Date: May 22nd

Hey TrueGritters,

This week brought thoughtful conversations across the community, from questioning trends to sharing what actually supports long-term health. What came through strongly was real life, working multiple shifts, balancing responsibilities as mums and dads, and still finding ways to show up in small, meaningful ways. Whether it’s sleep, walking, exercise, or daily routines, these conversations reflect how resilience is built through what we repeat, not what we overhaul.

Join the Friction Point Challenge, share where your habits tend to break down and watch for rewards and flairs along the way. To all new members, welcome, if you want to understand what we’re about here, check out the wiki.

Top Posts & Highlights

What matters more long-term: prestige, skills, or consistency?

u/dean15892
No argument there When I graduated, a lot of my friends (including me) sought the big dogs. It's good to get that out of the way early in your career. I would say though, your value is more tangible in smaller companies. I started with a company with 10K employees, then moved to one with 3K employees, now I work for one with 80. The impact of my work is felt way more now. With big companies, your effort is part of a team, and reliant on a lot of technical approvals. It's important to have that, yes, but in smaller companies, you are held more accountable and are allowed to take more risks. You learn things faster. Long story short - in your 20's, big companies work. As you near your 30's, smaller companies accelerate your learning by putting you in situations where you've to be responsible.

u/DiverVisible3940
Not used to nuanced takes on this subreddit. The best thing if you want to be successful is to be friendly, curious, push yourself and be open to opportunity. Just because you didn't land that critical role early on does not mean you are at a disadvantage. The answer that prestige doesnt really mean anything, skills and consistency are what keeps us in jobs. The biggest benefit to Harvard is often the network and connections.

u/SageKitty100
I think prestige definitely helps to get you in the door. But once you're in, the only thing keeping you there is your skills.

u/bondguy11
Working at any Fortune 500 company instantly makes you a prime candidate to work at another Fortune 500 company. I literally just got head hunted to work at a F200 company because of my multiple years spent at a F500 company.

u/Suitable-Talk-7971
I had a recruiter tell me this. I had 15 years of increasing responsibility with a small company where I learned mad skills because I did everything. When I entered the job market, I was hard to place because I'd been working with a company nobody has ever heard of.

How I handle Burnout u/somanyquestions32
When I am really burnt out, it takes me a year or two to crash fully after it becomes unsustainable and another year or so to recover. My priority becomes energy preservation. Recovery looks like this: I stop taking on extra responsibilities and over-giving. I avoid draining back-and-forth interactions with family. I spend more time walking in nature and getting fresh air. I focus on making enough money to cover bills and pause bigger projects. I stop comparing timelines or seeking advice that doesn’t fit my situation. I rest more and allow myself to sleep when needed. I shift to home-cooked meals and simpler routines to reduce overstimulation. I slow down, meditate more, and stop focusing on what I “should” be doing. I also reduce noise from notifications, social media, and unnecessary news.

How many alarms do you set in the morning?

u/Fatgimli
One. Any more and you are training yourself to ignore alarms.

u/Sluggby
I have 4 but I'm usually awake at/before the first and the rest just annoy me. But I'm too scared of falling back asleep to delete them.

u/Superb-Avocado-8131
6 to get me out of bed (the other 2 just keep me on time, one telling me to get in the shower and the other telling me to leave). However, I always wake up after the first alarm, if not before, but I like to have a safety net.

u/G_DuBs

Depends on how early I am wake up. 8 or later I can do 1-2 and I am awake enough. But if I am getting up 6 or earlier, then is 4-5 just to be safe.

u/NarwhalTop5904

From 0400 to 0830 I have 15 alarms and 5 of them are usually on. 0400, 0430,0445, 0520 and then 0645 or 0745. Why? No idea. The more obnoxious I make my alarm the better as well, oh and I sometimes lock my phone inside a box in the closet so whenever it goes off in the morning its loud, wonky and a puzzle needs to be solved to shut the phone up.

 If you’ve mostly been reading, consider creating a thread and sharing your perspective so others can engage with you directly. The community grows stronger when more voices and experiences become part of the conversation.

Midweek check-in for everyone doing the Friction Point Challenge 👀

It’s Wednesday and I’ve already hit my goal of walking for 30 Minutes at least 3 times this week, and honestly I already feel great doing it.

Life can be challenging. We’re all juggling work, family, stress, responsibilities, and there’s always a temptation to neglect our wellbeing in the process.

One thing I’m learning from this challenge already is routines feel easier when you don’t do them alone.

So how’s everyone else doing with their routines this week?

What goal did you set for yourself? What’s been harder or easier than expected? Anything you’ve learned about yourself already this week? Make a new thread & Share.

I’d begin with myself.

This week I’m trying to build more consistency with walking, leg strength, and stamina.

