The way we see our work is shaped by the Industrial Revolution.
I was taught that real work is what people would not do unless someone pays them to do it.
I was taught that work is measured in the hours it takes to produce a specific result. Work is about building so many cars or making so many pizzas an hour. We measure how hard an engine works by the revolutions per minute; people are just a different kind of engine.
I was taught that it is really no longer possible for one person to make an entire product. Rather than one person making the best chair they can, it is more effective to get a group of people to each do a single task, make the pieces of many chairs, then put them together like puzzles. Though the chairs may not be as strong or as comfortable as when one person takes the time to craft each one, it will take less time to make them. There will be more, less expensive chairs available.
I was taught that work is all about producing things effectively.
I am not sure when I began to question what I had been taught about work.
It is not that I am averse to making a living. I have done some things I really did not want to do to gain financial security. It is not that I think I am too good to do some kinds of work.
Work is more than than a way to make money, a way to produce things effectively. There is value in work beyond the bottom line.
Work is more important than just meeting goals.
Where did you learn what you know about work?
When is the last opportunity you had to take your time at work?
[Image by Lars Plougmann]
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