I was a Lucky Kid

 Comments on: Work travel: it’s required for my role and business, but brutal for my heart.

My 5-year-old is really struggling with me traveling this week.. She’s missing me more than usual and is worried that something might happen to me. That I won’t come back.

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Any words of wisdom to share on how you strike the working parent balance? 

My father traveled a fair amount for work. It worked out well for us. I didn't realize until I was an adult having parents who loved you and made it obvious they did day to day is so valuable. That matters. Being gone sometimes didn't matter to me, I am sure some days it was annoying and is annoying for other kids. But it is really a minor blip, in my opinion.

My father and me

We also got to live overseas twice, for a year each time, and that closeness really can't be duplicated easily living in the USA (or your home country I don't think).

A parent that loves their work also provides huge benefits, in my experience

I wrote about my experience

https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2015/05/13/the-aim-should-be-the-best-life-not-work-v-life-balance/

The theme of that post makes sense for this case too I think. You want to optimize your life and your children's lives. That isn't the same thing as avoiding any things that might have some negative aspects.

Related: Positivity and Joy in Work - Making a difference in people’s lives - Touring Factories on Vacation When I Was Young - Curious, Joyful, Happy Kids Grow Up: Unfortunately

Utopia (Dreamland in the USA) is an Amazing TV Program

Dreamland (USA name) is an Australian TV show (called Utopia in Australia) that is available on Netflix. It is completely awesome. It is an amazing, biting, satirical look at modern office life at the Nation Building Authority of Australia.



Even after a second tweet to my followers emphasizing how awesome this show is they failed to appreciate the importance of going to watch this show immediately. I am very disappointed in them.

Go watch this show. It is on the level of the British version of the Office (and Dilbert - the comic strip not the TV show) for sheer greatness. And while I enjoyed that a great deal I think Utopia is a significantly superior experience. As far as a TV comedy goes the only thing I can think of in this class is Seinfeld and the level the Simpson's has reached at times. But Utopia has been universally awesome from what I have seen so far, without lots of the less compelling Simpson's shows.

Better off Ted, also available on Netflix, is also quite excellent and somewhat similar Utopia.



Utopia is something no one who works in an office should miss.

The embedded videos unfortunately barely give any indication of how special this show is.

Once you watch this, if you haven't seen Better off Ted go watch that.

Related: Curious Cat Management blog - Create a System That Lets People Take Pride in Their Work

Preparing for a More On-Demand Employment Market

Responses to questions on Do you know how to leverage your skills?:

> Do you agree that we are moving to an on-demand-economy?

Kind of. I think the percentage of that in the economy will increase. It has always been there, it is just growing now.

> Is entrepreneurship, consulting and freelancing taking over from full time employment?

Kind of, it is increasing. I don't think it will constitute more hours than full time employment (for the next 20 years - in the very long term it is hard to predict). One thing that had been a nearly catastrophic macro-economic problem (and an actually catastrophic problem for many people) with this in the USA is how closely health insurance was tied to employment. The minor reforms to the USA health care system (it is only a tiny bit of what is needed - USA has, and still, costs twice as much for health care as other rich countries with no better results, hundreds of thousands of bankruptcies...) make significant strides in 1 area: making health care a bit less directly tied to your employer (largely by getting rid of pre-existing condition barriers). The USA system is still far too tied to your employer but it isn't as catastrophically bad as it was before the minor reforms.

> Are you already working as a consultant or freelancing?
Yes.

> Have you thought about what your skills are and how they can be applied to other areas? If so,
> have you found any new areas of interest?

Not really, I do what interests me and take a bit of effort to focus on making some money. Though I could focus a bunch more on making money. Much of what I spend my time on doesn't make much but as long as the balance of what I want to do and having money to do it are pretty well in line I am ok.

Related: Global Workplace - More Flexible Work Schedules (soon to be retirees) - The Aim Should be the Best Life – Not Work v. Life Balance - Interview with John Hunter on Meet the Blogger Series