This is also true for projects. Even if you don’t make any progress, you might still be bound to a bunch of overhead. Many commitments bring a fixed amount of overhead, so keep the number of commitments low.
We should carefully consider both what objects and which projects we bring into our lives, because they all have a hidden overhead/maintenance cost.
The need for maintenance doesn’t stop when usage stops. The upkeep of any machine is largely about tending to the four sources of most problems: 1) moving parts; 2) flowing fluids; 3) flowing electricity; and 4) temperature stresses. Every bit of the moving, flowing, and stressing causes wear and tear, but damage also comes from not moving, flowing, or stressing. Non-moving parts seize up. Non-flowing fluids leak or curdle into gunk. Corrosion gets into everything. Crawford told his customer with the half-dead Honda, “You might want to just get rid of it.” (View Highlight)