The Case for Inconvenience

We're living through a human connection crisis.

And everywhere I look, people are focused on optimizing for convenience. Speed, ease, and efficiency have become the priorities, at work and at home, all while we're rapidly losing the thing that makes any of it matter.

Real connection isn't convenient. It takes effort. It can't be optimized, outsourced, or handed off to a tool, and it only works when it feels authentic.

Since moving to lake country, I regularly drive three to four hours each way just to see the people I love. Every time I make that drive, someone says, "That's crazy." And maybe it is, but I've come to believe that the best things in life usually require something from us.

We've built lives, and workplaces, where distraction is the default. We put our heads down and work all day, then scroll, binge, and repeat in isolation at night, and then wonder why we feel so alone. Loneliness doesn't just affect us personally. It quietly erodes collaboration, creativity, and trust at work too.

Harvard researchers have spent nearly 80 years studying what makes for a happy, fulfilling life. Their finding? The number one predictor of happiness isn't money, fame, or success. It's deep relationships.

And deep relationships only come from investing deeply. From showing up, even when it's out of your way.

So this week, go out of your way for someone. A friend, a family member, a colleague. Call instead of texting. Take the meeting. Drive the miles. Accept that it might feel inconvenient for a moment.

Because connection is what makes it real. And that's what makes it all worth it.