Andy Procopis on redundancy and finding joy: “Life doesn’t wait. And neither should you”

“Work wasn’t something I did. It was who I was. And as I’ve slowly come to realise, that’s a risky place to hang your sense of self.”

For Andy Procopis, the importance of forging a version of ourselves that exists beyond our job title cannot be underestimated.

After 8 years at ARN – most recently as Head of Branded Content and Influencer Network – Andy’s role has been made redundant. But he says it hurts less than it would have two years ago, because he’d already started building a life – and an identity – outside of work.

As Andy shares in a LinkedIn post, there was no great epiphany. He simply came to realise that he was working too hard.

As he so beautifully describes it – a calendar that felt too full – but somehow empty.

“In his book Work Backwards, Tim Duggan writes about designing your life from the end, not the middle. He suggests asking yourself ‘What do I want to be remembered for?’ rather than ‘What do I need to get done by Friday?’”

“Here I was, extrinsically motivated, by money, status, and professional reputation.”

“I had achieved a lot, but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled.”

Andy started making small changes. He enrolled in a comedy course. He started writing The Andy Procopis Show, a weekly newsletter on Substack.

“I let myself be terrible at new things,” he says. “Not to monetise them. Not to win awards. But because they brought joy.”

“I started carving out an hour a day for these things. Sometimes two on weekends. Joy is greedy like that.”

Of his ARN redundancy, Andy says he’s building a life in which his joy isn’t linked to hitting KPIs.  

“I don’t share this to gloat. Redundancy is no one’s idea of a flex. I share it in case someone out there is still postponing the good stuff. Still telling themselves ‘I’ll start the podcast, write the script, learn the thing after this busy patch.’”

“There is always another busy patch. If you’re lucky enough to be employed right now, I hope you’re also finding time to build a version of yourself that exists beyond the job title.”

“It doesn’t have to be radical. It could just be an hour a day. Or a few hours a week.”

“Because jobs end. Roles get made redundant. And life? Life doesn’t wait.”

“And neither should you.”