For example, if you’re out and about and you’ve got a can or bottle you’ve just finished — one you know is recyclable — but you only see a trash can around, what do you do? The easy thing is to throw it away. If you care about the environment, the right thing is to pack it home with you and recycle it at home (or keep it with you until you can recycle it). But what if your car is already a mess and your cupholders are full, and you’re not going straight home and…well, you get the point. I’m on team “pack it home” 97 times out of 100, but there are times when you just need an easy win, check a box, or say “good enough” and move on.

I’ve always thought about the right versus easy debate a lot, but even more so in the last couple of years since I’ve become a parent. Doing the “right” thing every time can be exhausting, lead to burnout, and is sometimes just unattainable. How do you find your balance if perfectionism is the enemy of progress, but high expectations are essential for success? Having clearly defined goals and priorities — and here’s the important part — that are clearly communicated to all parties involved will help decide when to hold true to what’s right versus what’s easy.

There are some non-negotiables in all our lives that we will not or should not compromise on. I’ve found consistency can help make doing the right thing an easier thing more often. For example, after some fussing and protesting, my 20-month-old daughter finally understands we always buckle up for safety and wear our helmets when we go for rides in the bike trailer. She wanted me to ride my bike in circles around her in our driveway. So I did, until after a few passes, she said, “Daddy, stop. Helmet.” Now that we’ve got that shared value and priority, we don’t argue over helmets anymore.