The Difference Between Small Things and Big Things

There are many people today who experience high levels of anxiety. They worry a lot about everything, but especially things that are not worth worrying about.

I’m not one of them. I rarely worry about things. Instead, I make plans and then act on my plans.

What makes me different?

I’m different partly because I grew up around hippies who are even-tempered and easy-going. I’m different partly because nearly all of my plans over the past 26 years have produced the results I wanted. But most of all, I’m different because I recognize the difference between small issues and big issues.

Small Things

An issue is small if it meets these criteria:

1. It impacts only me
2. The impact on me has a short duration or time scale, between minutes and one week
3. The issue is easy to manage because there are not many interacting parts

An issue is big if it meets the opposite criteria:
A. It impacts more people than just me
B. The impact has a medium-term to long-term duration or time scale, between from one month to one year to a lifetime
C. The issue is complex, with many interacting parts that must be carefully managed

I can apply these criteria to specific cases.

X. I break a plate accidentally while doing the dishes.

This is a small issue because the broken dish impacts only me. The impact is short-term because the plate is one of ten, so I can easily use another plate. The issue is easy to manage because I can easily buy another plate.

Y. I get a poor evaluation from my students after teaching a class

This is a big issue because it means my performance affected many students. The impact is potentially long-term because I may not be hired to teach next school year. The issue is complex to manage because I have to deal with each student’s experience, my reputation with other teachers, and my university’s administration, all simultaneously.

If I make effective plans, then I should be able to pre-empt the big issue by making sure I have the materials and lesson plans to teach my students effectively. This places the burden on me to know the subject well, to know what kind of students I will teach before the class starts, and to know how much time I have to teach the students in every class. I must be good at managing my time outside of class and my students’ time in class to help give my students a good experience over the course of the class.