Work has been on my mind recently. Not my work, but “work” in the abstract. When I was trying out Charlie Gilkey’s Blog Post Planners on the plane to SXSW, I jotted down “What is work (vs. leisure)”. And during conversations at SXSW itself, the topic of work, and what exactly work is, came up.
Three years ago, I could’ve told you what work was. Work was a place I went, a job I did strictly from 8.30am till 5pm, and which I tried to forget about outside those hours. Work was necessary, not especially unpleasant, and I was doing it for the money.
But today, things look a little different. For one thing, work is never somewhere which I’m at. And work isn’t particular hours of the day or specific days of the week. Plus, I spend a lot of my time on things which aren’t directly bringing in any money.
So what is work? If you’re a freelancer, a student, a full-time parent, a business owner, a traveller, if you don’t have a job which occupies eight hours every weekday, then how can we meaningfully discuss “work” (verses life, verses leisure, verses play)?
I suspect you’d agree with me that work needn’t be a particular place, and that it can be done at non-traditional hours. (Feel free to disagree in the comments!) So when I’m writing freelance blog posts for Dumb Little Man and Pick the Brain, that’s still “work”. But what about posts here on Aliventures? No-one’s paying me to post here.
Is it Work When You’re Paid?
We generally align work with money. If we’re paid to do something, whether we love that activity or hate it, we’re working. If we’re not getting paid, we tend to have some different way of describing what we’re doing. Perhaps it’s a “hobby”, or it’s a “chore”. If it’s a domestic activity, we call it “housework” – but not “work”.
Let’s say I’m taking care of three children one Saturday afternoon: giving them lunch, playing with them, reading to them, helping with their homework. Is that work?
Does it make a difference if I’m:
- A childminder, paid by the hour?
- An au pair, given room and board and pocket money?
- The children’s mother, unpaid?
I don’t have any neat answers here. I find the questions interesting, because they make me think. I know that for me, a childminder taking care of kids is unquestionably performing work; an au pair probably is, but a mother … I’m not sure. I’m thinking of how I talk about motherhood myself (a few years off yet), and how I’ll say “I don’t want to stop working”. To me, taking care of your own kids full time isn’t what I’d call work – at least, not my work – but I’m not sure that the distinction is wholly to do with the money.
Is it Work When We Don’t Like It?
Back in the early days of Aliventures, I wrote a post about the still predominant view of work as a necessary evil, a drudgery which we endure in order to live the rest of our lives. I suspect that most of us have some sense that work is hard, work is anti-play, work is serious.
We could spend a lot of time discussing where this idea comes from, but what really interests me is the effect which it has. We believe, perhaps, that there’s no particular point looking for a job which we’ll enjoy – instead, we look for the “best” job we can get – where “best” means the one with the highest salary.
When I was 21 and fresh out of university, I did exactly that. It never occurred to me that I could find work that I loved. I had a clear picture in my head of what “work” looked like – based on the adults who I knew and pretty much everything I’d read. I didn’t realise that I had an awful lot of alternative paths to explore.
The other issue with this view of work is that we see it as very serious. We behave in a “professional” manner in our jobs. Often, we change how we dress: not necessarily wearing a suit, but ditching that “inappropriate” t-shirt, or wearing more (or less) make up than usual. When we talk to clients, we’re in guarded work mode. I think what I found hardest about my day job was that I felt I was bringing about 5% of “me” to it, as if my personality had been squashed out.
But since those days, I’ve found new ways of working. I still work – I just work in different ways, and I’ve lost that old feeling that work is a necessary and mainly unwanted intrusion into my “real” life.
Work Involves an Outcome
My definition of work now is that it’s an activity which is undertaken for a productive outcome. I mean productive in the very broad sense here; it’s a subjective judgement, and if you’re the one working, you’re the one best placed to judge whether what you’re doing is productive or not.
I am in little doubt that introspection is an activity that can be almost heroic in some cases but it would not fit into this definition of work, and neither would pure ecstatic contemplation of beauty (animal, vegetable or mineral).
