Hard work: perception vs. reality
Back when I was in college, my schedule varied drastically. Some semesters I would have 4 or 5 hours between classes, and other semesters I would have 1 or 2. I've always tried to be as efficient as possible, so I used that time to homework so I didn't have to be one of those people that pulled all nighters.
After a few years, I noticed something - I got the same amount of work done when I had 2 hour breaks as I did when I had 4. When I had shorter breaks, there was more a sense of urgency about getting as much as I could out of my time, whereas when I had more time I was more lax and spent more time boning around on ESPN.com and on IM.
When I went into the working world, everyone told me to "put in at least 50 hours a week" to make it "look like I was working hard." Never one to not voice my opinion, I always told them that was stupid. I've got X amount of work. If I bust my balls and finish X amount of work in 30 hours, why should I stay 50? Why can't I kick out at noon Friday? Instead, corporate America seems to reward the person who spends hours a day at the water cooler socializing and "paces" themselves through the week. They come in early, leave late, but spend a lot of their time at work jerking off.
Yet they look better than the person that comes in focused at 9 AM and kicks out at 4 PM? That guy accomplished a shit ton more work, but the "perception" is that he doesn't "put in the time" like the guy who comes in early and leaves late. It's a bunch of crap, and maybe we should realize that the quality of life in our country is so much lower (and rates of depression, disease and obesity are so much higher) than societies that don't look at you as a pathetic human being if you don't put in crazy hours (see Europe).
One of my early New Year's Resolutions - be working only 40 hours/week next year. It'll be a hell of a 40 hours, but then I'll turn myself off and focus on the other important things that I've placed on the backburner right now. Call me crazy, but I'll probably be a lot more efficient and a lot more happy.
After a few years, I noticed something - I got the same amount of work done when I had 2 hour breaks as I did when I had 4. When I had shorter breaks, there was more a sense of urgency about getting as much as I could out of my time, whereas when I had more time I was more lax and spent more time boning around on ESPN.com and on IM.
When I went into the working world, everyone told me to "put in at least 50 hours a week" to make it "look like I was working hard." Never one to not voice my opinion, I always told them that was stupid. I've got X amount of work. If I bust my balls and finish X amount of work in 30 hours, why should I stay 50? Why can't I kick out at noon Friday? Instead, corporate America seems to reward the person who spends hours a day at the water cooler socializing and "paces" themselves through the week. They come in early, leave late, but spend a lot of their time at work jerking off.
Yet they look better than the person that comes in focused at 9 AM and kicks out at 4 PM? That guy accomplished a shit ton more work, but the "perception" is that he doesn't "put in the time" like the guy who comes in early and leaves late. It's a bunch of crap, and maybe we should realize that the quality of life in our country is so much lower (and rates of depression, disease and obesity are so much higher) than societies that don't look at you as a pathetic human being if you don't put in crazy hours (see Europe).
One of my early New Year's Resolutions - be working only 40 hours/week next year. It'll be a hell of a 40 hours, but then I'll turn myself off and focus on the other important things that I've placed on the backburner right now. Call me crazy, but I'll probably be a lot more efficient and a lot more happy.
posted by Adam McFarland at
11/01/2006 03:52:00 PM
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