My Way All Day
I saw a headline on Medium once, and it was an intriguing one: “The Average Employee Works 3 hours Out of Every 8”. People come up with all kinds of provocative headlines for clicks, and it’s not that I rush to check each and every one of them, but this time I went for it, made The Click and read on.
The post is a well-written one, and the person whom we’re meeting through this writing… He seems to be tired from the distractions at work, and with the work itself, as he suggests some small hacks for self-motivation. I guess one of the reasons for claps must have been a rather straightforward inventory of the time-wasters nailed by this guy. The ones that supposedly make up to five hours per day.
…and, I think I know what I’d say if I were to get into a talk over a drink with him:
“Dude, your points about time management and self-discipline make lots of sense. It sounds like you’re set on achieving your career goals. But it doesn’t look like those goals that you set for yourself — or someone has set for you unbeknownst to you — provide a fuel to get you by each and every day with flying colors. You can try small hacks, all right. They can help to some point. However, in my opinion, a more effective strategy would be this: zoom out and think bigger of what you do. Remember, your work has a meaning higher than even you yourself are capable to see. You’re doing something truly remarkable. Something that you’re going to be remembered for. This post of yours is a living proof. And, the thing(s) that you do do(es)n’t have to be of a “disrupt-the-heck-out-of-everyone-and-everything” kind.
There’s something else. Remember, we’re on Medium. Medium creates an environment and feeds you the posts that keep you locked in one and the same frame. You might want to try another trick: Log out of your Medium account and watch what happens. Or, use another web browser. The algorithms will concoct another set of headlines, which in their “opinion” might be interesting for you based on your other history. And, if you spend a some time in this other environment, be ready for a transfiguration of sorts. You will actually experience a sense of uniqueness about what you’re doing, because the info-environment will create another illusion… and if this illusion helps you get by, who cares, if it works!
There’s an offline strategy, too. How many people do we get in contact with outside of our work and social circles? Strike a conversation with your nail technician or barber and see what they’re up to. They might have opted for their occupation because it doesn’t make sense for them to go to college because of the loans — and they devour volumes on the history of Tudors, just for themselves. Or, strike a conversation with a long-haul driver at a gas station. Or, with a construction contractor guy who resides at your rental property block. Or, with a teacher of the pre-school where you take your kids, if you’ve got any. You’d probably see that all those folks carry a higher meaning to what they do, because you‘d look at them with the new eyes. And, then, when you look back at yourself… you’d realize that you seriously are doing something remarkable. This code that you or your pal at work is diligently crafting. Or, a well-thought-out marketing strategy. This client that is so thankful for the way you attended to their needs. Or, the image that you took, or created, or found. The project documentation that you put together, meticulously. Or, a graphic design. Or, a UX flow. Or, a dynamic project team that you gathered. Anything created or facilitated by you which helps the others, in any way. In the end, it’s the other people who let us know, directly or discreetly, that our life does actually have a higher meaning.
As for the distractions from your list, they wouldn’t be much of a problem once you rely on a solid core inside and firmly believe that what you do matters more than the dysfunctional state provoked by the distractions. With an attitude of focused commitment, we are much more capable of opting out of the distractions by setting firm boundaries to the time and space allocated for our meaningful work. “
That’s how I’d talk to the guy. And, that’s how I’d re-affirm this ethos of focused commitment:
Related:
Integrity: The Costs of Bitterness
The Dietitians of Info-Sharing
Cut Yourself Some Slack from Slack
Two Approaches to Focus in Knowledge Work
Further reading:
