The Free-Time Formula

2Asking the Right Questions: Which Disney Princess Are You?

In one of my absent‐minded moments I stumbled upon a BuzzFeed quiz titled, “Which Disney Princess Are You?”

Was I tempted?

Yes.

Did I stop doing my most important work and fall victim to this silly online distraction?

You bet!

Turns out I am Cinderella: “Hardworking and industrious, you are the ideal co‐worker. You burn the midnight oil to get projects done and often pick up the slack for others. Most likely you were valedictorian of your class” (BuzzFeed, 2017).

Honestly, that just about sums it up, except the part about being an ideal coworker (I work for myself for a reason).

Online quizzes like these are akin to the most addictive drug you can imagine. We are hardwired for validation. We are egomaniacs, and we are at the mercy of anyone who understands basic human psychology.

Marketers use these tactics to capture our attention by appealing to our most shallow desires. This works well for advertising, but it also paints a clear picture of us.

Beyond wanting to simply avoid our work for a few minutes and engage in a trivial digital diversion, we actually want to know more about ourselves. We want to be sure we are on the right path, that we understand our role in the world, and that we can use this knowledge to improve our lives in countless ways.

Knowing that I am a quantifiable Cinderella does not tell me anything I did not already know about myself, but it does validate my vision of who I want to be.

With that kind ...