My friction point is I usually drive because it’s faster and easier, even when I know I could be moving more.

I’m planning to walk to the train station at least 3 times this week (about 30 minutes each way) since the weather is warmer, and see how it feels to build that into my routine.

Your turn, what are you trying to improve right now?

Hey Folks,

Everyone has a friction point, that moment where routines slip, motivation fades, or discipline breaks down. For the next 48 hours, we’re encouraging the community to stop hiding the struggle and start talking about it openly.

If you’ve mostly lurked or commented until now, this is your sign to make your first post.

🛠️ How to Participate

Create a post using the new [Seeking Advice] or [Obstacle / Struggle] flair and answer these 3 questions:

1. The Target: What habit or routine are you trying to improve?
2. The Friction Point: Where does it usually break down?
3. The Experiment: What’s one small adjustment you’re willing to try this week?

🤝Community Goal

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s learning from each other, troubleshooting real-life obstacles, and building consistency one adjustment at a time.

Date: May 15th

Hey TrueGritters,

Thank you to everyone who shared or simply showed up for others this week. A lot of what makes this community meaningful isn’t just the posts, but the people here and the thoughtful conversations we continue to have together. As the community continues to grow, we wanted to shoutout more people and contributions happening across threads through community flairs.

• Thread Builder— start engaging discussions, thread, comments that pull others in
• Story Keeper — shares honest personal stories and lived experiences
• Habit Nerd — gives practical advice on routines, habits
• Community Anchor — consistently welcomes, replies to, and supports others
• Deep Diver — those whose comments make people stop, think, and reflect

Flairs will be given out over time based on contributions we consistently notice across threads. We’ll also add details in the wiki as this evolves.

Top Posts & Highlights

What's one small thing you changed in your everyday routine recently that actually made a difference?

u/SheriffmitchellI’ve added a few, but my favorite thing is a quick “what am I grateful for today.” When I leave the house for work, I think of one thing I’m grateful or happy for. Sometimes it’s big, sometimes it’s small. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it’s a positive way to start the day. Been doing it for a year now and don’t plan on stopping.

u/Inevitable_Silver_13Do little tasks right when you think about them. Commit to doing a few things right after work every day.

u/boomlakshmiQuit caffeine. I'm one year sugar free.

u/Glittering-Attempt52Waking up at 5–5:30am. I give myself time in the morning before work so I can start my day without the stress of rushing out the door.

What’s the biggest habit change you’ve made so far this year?

u/IWCrygoing to bed AND waking up at the same time everyday is incredibly unhealthy. that's 0 hours of total sleep. you should go to bed and wake up 8 hours apart

u/Gr8tOutdoorsHonestly, getting a dog has been such a good routine builder. Not why I did it, but it makes it so much easier to get up at the same time every day, know when I’m going to take a break from WFH, and know when I’m going to make dinner.

u/ModernMutantWeight lifting and eating protein and fat.

u/Ok_Agency5436Quit ADHD meds in January. Feel great!

u/poppybrookeI really hate to say it, but keeping my wake-up times the same every day has been a huge help. A couple more: stretching every morning when I get out of bed. It helps so much with daily aches, pains, and waking up in general. Making my snacks, coffee, and lunch the night before saves a lot of time and stress because my brain does not like going through a lot of steps in the morning. Finally, slowly upping my weight lifting. I had a mindset that I couldn’t go heavier because of past injuries, but I’ve been feeling good and getting stronger.

u/CAgovernorGave up alcohol and junk food. Lost weight and keeping it off.

What is an underrated life skill?

u/Round_Engineering640Being average in the workplace.

u/underground_cloudIt’s better to be average than above. It’s like my driving teacher said: the same car you saw passing you in a hurry will be right next to you at a red light a few blocks later.

u/ThePipeProfessorThose who don’t complain no matter how shitty their day is going. I envy those people.

u/SkatnessWorked as an EMT for a long time. Left the medical field during COVID like many others. Because of that job, I can never have a “bad day” at work again, so I never complain about anything that happens at work or in my day in general.

u/PaceFalse1813Admitting you could be wrong and apologizing.

u/Few-Elk3747Perseverance and mental toughness. Just the ability to keep going when things aren’t going your way.

u/Oph1d1an Whatever needs doing: doing it right now. My dad has this. If he notices the sink leaking, he immediately walks to the garage and gets the plumbing stuff. If he needs to cancel a dentist appointment next month, he picks up the phone right away even though the deadline is weeks away. I did not inherit this sadly, and while I’m doing alright, my dad was much more successful than I’ll ever be.

u/obiwankanosey The ability to build relationships with others. The majority of anything I’ve done successfully has been on the back of this.

 If you’ve mostly been reading, consider creating a thread and sharing your perspective so others can engage with you directly. The community grows stronger when more voices and experiences become part of the conversation.