The Writing Life
Nobody – not even the prodigies – awakes one morning and finds that they’re capable of doing quality work. The prodigies may have a head start with talent, but every one – every one – has to put in time and effort. They have to do the work, and they have to do it with love, attention, and consistency.
When I was a kid, I worked hard to play hard. It was a byproduct of being homeschooled. I learned that I could complete all my work in three or four hours and be free to do as I pleased the rest of the day, which sometimes meant bike rides, extra trips to the library, or a continuation of whatever story I was directing on the set of my bedroom floor.
A past co-worker once asked whether I took work home with me. I told him no. He seemed flabbergasted. For him, taking work home was a sign of dedication and productivity. I didn’t agree. Taking work home with me indicated an inability to order my life in a healthy way and asked what I did with the hours I had available during the day. I know work sometimes extends past usual business hours, but if I arrange my work and prioritize tasks in a way that works for me, it shouldn’t have to follow me home very often.
[Read more…] about Quality, Quantity, and the Sixty Hour Work Week
Work and a job are two different things. A job isn’t necessarily pleasant. At best, it pays the bills, but it has no meaning beyond the paycheck. At worst, it crushes and stifles the spirit. Work sometimes isn’t pleasant, either, but it has a perpetual joy to it. It is not the four-letter word some make it. Work is not to be dreaded; it should be something one enjoys doing. It should provide direction and engender passion.
I’m not sure I can adequately describe my feelings regarding busy work. Hatred? Disgust? Loathing? Yes, perhaps loathing is the word I seek. I loathe busy work.
First, a definition of busy work. Busy work does not equal mundane task. Mundane tasks, such as balancing the checkbook or analyzing the number of visitors to a site or the number of new e-letter subscribers (Are you a Write Right subscriber?), serve a purpose. They may not be the most fun of tasks, but they do have a goal.
Many people talk about having a work-life balance. I’m not one of them. I don’t believe in a work-life balance. Life and work are too messy to be in balance. The two can’t be placed in some sort of ledger and be made to cancel each other. They are not parts of an equation that can be balanced. I’m not even sure that they need to be balanced, at least not in the way the word “balanced” usually is understood.
[Read more…] about Your Life Is not a Checkbook – Quit Trying to Balance It