The (Multi) F-Bomb Checklist

There are a lot of different F-words we can use when we get stressed, and that’s a good thing. Fred Wilson shared his own personal F-word checklist in “Priorities.” I’ll paraphrase:

Family, because they have to come first.

Friends, because they keep us sane, entertained, and distracted (in a good way).*

Fitness, because we have to take care of our whole selves (and physically blowing off some steam doesn’t hurt).

Firm, because the long-term success of our work/ company is always top of mind. And,

Fires, because what’s on fire needs attention fastest, and that’s a means of prioritization in its own right. We do have to be vigilant about things that look like fires but really aren’t important too.

While everyone can have their own variations on these terms, having a list of alternate F-words can come in handy. Anything that refocuses attention when our world is going crazy helps. It’s these small efforts to regularly recenter our minds that can have the largest impacts on our long-term results. And that’s true across all aspects of our lives.

Go forth and drop some F-bombs (of all varieties).

*I know the texts and group chats I have going are some of the best parts of my day lately.