sense of humor, and I think basic common sense is enough to thrive in life.
Which do you think you are, and which do you wish you were?
The video is hilarious, and you can watch it here.
LIFE.
Start with the rocks.
Except for the odd cold, which doesn’t count in Uganda, or a light bout of malaria, I’d never seen my parents ill. Let alone bedridden.
So when COVID-19’s Delta variant climbed over Uganda’s bushy border fence and conspiracies, death announcements, and car-wash overtures made the red notification badges on our phones swell, my Mum’s positive COVID diagnosis terrified me.
***
I wrote about how budgets are moral statements a while back, but this week I realized your schedule is a better indicator of your values.
If you have rocks, pebbles, and sand, and want to fit all of them in a jar, you must follow this order: rocks > pebbles > sand.
The rocks, pebbles, and grains of sand are your priorities, with the rocks being the highest priority and the grains of sand being the lowest priority. If you add the sand first, your rocks won’t fit in the jar.
***
Fortunately, after spending a week in the hospital, Mum made a full recovery, and we were back to cracking jokes, saying she should’ve just drank water. (Mum has always insisted drinking water is an elixir.)
No one prepares you for your parents aging, but we’ll tackle this another time when my tears aren’t threatening to short-circuit my laptop.
Ever since Mum’s hospitalization, I’ve been “pre-grieving” my parents because I know they won’t be here forever.
I know. You don’t need to tell me that’s morbid. I know.
I decided to spend as much time with my parents as possible, so as long as I was in Uganda, I’d visit them every Sunday.
But I’m in D.C. now, and yesterday, I realized it has been close to a month since I spoke to my parents.
Unacceptable.
So, how can you make time for the things that matter most to you?
—You examine your schedule; because you can’t manage what you don’t measure.
and…
—You ensure your schedule reflects what you value the most by starting with a blank calendar and penciling in the rocks first, followed by the pebbles, and lastly, the sand.
Happy Easter!
THINGS.
A quote by the Phoenix Project
We are all stories in the end, just make it a good one eh?
A picture
My Spring semester is almost over, and it’s getting warmer. I can’t wait to go outside with the kids.
WORK.
The perfect fit.
If you’ve used Excel before, you know it’s annoying to readjust the column width every time you type a long entry.
But I have a solution for you.
Open a fresh workbook, right-click on the sheet name (usually “Sheet 1” by default), and click “View Code.”
An intimidating window will open that you’ll barely understand, but don’t panic.
Click the dropdown and select “Worksheet.”
Don’t ask too many questions; paste this piece of code in the blank space:
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange (ByVal Target As Range)
Cells.EntireColumn.AutoFit
End Sub
You can close the window and go about your business as usual.
Antidisestablishmentarianism is the longest word I can think of, but notice how the column auto-adjusts.
FUN.
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What phrase is represented below?
Measles Medical Research
Teardrop Tablets = Measles 30% cured
Boredom Shot = Measles 50% cured
Ha-Ha Syrup = Measles 100% cured
Answer below
Shem’s picks
✔️ Help draw the longest-ever flipbook
✔️ Tell Pix what you’re into, and it’ll suggest movies, books, TV shows, and podcasts
✔️ Eight techniques for evaluating someone’s character.
Answer: Laughter is the best medicine.
Have a great weekend,
— Shem
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