Work-Life “Kentucky Windage”: How to Hit the Mark

You’re shooting a rifle.

You aim at the bullseye and every shot hits 2 inches to the right. Your options are (1) keep aiming at the bullseye, (2) rebuild and recalibrate the rifle, or (3) aim a couple inches to the left. Option 1 is what most people do — be a idiot. But you and I are smarter than that. So we go with option 2. You fix your rifle — breaking into parts and carefully putting it back together. You refine your productivity plans and optimize your time management systems.

Then boom — two inches to the right again. You run a little too hot.

I’ve found that option 3 is easier and more effective. In shooting terms that’s “Kentucky windage” — a correction made by adjusting where you aim rather than adjusting the rifle. You know you always push yourself a bit too hard and take on a little too much. So aim low. Aim off the bullseye. Intentionally overestimate the amount of slack you bake into your work rhythm.

My last semester of college I asked “what is the absolute least amount of work I can possibly do?”. I dropped my third major and extracurriculars. I aimed way low — like 20 hours per week of work. I thought I’d be a slacker. I even worried I might get bored or have too much fun (too much fun, how dare I!). But by some magic I ended up filling my weeks with ~35 hours of fun and interesting work.

That’s Kentucky windage. Study yourself. See how you shoot. And adjust your aim accordingly.

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