(Daniel Raventos, Basic Income: The Material Conditions of Freedom, p76, Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk)
This also turns work into something more like a state of mind than a set of particular activities. I’d say that, generally, playing computer games or reading novels aren’t work, because the point of doing them is simply to enjoy the process. However, when I spent three years studying English literature at university, reading novels became my “work” (and felt like work!) Books were assigned, or at least chosen from a set list; in some cases, the reading matter wasn’t of intrinsic interest to me, but I slogged through anyway because the point wasn’t to enjoy the narrative or the writing, it was to finish the book.
Similarly, I can imagine that anyone studying computer games would end up playing and analysing these in a “work” mindset.
This isn’t to say that work can’t be enjoyable. You can treat something in a playful manner and still place importance on the end result. When I write fiction, I enjoy the actual writing process – but also I “work” at getting the piece right because I want the end result (a completed novel) to be as good as I can make it.
Pure leisure is about an experience, with no concerns about an end result. Hanging out with friends and enjoying a meal is leisure time. (Networking, however, would be a form of work.)
Meaningful Work
So, what’s the point of all this? Why quibble about what we actually mean about work?
It’s hugely important for us to find meaning in what we do with our lives. Work which fits well with us, which aligns with our values and our interests, lets us do this. But we often get misled into believing that the goal of work is to make as much money as possible in as little time as possible.
Work is not more meaningful or more useful just because it pays more. Volunteers and parents aren’t paid for what they do – but their work is hugely important (and our society tends not to respect that enough).
I firmly believe I’m happier with work which I love and which makes me feel alive – rather than work which pays well but is tedious, draining or ultimately meaningless to me.
How about you? It’s not an abstract question – it’s a choice that you may well face.
I’m not trying to perpetuate the idea that truly pure, meaningful work means living as a starving artist. Of course it doesn’t. If you’re doing something which you love, you might well end up making more money – because you’re motivated by joy in the actual work, not by the salary.
I can’t imagine retiring. To me, retirement means sitting around – and I like to feel that I’ve done something each day. Work isn’t a place which I go to, or a certain portion of the day; it’s the meaningful stuff which I do, the contributions which I make in the world.
How about you? What’s your view of work? What would you like your “work” to be?
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmm, Ali, you just made me realize I can’t remember the last time I used the word “work” relating to myself.
I do life coaching. I write my blog. I study. But I don’t call any of those “work”, because that word just has so many negative connotations for me. (I guess studying sometimes comes close to “work”, but I’m not being paid for it
)
Vlad Dolezal´s last blog ..Why List Posts Suck for Personal Development
I’m thinking of having a “study” not a “home office” because the word “office” doesn’t have good connotations for me!
So I’m with you — it’s pretty crucial to have the right set of words to describe things in a way which frames the right for you. I probably talk about “writing” far more than I talk about “working”.
Hmmm, with your definition, work ceases to be a 4 letter word (well, obviously not literally!). I wish there was another word to use – simply because to the current connotations of the word work. I’ve done stuff this morning, stuff I wanted to do, stuff that I hope will make money. But if asked, I’d rather not say I was ‘working’. What could I say instead?
Mark´s last blog ..How to use FTP with your Blog or Website
I can’t think of anything which isn’t either a bit glib (You’re “living”!) or a bit clinical (”producing” or “creating”). “Doing” isn’t quite there either. I’ll keep thinking..!
Hi Ali,
Forgive me for being thick or “not in the loop” (Delete whichever is appropriate) but I am reading a lot of stuff which at the moment has a reference to the acronym SXSW. Now I did a quick search and it seems to be a music festival, is there an alternative?
P
Sorry, Pete! SXSW stands for “South by South West”, an annual event in Austin, Texas. It started as a music festival, but there’s now SXSW Interactive and SXSW Film as well. I went to SXSW Interactive. (SXSWi)
I think for me, when I was working for others at an 8 or more hour a day job for an hourly wage doing stuff I was neither interested in doing nor enthused about beginning was “work”.
What I do now, freelance writing, and writing on my blog, although I am at it off and on all day long (and I never leave the house without a notebook, because I find I make notes and article snippets throughout the day) does not feel like “work”.
My definition of work when I was younger was taught to me by my father’s example. Unfortunately, to my wonderful dad, work was always drudgery, something you did to survive. It didn’t have to make use of your skills, had no interest in your ambitions, and paid little more than was needed to pay the bills. I wish he had been able to find something he could have found some joy in doing, rather than dutifully heading off every morning as was expected of the head of our household. He’d have been a much happier man.
