Ge nostriches. This time of the cycle is super fun, retirement age and current age looking like they’ll collide within 6 months, daily gains embarrassing annual salaries and this time around, for all the degens with $mstr bags packed, even on a quiet day their tax advantaged savings make the main concern bring how to pass on the wealth to the family dynasty!!!!

Then I realised, yeah the annual salary in #bitcoin terms is now rather amusing, but if we don’t need to earn the wage, we can step away from being extrinsically motivated and focus upon the parts of our jobs we are intrinsically motivated to do, learn about and get better at.

Cultivating our craft, helping a junior colleague develop or investigate ways of helping a customer or supplier perform better or explore a new technology. The parts of our job, our “duties” and definitely attempts to climb the corporate ladder can be put to one side. If the line manager has a problem with that, you’ll hopefully feel comfortable to push back and just say no.

Over 15 years ago I read the intelligent enterprise (Quinn 1992) and the idea of the voluntary worker really stuck with me. Having staff who likely got paid decently but they were there because they enjoyed the challenge and wanted to be there, so did their best work.

3 days into 2025, the fiat income has already had its pants pulled down to its ankles, but I’m actually looking forward to getting back into the office. I have stuff to write, I have students to teach, I have colleagues to help, but I also have line managers who will soon realise the only carrot they have to dangle in front of me is more time to research and challenging projects to work on. Sorry, fiat promotions and pay rises;