When we're deep in work and focused on projects that we want to complete - like finishing our second book - we often have conversations about motivation (and lack thereof). There’s a paradox between wanting more time and freedom in order to achieve the big things we only dream about doing ‘if we won lotto’, versus the reality: having too much time on your hands can suck every ounce of oomph.

Employers will often say they love employing parents because they’re more focused. There’s a hard deadline each day, for childcare or school pickup, and that makes it so much easier to prioritise and get things done. At the other end of the spectrum, people will often go on long service leave with huge goals to renovate a house or try out a new hobby or potential business idea, only to return to work sheepishly six months later and say they ‘wasted’ the time off.

While we have issues with the concept of ‘asking a busy person’, we understand why it exists. The more you do, the less time you have, ...