Jeniffer´s last blog ..The Happiness File
I know what you mean about things feeling like “work”. I was lucky (and I guess my parents were lucky!) that my dad enjoys his work — and my mum went back to work when I was about ten (and my youngest sister was in school), so the model I’ve had has always been fairly good.
I’ve got a lot of respect for people who tough it out in their jobs to support their loved ones. And I know that for previous generations, it was often a necessity. But nowadays, there are so many more options (like freelancing
) made easy by the wonders of the internet!
Really interesting thoughts Ali. I am finding myself reinventing my idea of work as I steer off the traditional path. I think because I am enjoying what I do more and more … the paid bits (mentoring, coaching and some admin) and non paid (at the moment
) blogging an writing it’s all merging into one and like Vlad it doesn’t feel like ‘work’.
Jen´s last blog ..Interview with Henri Junttila of The Wake Up Cloud
Yes, blogging doesn’t feel much like my office work did — though my experience of a “traditional” style job was relatively short
and for the majority of my life, my daily routine has involved a lot of reading and writing (e.g. as a student). So I guess to me, that’s pretty much the norm of my “work”.
@mark In the rest of the section of Daniel Raventos book which Ali refers to he argues that rather than trying to think of a new way of describing “work” – which should really mean “the things which we do” – we should describe the “conventional” paid employment more accurately, ie remunerated contracted work. Andre Gorz takes a similar approach in “Reclaiming Work: Beyond the Wage-Based Society” (Polity, 1999) although his book is much more academically dense. But both are interesting reads (although, I am somewhat biased given that I wrote my undergraduate dissertations on them)
I’m touched that your first comment on my blog is because I quoted Raventos.
xxx
I vote for a John Rawls quote next
x
Ali,
According to Sigmund Freud, two things bring meaning to life or personal sense of fulfillment: work and love.
True, work carries a negative connotation in our conventional society, but I also feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel. (We need to be optimistic even when we are confronted with challenges.)
We need to re-design our workplaces and provide an impetus to employees with special skills.
A bloke like me, for example, would quickly get bored at a desk job, but give me something that demands “blood, sweat and tears” and I will gladly do it (I am sporty and outdoorsy).
For an accountant, counting beans may float his or her boat, and I actually know people who fit that profile (nothing wrong with it, by the way). My point is, different strokes for different folks!
I would fail as an accountant–although I can be very good at that job–because I don’t fit that profile.
Similarly, one of my mathematician friends loves to teach and research, but does not share my passion for taking long walks in the outdoors.
However, we also need workers who enjoy the outdoors and physical/manual labor: farmers, gardeners, construction, security/escort guards, athletes, etc.
I think we need to provide work opportunities to people depending on their skills, talents and abilities.
Work should not be a drudgery to be endured just to make a quick buck and pay the bills. Rather, work should be driven by love. Work should be play. And a lucky few have found it too.
Writers like Stephen King have worked at monotonous and soulless jobs for years before finding their calling. One popular writer worked for years as an attorney/lawyer until he stumbled upon his passion.
I know of some sportspeople who love what they do for a living and are very good at what they do. For them (and people of that ilk), work is an extension of who they are: it brings them joy.
Abraham Maslow’s “Need Hierarchy Theory” makes it clear that in order to be fully functioning human beings, we need to find work and do work that takes into account our higher order needs, that is, the need for self-actualization and growth.
I once read about a worker in a bakery who achieved a “state of flow” and yet worked for 12 hours a day. When questioned, this worker said: work seemed more like play and he was happy to work the long hours. Work did not seem like work at all for him. I think this may well be the answer if we are to evolve as a species–achieving a higher state of consciousness– where work is concerned.
There are too many negative impacts that occur when employees are unhappy with their jobs. After all, we spend at least one third of our lives working, if not more. This is a hugely important issue in our society globally, so thanks for discussing it. A great post, as usual, which got me thinking. Cheerio!
I’m with you there, Archan – particularly about work being driven by love. I quite like Maslow’s hierarchy, though there are other models for framing need that may give a slightly more nuanced view (Paul is the chap to talk to about this, not me, I just pick bits up from reading his essays.
