5 ms·

I agree that people have finite bandwidth but we are talking about people investing in skills that are useful for the primary function of their job. It’s the fi

I agree that people have finite bandwidth but we are talking about people investing in skills that are useful for the primary function of their job. It’s the first thing to consider if you want to improve your productivity at work.

roenxi 6y ago
I'm a very enthusiastic worker most of the time, but I have never been rewarded for improving my own productivity at work. Usually improving my own productivity is because of a certain stubborn and personal distaste for intent that can't be backed by action. I can see why people should improve their productivity at work in the abstract, but I have to admit there isn't much tangible in it for them. They will work 8 hour days however productive they are. Less productive workers are if anything more likely to clock out on time.
- piercebot 6y ago
  Maybe you've never been extrinsically rewarded, but surely you've derived some kind of intrinsic reward for improving your productivity? A sense of pride or joy? :)
  - Jestar342 6y ago
    Resentment and contempt for the system that does not reward such self improvement which, by the same virtue, means those who do not self improve are the ones rewarded with not expending the effort to improve. So finding a new job is usually the order of the day. Doing "just enough" to get paid is the optimal course for the majority of jobs. Finding jobs that extrinsicly reward continuous improvement is hard, probably because rewarding continuous improvement is hard to do - measuring, expectations, reasonable demands, etc. Are not easy.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
Retric 6y ago
I don’t put a very high priority on my job. As long as I stay better than average that’s enough for me. I am not trying to make top tier income as the median income for an experienced developer is plenty to hit diminishing returns. Simply staying focused on work at work, solving whatever the current issues are, and going home is fine. Languages, tools, and best practices are constantly evolving, staying current is already a significant treadmill adding mastery of everything is an endless time sink.
take_a_breath 6y ago
Pain in your spine, constant headaches or lung problems would also hurt work productivity. Focusing on first-order problems could lead to gains both at work and home.
- rimlicker 6y ago
  We get it, you're more fit than your cubical neighbour
kryogen1c 6y ago
>useful for the primary function of their job the number of things that affect your job performance are endless and it is arbitrary where you choose to stop improving. not only is it arbitrary where you draw the line, its arbitrary that you chose to optimize your job in the first place. these things are non-self-evident choices based on personal and societal feelings rooted in first-principle thinking about the meaning of existence. "invest in your exponential job growth" glosses over some pretty significant life choices that are more important to recognize than saving 30 minutes a day at the office.
- klmadfejno 6y ago
  This reads to me like someone telling you that you could shave 30 minutes off your commute, and then justifying that you don't have time to look at a map. Plenty of things are very easy to learn with large payoffs; some of which are so basic and so necessary that it is criminally negligible to proceed with such vast incompetence for someone in the trade. E.g. doctors spending no time to learn about new drugs and prescribing them.
- piercebot 6y ago
  This is a useful reminder; thank you. It's true that my original comment was made in the context of having virtually all of my needs already met, and being far along the path to self-actualization.

roenxi 6y ago

I'm a very enthusiastic worker most of the time, but I have never been rewarded for improving my own productivity at work. Usually improving my own productivity is because of a certain stubborn and personal distaste for intent that can't be backed by action. I can see why people should improve their productivity at work in the abstract, but I have to admit there isn't much tangible in it for them. They will work 8 hour days however productive they are. Less productive workers are if anything more likely to clock out on time.

piercebot 6y ago
Maybe you've never been extrinsically rewarded, but surely you've derived some kind of intrinsic reward for improving your productivity? A sense of pride or joy? :)
- Jestar342 6y ago
  Resentment and contempt for the system that does not reward such self improvement which, by the same virtue, means those who do not self improve are the ones rewarded with not expending the effort to improve. So finding a new job is usually the order of the day. Doing "just enough" to get paid is the optimal course for the majority of jobs. Finding jobs that extrinsicly reward continuous improvement is hard, probably because rewarding continuous improvement is hard to do - measuring, expectations, reasonable demands, etc. Are not easy.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]

Retric 6y ago

I don’t put a very high priority on my job. As long as I stay better than average that’s enough for me. I am not trying to make top tier income as the median income for an experienced developer is plenty to hit diminishing returns. Simply staying focused on work at work, solving whatever the current issues are, and going home is fine. Languages, tools, and best practices are constantly evolving, staying current is already a significant treadmill adding mastery of everything is an endless time sink.

take_a_breath 6y ago

Pain in your spine, constant headaches or lung problems would also hurt work productivity. Focusing on first-order problems could lead to gains both at work and home.

rimlicker 6y ago
We get it, you're more fit than your cubical neighbour

kryogen1c 6y ago

>useful for the primary function of their job the number of things that affect your job performance are endless and it is arbitrary where you choose to stop improving. not only is it arbitrary where you draw the line, its arbitrary that you chose to optimize your job in the first place. these things are non-self-evident choices based on personal and societal feelings rooted in first-principle thinking about the meaning of existence. "invest in your exponential job growth" glosses over some pretty significant life choices that are more important to recognize than saving 30 minutes a day at the office.

klmadfejno 6y ago
This reads to me like someone telling you that you could shave 30 minutes off your commute, and then justifying that you don't have time to look at a map. Plenty of things are very easy to learn with large payoffs; some of which are so basic and so necessary that it is criminally negligible to proceed with such vast incompetence for someone in the trade. E.g. doctors spending no time to learn about new drugs and prescribing them.
piercebot 6y ago
This is a useful reminder; thank you. It's true that my original comment was made in the context of having virtually all of my needs already met, and being far along the path to self-actualization.