Make meaning your vocational goal(hbr.org)
hbr.org
Make meaning your vocational goal
https://hbr.org/2019/07/why-you-should-stop-trying-to-be-happy-at-work
40 comments
I sometimes see this traditional, but somehow unpopular opinion, that is only required meaning of work is to bring bread home.
Meaning in life, however, comes from different things: family, spare time. It is called thus work-life balance.
Meaning in life, however, comes from different things: family, spare time. It is called thus work-life balance.
This is shifting the problem - there is no meaning so whatever you say to yourself will be your meaning. It's the same as deciding to be happy - the moment you decide to be happy, you are happy. Done.
I've found I can really dig in to any task no matter how trivial, offered to me at work and get enjoyment out of it.
The work part of work is the funnest part.
The issue the makes work unpleasant is PEOPLE and the inherent complications that accompany that. Managing up and managing down.
Politics, poor leadership, meetings to plan other meetings, open offices, promotions based on allegiance instead of skill, office parties that are a pretense, I could go on etc, etc.
If I could just work...that would be glorious, but people always seem to get in the way.
Maybe like Sartre I'm a misanthrope and 'hell is other people' for me. This emphasis on 'teamwork' over creative individuality and self-expression these days really just bugs me.
It's also early and I'm just drinking my first cup of coffee.
I agree in part. In my experience people per se are fine, as long as we're talking to each other as people. The problems seemingly come with spending a lot of energy being the company instead of being ourselves. I think this can turn into a downward spiral where dumping too much energy into corporate identity is both the cause and effect of poor management and lack of engagement.
Similar to you I find that I can become interested in just about any task. At the end of the day I enjoy solving problems, and so I turn a task into a problem-to-be-solved. That can include finding ways to automate boring/repetitive tasks.
I have mixed feelings about the people component. Many of the people I work with are smart, focused, rational and personable. I look forward to meetings with them. What I struggle with is all of the 'overhead' of the work. The time spent discussing, rationalizing, prioritizing, justifying. It saps a lot of the enjoyment out of the work.
I'm trying to figure out how to turn that into a problem-to-be-solved.
I have mixed feelings about the people component. Many of the people I work with are smart, focused, rational and personable. I look forward to meetings with them. What I struggle with is all of the 'overhead' of the work. The time spent discussing, rationalizing, prioritizing, justifying. It saps a lot of the enjoyment out of the work.
I'm trying to figure out how to turn that into a problem-to-be-solved.
My last job was with a large fortune 50 company and my current job is with, not quite as large but as recognized a company. I’ve tried to hack the meta work as well but try as I might I can’t trick myself into believing the loads of waste are necessary nor am I willing to expend any more energy than is required on the meta work.
The good part is that the experiences have helped me realize I would gladly be compensated less if it meant being able to focus more on the actual work that directly translated to positive ROIs for the business.
The good part is that the experiences have helped me realize I would gladly be compensated less if it meant being able to focus more on the actual work that directly translated to positive ROIs for the business.
> This emphasis on 'teamwork' over creative individuality and self-expression these days really just bugs me.
We live in a world of increasing complexity. Especially in tech, it has become increasingly apparent that no one can do everything.
It is inevitable that you will need to collaborate with people if you want do something that will impact the world. There is no way around it.
We live in a world of increasing complexity. Especially in tech, it has become increasingly apparent that no one can do everything.
It is inevitable that you will need to collaborate with people if you want do something that will impact the world. There is no way around it.
I’ve found that the more that I care about the problems of other people, the more interesting problems that I find for myself to solve.
I’ve made peace with endless meetings by just going to them and working and only half paying attention unless they need me for something.
I’ve made peace with endless meetings by just going to them and working and only half paying attention unless they need me for something.
Remote work is your friend.
The meetings won't go away, you'll just have to join them over Skype/Hangouts - with shitty audio where you're guessing what people in the room are saying half of the time.
However, I think that, for people who really despise meetings and all the coordination with other people, startups are a place to be. There's just way less stakeholders there to allign for any given initiative, plus the founders are super-conscious about wasting time and money, so they minimize devs involvment in meetings that could be handled solely by management/product people.
However, I think that, for people who really despise meetings and all the coordination with other people, startups are a place to be. There's just way less stakeholders there to allign for any given initiative, plus the founders are super-conscious about wasting time and money, so they minimize devs involvment in meetings that could be handled solely by management/product people.
On it already my friend.
tl;dr: happiness is fleeting. Seek meaning in work. It leads to fulfilment. People will take less pay and work a job longer if it is meaningful.
Abaolutely but with a limit. Dont seek your life meaning in work, try to have a life outside of work as well.
Well I've always been happy at work. So I don't think happiness is fleeting for everyone. "Work" is really work if you like what your doing.
I disagree with the focus on the work part as useful - due to the focus of society. A high majority of human effort and focused work is non-useful to a singular goal of evolving humanity, and therefore not fulfilling. Repurposing a society solely built around evolving humanity - where each person's individual actions contribute to a collective improvement would solve this issue.
Sounds like just another capitalist shill piece where they tell you that happiness will only be achieved through finding “meaning” in your work instead of being well paid, with benefits, good management, and good coworkers.
