It was a random workday when a friend came by my office and as we were catching up, he said “Work is infinite”.
I forget the entire context but the sentiment I recall was that he was pushing on putting work into appropriate perspective. Be OK taking a couple days off, recognize that work is never done, balance it all out. It is what it is.
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
Genesis 3:17 ESV
all the days of your life.
The discussion was casual, lighthearted, it was not an Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh complaining situation… it was more just an acknowledgement of works reality and placement.
We work to…
- provide
- create
- mentor
- eat
- play
- …?
Not too long ago another friend of mine was about to go on a trip.
He was worried about the long list of things he wants to accomplish at work, whether his team was ready, and also implied that when this new person joins… “it’ll get better.”
I was reminded of the conversation I had about “work is infinite” and relayed that to him too.
When you achieve a promotion or complete a challenge or make more money… the plateau simply raises. There isn’t really an arriving. What you thought was going to be fulfilling and finally enough… quickly becomes not enough.
That paradox has an official term – “The Arrival Fallacy”. The false assumption that reaching a goal will bring lasting happiness.
How do you balance all of that? How do you accept that work is infinite AND still do a good job?
To me, it comes back to the priorities discussion we’ve had a few times. What’s most important right now?
- Is the project getting completed before you go on vacation that important?
- Should you work while traveling?
- Is leaving work a few minutes early to get to Soccer practice the right thing?
- Should you feel anxious when your family comes to lunch with you at the office?
All those answers could very well be “Yes”, “No”, or “Maybe”. I don’t think there is a right answer here other than emphasizing that work is infinite.
It’s been around pretty much forever. Past and future generations will continue to have the same amount.
It’s the cliche of <insert new latest & greatest person/place/thing/idea> is going to save you hours of time!
… only for those hours of time to be taken up by something else like scrolling, blogging, spending more money which requires working more…
I honestly do not mean for this post to come across as “everything is meaningless”. I genuinely do not feel that way, I personally really enjoy what I get to do as an occupation.
More so my point is to emphasize that work is a constant, it’s infinite. Once you hit one outcome… another is expected. Once you get to a certain level… another is now the goal.
Knowing and accepting that helps to navigate life and put things into appropriate perspective.
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