3 ms·

No one really wants to work

cryptonerd2212 9y ago
I enjoy work. I love having a task to put my mind to and solving problems. What I don't like is the routine, having to be at work at 8:00 AM M-F or otherwise losing my livelihood. It's the requirement and forced interaction that bothers me.
- varjag 9y ago
  So you don't really like to work either.
lkbm 9y ago
I would like to spend all day doing fun, personal projects. But I've tried having all day to spend on fun personal projects, and it turns out spend the time "goofing off". (Not "enjoying life" goofing off, but "dopamine cycle on Facebook" goofing off.) I like work because it has me doing stuff that's similar to what I want to do in my free time, but provides the necessary incentives to actually do it each day. My job isn't perfect, but it has me doing productive, rewarding, mostly-interesting stuff with a bunch of smart people whom I like and can learn from. It's worse than my dream life for my dream self, but it's better than my dream life for my actual self. I may not be behind, but I still like to feel like I'm moving forward, and work does that for me. On the other hand, I did quite enjoy my ~1 month of working four-hour days a few years back, so there's probably a better balance than I have right now.
- ruleabidinguser 9y ago
  I think everyone's incentive is to work as little as possible (work is straining). But a culture of shame has everyone instead claiming that's not true (and lost for what is)
  - lkbm 9y ago
    Exercising is straining, but I'm planning on doing a 60 mile bike ride tomorrow, purely for the enjoyment of it. Meaningful work and a sense of accomplishment doesn't seem like it's caused by a culture of shame. I can get that from a hobby (painting, writing, programming, carpentry), or I can get it from a job (painting, writing, programming, carpentry). In either case, it seems normal beyond the boundaries of culture to derive satisfaction from this. It might be a lot harder to derive satisfaction from hobbies with no "productive" output (my long bike ride, hiking in the woods) due to a culture insisting on productivity, but I don't think it's true that the productive ones would be valued less than non-productive ones if not for enculturation.

I enjoy work. I love having a task to put my mind to and solving problems. What I don't like is the routine, having to be at work at 8:00 AM M-F or otherwise losing my livelihood. It's the requirement and forced interaction that bothers me.

varjag 9y ago
So you don't really like to work either.

lkbm 9y ago

I would like to spend all day doing fun, personal projects. But I've tried having all day to spend on fun personal projects, and it turns out spend the time "goofing off". (Not "enjoying life" goofing off, but "dopamine cycle on Facebook" goofing off.) I like work because it has me doing stuff that's similar to what I want to do in my free time, but provides the necessary incentives to actually do it each day. My job isn't perfect, but it has me doing productive, rewarding, mostly-interesting stuff with a bunch of smart people whom I like and can learn from. It's worse than my dream life for my dream self, but it's better than my dream life for my actual self. I may not be behind, but I still like to feel like I'm moving forward, and work does that for me. On the other hand, I did quite enjoy my ~1 month of working four-hour days a few years back, so there's probably a better balance than I have right now.

ruleabidinguser 9y ago
I think everyone's incentive is to work as little as possible (work is straining). But a culture of shame has everyone instead claiming that's not true (and lost for what is)
- lkbm 9y ago
  Exercising is straining, but I'm planning on doing a 60 mile bike ride tomorrow, purely for the enjoyment of it. Meaningful work and a sense of accomplishment doesn't seem like it's caused by a culture of shame. I can get that from a hobby (painting, writing, programming, carpentry), or I can get it from a job (painting, writing, programming, carpentry). In either case, it seems normal beyond the boundaries of culture to derive satisfaction from this. It might be a lot harder to derive satisfaction from hobbies with no "productive" output (my long bike ride, hiking in the woods) due to a culture insisting on productivity, but I don't think it's true that the productive ones would be valued less than non-productive ones if not for enculturation.