)
I see no reason why a baker couldn’t achieve a state of flow! I’m not sure I’d personally want to work 12 hours a day at anything
but I can just about imagine doing it with writing…
We’re off on a long walk next week (three days trekking along the Thames Path), though I think I’m not quite so in love with the outdoors as you. I will spur myself along with thoughts of the next pub…
Hi Ali,
I love that you are pulling the camera way back so we all get to look at this big question ….what is work?
I think for me, work has everything to do with how the individual contributes to the collective, to a community/economy/society. It’s how we use our capacity and strengths and skills, to create something that has economic value for others.
My hope is that we are moving toward a world in which
1) people are aware of who they really are, what their gifts are, and how they feel called to contribute to the world
2) there is less pressure/need to make excessive amounts of money and to consume, so that people feel more free to choose work that has meaning for them and that is a reflection of what they feel called to do
3) workplaces (traditional and nontraditional) continue to become more inspiring, humane places for human beings to spend their days.
Warmly, Tara
Thanks Tara! Yes, I think we need to start putting “work” back with the sense that we’re contributing something within our society … rather than “work” as a necessary evil which we endure in order to make money to be good little consumers.
I think we ARE moving in the ways you outline, eg. with the ROWE movement, though there’s still a lot to be done.
To me, work is getting paid for something that I don’t enjoy. It’s my passion to write, create and support people through hypnosis and nlp. I think I will call myself a ‘passion-aholic’ that sounds much better than a workaholic since I find myself spending most of my free time on my passion.
Sherri Frost´s last blog ..Hypnosis Workshop – Immense Value
“Work” was that for me for a while, and I had to squish in my real loves around the edges. I’d have thought there’s a decent chance of making a living from your particular passions, particularly hypnosis and NLP — not my area at all, but it sounds like a profitable niche for writing and coaching?
I love your statement: Work isn’t a place which I go to,
or a certain portion of the day; it’s the meaningful stuff which I do, the contributions which I make in the world.
I’d like to post that note in my workplace, if that would be all right with you.
Like most other people, I considered work as something that would make me money. I also viewed work as something serious. But slowly I’ve started to realize that I can indeed combine work with my own interests. This post served as a boost to direct me to that right mindset.
Julius´s last blog ..Learning About Web Accessibility Through Everyday Tasks
Post it wherever you like!
I think it’s perfectly valid to see work as something which makes money and which we take reasonably seriously — after all, if we didn’t care at all about the money and treated it all as a complete joke, we’d probably not be doing ourselves or the world any favours. But finding a balance — particularly where work links in with our real interests — seems key.
Thanks for your response. I agree that finding a balance and something that interests you in your job is very important, and if we really try to figure it out, we will find something in our work which we have genuine passion for. After all, we wouldn’t take that job if we weren’t initially interested in it.
Julius´s last blog ..Learning About Web Accessibility Through Everyday Tasks
Hey Ali.
Interesting topic!
You need to get clarity and certainty about what you do and don’t want from your career.
I don’t want a boss. I do want to work along side great (passionate, inspirational, talented) people. I don’t want a nine to five job. I do want a career that provides me with regular cerebral stimulation. I don’t want to travel two hours each way to and from work.
I do want to use my communication skills. I do want a career where I am challenged and motivated to keep learning and growing. I do want to have fun every day. I do want to earn enough money to live comfortably.
I do want a career where I can be a positive influence in the lives of others. I do want to create and innovate rather than replicate and imitate. What do you want? If you can’t (clearly) define it, you probably won’t create it.
Motivational Speaker – Craig Harper´s last blog ..Personal Development: The Theory Vs The Reality
Cheer Craig — I feel inspired just reading your comment. It’s really good to see how you’ve definite things (and many of your points are very similar to the ones I have for myself). Best of luck!
The adventure that is work involves a compromise of my giving of time and energy and my employer compensating me for doing so. That’s the simple view where most of us are money whores of one form or another really. Now, what that work looks like can vary and depending on what a person wants to do and can do, there are lots of different kinds of employment out there. Employment could be another term if you need some more hoity-toitiness here.
