Life has two settings: easy mode, and hard mode.

My brother is in the middle of planning a wedding 300 miles from where he lives. That's playing the game on hard mode, if I've ever seen it.

It's a little flippant to compare your life to a video game, but it's useful.

Easy mode should be your default setting in work and in life. In sports and business in particular, results are all that matter: nobody cares about your struggle or your process. Get the work done, and move on to the next thing.

But hard mode has its place. If you practice running 50 miles, a marathon will seem easy. And there is a sense of personal fulfillment from doing things manually, or "by yourself".

The thing I have to keep telling myself is, play on easy when you can. Life is hard enough. Don't make it harder.