Our concept of work

From the blog post And when is the shift over?

If you sell your time as the measure of the work you do, the work is over when the shift ends. Clock in, clock out.

If you sell your output as the measure of the work, your work is over when the inbox is empty. Once you’ve made all the pizzas that were ordered, you’re done.

But more and more, our work can be endless. One more sales call might lead to one more sale. One more cycle of innovation might lead to the breakthrough we’ve been looking for. One more post might get you the traffic you’re on the hook for.

In a competitive marketplace, self-regulating the length of our shift is a lot to ask. Given that the list of things to do is intentionally endless, it’s on each of us to decide what ‘enough’ looks like. Because more time isn’t always the answer.

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Podcast highlights:

Perhaps, you consider work as something you’re paid to do.

But in the absence of a transaction, what would you look like when left with your agency to produce?

What are you going to do with your time? What are you going to create? Are you someone bound with the eight-hour work shift, working six days a week? Who would you become once you take off the many hats you wear at work?