Raid fitness is the cheapest way to lower your misery tax
- How was your trip?
- Overall, it was fine, but the long flight was challenging.
- How so?
She looks around the conference room and continues.
- I booked a window seat to sleep on the fuselage, but oh man, my row mates were the biggest people on the plane. I shared a row with a wrestler and a basketball player. It was a very long flight.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- It could have been worse with two wrestlers or two basketball players. This flight convinced me that people in the middle seat should be getting extra miles.
- And don’t forget double-decker armrests. I can’t believe airlines are investing in bag-handling AIs or pre-boarding carry-ons while we still need to fight for armrests.
- Speaking of investments. Their redesigned data layer is a joy to look at while navigating the airport.
A person in a diagonally striped shirt passes the breakfast table filled with fruit, pastry and snacks and joins the group standing by the coffee machine.
- Hey, long time no see. You got ripped!
She smiles broadly.
- Thanks. I put in a lot of work to get back in shape.
- Back in shape? Man, those arms are massive. What’s your method?
- Nothing special, just taking back control over my mood. My constant mood swings were increasing my misery tax. Bigger misery tax bloated my expenses, added more to worry about and contributed stress to my relationship, creating a self-reinforcing feedback loop that was hard to break, but once I got it under control …
The person on the right interrupts.
- Sorry, your misery tax?
- Apologies. I’ve been brainwashing myself with far too much productivity advice recently. Misery tax is everything you need to do and buy to feel happy. If you are in an unfulfilling relationship, not satisfied at work, or hardly have time for friends and hobbies, chances are that you will spend a lot on pleasures and vices to be happier despite all these.
She smiles warmly, taking a sip of decaf frappuccino.
- I got to a point where improving my mood resulted in spiralling expenses and deteriorated health, and raid fitness was the starting point of taking back control of my mood. Raid fitness is the cheapest way to lower your misery tax. It combines the camaraderie of an online hack-and-slash game with a lot of physical activity.
- What character are you working out as?
- I started with post-apo zombie runs, but I recently joined a Viking server, and now I’m doing my workouts with a big-ass axe.
Their heads turn when a woman in a navy blue jacket comes to the centre of the room and puts her hands in the air. The room becomes quiet as the chatter winds down to silence.
- Welcome to day one of our on-site training. We have a fantastic agenda for the rest of the week. Our guest speaker will be online in a minute. Please take your seats so we can start on time.
- Let’s catch up later. You need to tell us more about your raid gear and setup.
- With pleasure.
Lights dim gently while a round of applause fills the room.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome back from the future, where working out works better when paired with the joy of letting off some steam in good company.
Let's jump into our weekly practice, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to enhance your strategic imagination and prepare your leadership for the future.
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Start here to make the most of your time if this is your first
rodeoedition.
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Weekly Self-Reflection Prompts
You can start with this quote for extra inspiration.
“The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented.”
Dennis Gabor
Let's begin by making products and services mentioned in the story more relatable by grounding them in your personal life.
Personal life reflection prompts
What would be your 3 themes for high-intensity training?
How important is comfort in your daily life, and what areas of your day-to-day are optimised for comfort?
What last investment improved your physical or mental health?
Could integrating more structured physical activity into your routine increase your productivity?
What 2 kinds of activities influence your mood the most?
When was the last time you rewarded yourself for enduring a challenging situation? What was the situation, and what was your reward?
What are your 3 go-to activities when you want to get happier?
Great work!
Let’s move on to the context of the industry, organisation, team, service, or product you are working with.
Professional life reflection prompts
In what 2 ways could your industry enhance customer comfort by offering perks for less desirable options?
How do you check if your team members are as comfortable and productive as possible?
What non-monetary reward systems can you implement to recognise team members who take on challenging roles or tasks?
What are the 3 latest product features or enhancements in your field inspired directly by consumer or customer feedback?
If you could choose only one, would you prioritise investment in technology that could improve your team's efficiency or the one that could improve work satisfaction?
What are the 2 small changes you can implement in your workplace to reduce conflicts in your team?
Would your team benefit more from automation handling routine tasks and freeing up time for more strategic work or role-playing and scenario-based tools enhancing strategic thinking and resilience?
You did great!
Feeling in the zone today?
Try the recommended follow-up for this story next:
This edition was written in Busan.
Next time you visit, make sure to book a one-of-a-kind Wes Anderson meets Studio Ghibli coastal ride onboard a cute Sky Capsule. Pick Mipo station as the starting point for the best views, and then walk back for some great photo opportunities.
Have a great week, and see you soon.
Pawel Halicki
Join strategic thinkers preparing to lead in the age of AI. Ten minutes a week is all it takes to start.
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