The tradeoff between community involvement and worldwide impact
Core Idea: One must choose between focusing time locally (in-person, community-oriented activities) or globally (creating for the world at large), as each focus inherently limits capacity for the other.
Key Elements
Defining the Dichotomy
- Local focus: Prioritizing in-person interactions, community involvement, and geographically proximate relationships
- Global focus: Creating content, products, or services for the broader world, often through digital mediums
- The choice represents a fundamental time allocation decision with significant lifestyle implications
Characteristics of Local Focus
- Direct, in-person impact on a smaller number of people
- Building deep community ties and local relationships
- Physical presence and participation in local events and activities
- Often involves face-to-face communication and collaboration
Characteristics of Global Focus
- Potential to reach and impact a vastly larger audience
- Creation of scalable works (writing, software, media, etc.)
- Limited physical presence in any one community
- Often involves digital communication and remote collaboration
The Inherent Tradeoff
- Time and attention are finite resources
- Increased local involvement necessarily reduces capacity for global creation
- Global impact work often requires uninterrupted focus that limits community participation
- Each approach reflects different values and priorities
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Time Allocation (how we allocate our limited time reflects our true priorities)
- Applications: Career Planning (choosing between community-based vs location-independent career paths)
- See Also: Digital vs Physical Presence (the tension between online and offline engagement)
References
- Sivers, D. (2020). Hell Yeah or No: What's Worth Doing. "You can focus your time locally or globally" passage.
#time-management #priorities #community #global-impact
Connections:
Sources:
- From: Sivers-Hell Yeah or No