My work usually involves various tasks that I’m assigned that will make up the story of my life. How do I want that story to look? In some ways, I really do like where I work where there is a great deal of freedom in what I do which others may envy or cringe upon knowing that I do what I do. While my title is “Web Developer” the work itself can vary from digging into why something doesn’t work or build this feature out for this application or fix a bug. Work is usually something that requires some investment and carries a payoff. At least that is part of my view as I feel I could ramble on and on about this if I wanted but I’ll stop here.
JB, thanks for adding your thoughts. I particularly like the way you put it with “Work is usually something that requires some investment and carries a payoff.” — yes, I think that’s very close to how I see it.
I’m not a developer, but used to work alongside several (doing software testing, documentation & user support) and they were great folks who used their creativity and ingenuity, rather than just going through the motions — which sounds pretty similar to your view of work.
For me, I feel that the term “work” has been classified in the mainstream as an “obligation” to someone or something. I think those that are doing stuff they don’t like for a living it really does feel like they are “working.” However those that have seemed to blend the two of making money and living their passion seem to have a different definition for the term work. It seems those that are living in a manner where work is their passion, they aren’t coming from a place of obligation rather from a place of opportunity.
I’m with you here, I think we’re taught to see “work” as an imposition. “Place of opportunity” is perfect for how it feels to me … I love being able to do my “work” and have been antsy for the past couple of days while visiting family without my laptop — it feels odd not to do *any* writing for several days in a row!
This article gave me so much to think about. I love taking words that we use on a regular basis and constructing abstract meaning. Here I was, all day, being lazy and unproductive when suddenly I come across one of your articles and your blog. This article in particular moved me to question why I was unproductive all day. It is because I view these midterms given to me during spring break as “work” with all of the negative connotations it implies. I’m going to work on my attitude and get this done. Thank you for the insight!
Thanks Melissa — really glad I could help! I’m often pushing myself to think things through at a deeper level when I write posts here, and it’s great to hear when that works well for readers. Hope you can reframe the midterms in a more positive way, and hope you also get to have some true relaxation and fun during spring break.
hey Ali
i agree with you that considering work to be anything brings money is narrow point of view, and yes you are right, any productive act should be called work even if it doesn’t bring money. the best thing would be finding a way to do something productive and in the same time generates money
thanks for bringing the topic to attention , very nice post as always
Thanks Farouk. Yeah, finding something which is productive, enjoyable and profitable is pretty much key!
Great post, very thoughtful. I have been spending and investing a considerable amount of time this year thinking about my work and my job, and how the two are different.
I really like what you said here, “My definition of work now is that it’s an activity which is undertaken for a productive outcome. I mean productive in the very broad sense here; it’s a subjective judgement, and if you’re the one working, you’re the one best placed to judge whether what you’re doing is productive or not.”
Of course the outcome is highly subjective, but that is exactly the point, right? What is “Work” for me may be a chore to you, and vice versa. I suspect that the real question, “Why does it matter?” needs to be answered first, outside the context of a “Job”. Then we can get down to the need-behind-the-need (as they say in sales), and figure out the true benefits of what it is that we do.
Thanks for sharing this and helping me think.
Stephen Smith´s last blog ..The War of Art – A Book Review
Stephen, thanks for that, and for the point about how “work” differs from a “job”. Yes, I agree that “why does it matter?” is a high level question and one which definitely needs to be asked. (And if that question meets with a shrug and a “dunno”, then maybe it’s time for something to change…)
I believe that work is any activity wherein we put our time and energy to produce specific outcomes. Works that matter to us may vary depending on what we value. Some value work because of monetary benefit while some work for the pure satisfaction of themselves. Whatever it is that we put our work it is important to consider if it makes us happy or if it makes us drones.
Great last sentence there, Walter! I’m definitely keen on avoiding the drone mentality…
I’m of the school that work equals effort plus time to get results. However, it’s certainly easy to waste both time and effort if you have nothing useful at the end of the process. Overall, I like your perspective on work.
I love your comment at the end: “I can’t imagine retiring.” I think this is a reality that many of us will have to consider decades from now. A lot of people won’t be able to afford to retire based on the horrible performance of pension and retirement plans; government pensions appear to be heading the way of the dinosaur as soon as people finally realize that they haven’t been funded properly. However, all that misery aside, I think that the best “retirement” that I can think of is when I have 100% freedom to do work that I love. Therefore, yes, I am looking for early retirement!
