Day 13 (January 13): Cutting Costs and Growing Kids
Today was one of those corporate meetings where everyone talks about "cutting costs" and "increasing efficiency," as if we’re all just one Excel sheet away from saving the world. The buzzwords were flying faster than I could sip my coffee, but I kept thinking: How do I apply this to my personal life?
At work, the goal is always to trim down unnecessary expenses, streamline operations, and maximize profit. But at home? It feels like every time I think we’re cutting costs, the kids come home needing new shoes, new school supplies, and let's not even talk about the rising costs of snacks for the endless after-school hunger strikes. This evening, I swear, I heard my son ask for a "budget-friendly" skateboard like it was the hottest IPO in town.
I tried to be clever, imagining I could apply some corporate efficiency tactics to family life. Maybe I could create a spreadsheet for all the school-related expenses, or hold a family meeting to discuss "cost-saving initiatives" (we’d start with fewer trips to the ice cream shop). But the moment I sat down with the kids to present my brilliant idea, they just started bickering over who was going to sit in the “CEO” chair at the head of the table.
Still, there’s something about their constant growth, both physically and mentally, that reminds me of my work at Telekom Malaysia. Kids, like businesses, constantly evolve—demanding more, stretching resources, but somehow creating their own kind of profit: memories, love, and chaos. So maybe life at home is far from efficient, but it’s more profitable in ways the office could never understand.
It’s funny how work and home never seem to sync up. At the office, efficiency is the holy grail. At home, efficiency is a dream that gets buried under laundry, homework, and the eternal search for missing socks. But that’s what makes it all worth it, right?
Here’s to the real “synergy” at home—my kids making sure I never forget that life is messy, unpredictable, and absolutely irreplaceable.