I'm reminded of a CEO who, when our small consultancy was acquired by the Wal-Mart of our industry, insisted that the acquisition would benefit us all because we'd have "more cool projects." He never said anything like "you will all be paid more"!
He must have hawt wife. I envy him so much lol. If only I could be a CEO. Just think of it from the girls angle lol. Damn my life is such a disappointment lol. May as well eh whatever lol
Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments to HN? You've been doing it a ton, and we ban accounts that do that.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
My opinion: meaning comes from religion and philosophy, not a job. Do a reasonably good job at work and take your career seriously, but don’t think it’s something that it’s not.
My preconditions/assumptions:
This obviously doesn't including errands and lord forbid you have make your own food or take care of a child. It also doesn't account for quality of hours(Ex: the hour right after waking up or right before bed are less productive). Not to mention you might want to have sex regularly or just be social with your friends. I haven't even account for basic grooming like showering or brushing your teeth.
So you've got 55 hours a week of being tired after a day of work to live your life.
Assuming you work starting at the age of 18 and retire at 64 you have a working lifetime of:
40 hour a week for work
3 hour a week for commute
8 hours of sleep a night
2 hours a day outside of work for your meals
7*24-7*8-40-3-7*2 == 55
This obviously doesn't including errands and lord forbid you have make your own food or take care of a child. It also doesn't account for quality of hours(Ex: the hour right after waking up or right before bed are less productive). Not to mention you might want to have sex regularly or just be social with your friends. I haven't even account for basic grooming like showering or brushing your teeth.
So you've got 55 hours a week of being tired after a day of work to live your life.
Assuming you work starting at the age of 18 and retire at 64 you have a working lifetime of:
(52*55*(64-18))/(24*365) = 15 years
Honest Q: where does that leave me as an atheist?
As one such, the only meaning I can find in life is "it's about other people, and sentient creatures. Treat them well"
There is nothing else.
As one such, the only meaning I can find in life is "it's about other people, and sentient creatures. Treat them well"
There is nothing else.
> As one such, the only meaning I can find in life is "it's about other people, and sentient creatures. Treat them well"
Unless that reduces to what you want for its own sake (e.g., you want to treat all sentient creatures well for its own sake, or you want something else for its own sake that follows from treating all sentient creatures well), then it sounds like you have a religion, whether or not it involves a deity.
Example: lots of people enjoy and want to be nice to dogs -- and not because anyone told them it's good/moral to be nice to dogs, or that society would work better for everyone if everyone is nice to dogs and everyone has to do their part, etc. That seems like wants separate from religion or philosophy.
Unless Edie Brickell was right, about religion being the smile on a dog. Then maybe we simply want religion.
Unless that reduces to what you want for its own sake (e.g., you want to treat all sentient creatures well for its own sake, or you want something else for its own sake that follows from treating all sentient creatures well), then it sounds like you have a religion, whether or not it involves a deity.
Example: lots of people enjoy and want to be nice to dogs -- and not because anyone told them it's good/moral to be nice to dogs, or that society would work better for everyone if everyone is nice to dogs and everyone has to do their part, etc. That seems like wants separate from religion or philosophy.
Unless Edie Brickell was right, about religion being the smile on a dog. Then maybe we simply want religion.
Well then you have to figure out what treating someone well is. Which probably takes a lifetime and more of living and studying religion and philosophy. And then a lifetime of getting yourself to actually do it.
I would argue that treating someone well doesn’t require a lifetime of book study.
Rather it requires the opposite, to see the person fully as what they are _right now_, and to respond accordingly without a trace of ideology. To do anything else is to be engaging with your idea of the person, and your own idea of what is “good”, rather than what actually is.
Rather it requires the opposite, to see the person fully as what they are _right now_, and to respond accordingly without a trace of ideology. To do anything else is to be engaging with your idea of the person, and your own idea of what is “good”, rather than what actually is.
The meaning of treating someone well does not take a lifetime of hard work to comprehend. In the tale of Rabi Hillel, "that which is repugnant to you, do not do to others". I believe the bible says something similar. I'll bet anything the koran does too, and every religious text. I believe that humanist texts say much the same though I can't find it now. For fun, here's the first tenet from the satanic temple https://thesatanictemple.com/ "One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason"
But that's beside the point, really. I was hoping for an acknowledgement that I could be a moral entity without the influence of religion. A bit of bridge-building would have been welcome, and much needed in these times.
But that's beside the point, really. I was hoping for an acknowledgement that I could be a moral entity without the influence of religion. A bit of bridge-building would have been welcome, and much needed in these times.
They did say religion AND philosophy...
Do you care about the future of humanity as a whole? There's your religion
You don't have to agree with the bible to read it. You can read between the lines to see how the stories portray the human condition. They were real people who repeatedly promised to do better, and then failed, and then tried again. They may be wrong about the existence of a deity, but still have understood some essential truths about the meaning of life.
You could say that about any book. You could get the same lesson from A Song of Ice and Fire, etc.
Not saying the bible isn’t worth reading, but rather that your point kind of rings empty. As humans we can find meaning anywhere.
Not saying the bible isn’t worth reading, but rather that your point kind of rings empty. As humans we can find meaning anywhere.
Those books weren't lived by millions of people.
But they should at least be compatible