But on my own terms.
Mark Dykeman´s last blog ..Someone stole your toolbox – what do you do?
Thanks Mark. Yes, I think that as a society, we have our head in the sand a bit about retirement. The problem is that with people living longer and staying healthier (a great thing!) we really don’t need people to retire at 60/65.
My granny is 86 and still extremely active (and often quite bored, I think). I saw her over Easter, and she said she’d spent five hours working (baking and doing housework) before lunchtime. I think we need to recognise that the human need to do some “work” – something which makes us feel productive and useful – doesn’t vanish when we retire.
At the same time, I can understand the desire to dial down the intensity a bit as we age.
Mark Dykeman´s last blog ..Someone stole your toolbox – what do you do?
Yes, work isn’t only a typical “job” people go to. So many people used to the idea of work or job only in a certain way. Some people in other countries get paid to go to school, it can be work also.
Interesting point. We have student funding here in the UK, but I’d not describe it as “paying” kids to go to school. I wonder what difference it would make if school was treated more like a job? (Would kids demand better conditions – e.g. more anti-bullying measures; would kids get a say in who taught them, etc?)
I think for so many of us these days (at least in the online world) work is life is work is life is work. Which is fine when you find something you’re passionate about, although it does make it difficult to put a start and end time on your daily schedule. My thinking is that they key is not to worry about how much we do or don’t work or what we wish we were doing, but to simply stop for a moment each day and consider what the best use of our time would be in order to meet our various goals and values. Sometimes that might mean getting through mindless but necessary drudge; other times it means we get to engage in the things that make us feel and be our best. Whether that means work or life or both
Kat Eden´s last blog ..The Shocking Truth About Pesticides In Your Food
Great points, Kat — I definitely find that work and life aren’t separate categories any more. If anything, that makes it even more vital to have enough rest & relaxation time, to avoid burnout.
And yes, sometimes there’s drudgery which just has to be done … I think that’s important to recognise. It’s when *all* your work is just drudgery that there’s a problem.
Interesting topic, work is. It really can be a lot of different things for anyone. Think of the billions of people worldwide, doing billions of things called work, even someone in remote villages and such… they work (not necessarily a job) so work isn’t really about a job or money. You can also look at it from a mechanical point of view as well. A machine can do so much work, or a car can get so many miles per gallon, and electricity can be converted to do work. To define work, I would say that work is an exchange of energy between people and society. We work to “get-er-done”, because the human necessity is to survive and build shelter, and live in within a social society, therefore work is necessary for the human elements of life to transpire. Do other animals work? Yes. They have to hunt and get food. Therefore work really is simply survival mode for life, but us humans are highly complicated, creative, and ingenious with our work!
Good point about mechanical work — I think the technical definition is about the amount of energy needed to move something from one place to another. I’m interested by your description as of work as “an exchange of energy between people and society” — I’m not sure that that’s the entire picture for me, but it definitely ties in with ideas about money as reflecting social value.
When you were a child, you played, and is the childhood equivalent of working per this topic of discussion. Work and working merely is interaction and exchange of ideas, goods, labor, creativeness, humor, and so on. Everything can be looked upon as work, but somehow people misconstrue it with labels like, its my job, or what I do for a living. Money only ties into it because it’s an efficient way to exchange our talents, labor, and desires, but money isn’t necessarily the root of work. Work is a condition to the human existence. By this, I mean to say that we need stuff in order to function in a social society, after all, we are highly social beings. All other animals work too, how about ants, that carve tunnels, and beavers that build dams, they work, but there is no need in their society to have money because their work is for survival, as ours it too, but much more complicated. I wouldn’t get too worked up about work and what exactly it is in relation to money, because you are always going to have to work either paid work or not paid. It’s a matter of the life and the human condition. We are all doing work for all because it really is just a matter of survival.
ewrec´s last blog ..Dreams are your currency
Yes, I think I see where you’re coming from here. And I agree that at its most basic, we can simply strip work back to our need to survive: our need for food, shelter, security, comfort, warmth, etc.
I also think we wouldn’t be full people — or happy people — if we didn’t have *any* sort of work to do.