5 ms·

Congratulations you hard working guy, you. For all your hard work you get rewarded with ... more hard work.

JoeDaDude 3y ago
"If You Want Something Done, Ask a Busy Person To Do It" - often heard quote. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/01/30/busy/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/01/30/busy/
- jeffrallen 3y ago
  If you want something done, learn to do it yourself from the person whom a lazier version of yourself would have asked to do it. Teach a woman to teach a man to fish. :)
karaterobot 3y ago
Work is a pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie. Many learn this lesson too late in their careers. On at least three occasions (as recently as two weeks ago) I turned down promotions because the marginal stress was greater than the marginal salary increase. More money isn't always worth more.
- mhss 3y ago
  The point is knowing where your limit is. A promotion often comes with more money and career opportunities. At least it did for me most of the times. The only time when it didn't I left and found better opportunities within a few months. If you like what you do, and they give you new challenges that you enjoy (more pie) and more money/benefits. It's a win win scenario. I realize is not always the case and maybe in many jobs is rarely the case. My whole career almost every promotion has had substantial benefits, opportunities and growth. I am working nowadays less than I did my first 10yrs of career and doing almost 10x the comp.
- jqpabc123 3y ago
  I've often heard it described as being like a sewage treatment system. The shit generally follows the path of least resistance. The more you handle, the more that flows your way.
erulabs 3y ago
Anti-cynicism response: you also get rewarded with respect, money, and fulfillment. Obviously the answer to all questions is “it depends”, but I can’t allow a “hard work is pointless” comment to go unanswered.
- rayiner 3y ago
  Also, life is work. Be grateful you're not a subsistence farmer, like nearly all humans ever, and a quarter of humans even today. You can learn to take joy in it, or you can choose to be unhappy about it.
- analognoise 3y ago
  If "it depends" is the answer to "does hard work pay off", then obviously "Hard work is pointless" is true, as it is no longer a guarantee that it will pay off.
  - mhss 3y ago
    This is silly. A factor may increase your chances significantly yet not be the only factor. This kind of black and white thinking is why people has a hard time navigating life, expecting any kind of guarantees.
    - analognoise 3y ago
      It’s more silly not to realize that 60 years ago the janitor could buy a house and put the kids through school, 40 years ago you could get a college degree and buy a house as soon as you graduate… And now you get nothing. Sure a few people get lucky - but that’s clearly luck with such obvious systemic issues. Like do you not know people? I know way more people who will never retire or own homes than the opposite. People shouldn’t work hard if the deal gets worse every year. Don’t reinforce this bad system. Tear it down.
      - mhss 3y ago
        > It’s more silly not to realize that 60 years ago the janitor could buy a house and put the kids through school, 40 years ago you could get a college degree and buy a house as soon as you graduate… woah, this a completely different topic. We're talking here about getting promoted. If you want to discuss the topic of how capitalism has degraded the benefits for workers this is not the thread for it. > People shouldn’t work hard if the deal gets worse every year. Don’t reinforce this bad system. Tear it down. You're not "tearing it down" by doing the bare minimum and not getting promoted. You're just hurting your own odds. I did not say work yourself to the bone, there are plenty of ways to show initiative and engagement in your 8hrs at work. re: "tear it down". Replace it with what? we need serious adjustments, but there's no need to descend into anarchy.
tedivm 3y ago
Promotions tend to come with financial incentives as well. I also don't think that, as I've gotten promoted, I've actually taken on that much extra work. The work itself has changed a lot, but it's work I find easier and more enjoyable so for me it almost feels like I'm taking on less. I'm also militant about my work life balance, and maintain very strict hours where I'm reachable.
- mhss 3y ago
  Not once after a promotion I've been asked to work more than the rough expectation of 8hrs a day (and even that has been flexible). Work conditions vary across companies and it's a shame people gets so cynic that they miss opportunities at good companies.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
dctoedt 3y ago
There's an old story about three bricklayers; the first says "I'm laying bricks to feed my family"; the second says, "I'm building a wall"; the third says, "I'm building a cathedral." [0] One could think of humanity's work as, "we're helping to build a universe." [1] [0] https://sacredstructures.org/mission/the-story-of-three-bricklayers-a-parable-about-the-power-of-purpose/ https://sacredstructures.org/mission/the-story-of-three-bric... — this story supposedly dates back to the 17th century. [1] https://www.questioningchristian.org/2006/06/metanarratives_.html https://www.questioningchristian.org/2006/06/metanarratives_... (self-cite)
- linehedonist 3y ago
  Press x to doubt. The oldest datable example I can find of the Wren story is from 2000: https://books.google.com/books?id=L5n_uza-hl8C&pg=PA81&dq=Christopher+Wren+observed+three+bricklayers+laying+bricks https://books.google.com/books?id=L5n_uza-hl8C&pg=PA81&dq=Ch...

"If You Want Something Done, Ask a Busy Person To Do It" - often heard quote. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/01/30/busy/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/01/30/busy/

jeffrallen 3y ago
If you want something done, learn to do it yourself from the person whom a lazier version of yourself would have asked to do it. Teach a woman to teach a man to fish. :)

karaterobot 3y ago

Work is a pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie. Many learn this lesson too late in their careers. On at least three occasions (as recently as two weeks ago) I turned down promotions because the marginal stress was greater than the marginal salary increase. More money isn't always worth more.

mhss 3y ago
The point is knowing where your limit is. A promotion often comes with more money and career opportunities. At least it did for me most of the times. The only time when it didn't I left and found better opportunities within a few months. If you like what you do, and they give you new challenges that you enjoy (more pie) and more money/benefits. It's a win win scenario. I realize is not always the case and maybe in many jobs is rarely the case. My whole career almost every promotion has had substantial benefits, opportunities and growth. I am working nowadays less than I did my first 10yrs of career and doing almost 10x the comp.
jqpabc123 3y ago
I've often heard it described as being like a sewage treatment system. The shit generally follows the path of least resistance. The more you handle, the more that flows your way.

erulabs 3y ago

Anti-cynicism response: you also get rewarded with respect, money, and fulfillment. Obviously the answer to all questions is “it depends”, but I can’t allow a “hard work is pointless” comment to go unanswered.

rayiner 3y ago
Also, life is work. Be grateful you're not a subsistence farmer, like nearly all humans ever, and a quarter of humans even today. You can learn to take joy in it, or you can choose to be unhappy about it.
analognoise 3y ago
If "it depends" is the answer to "does hard work pay off", then obviously "Hard work is pointless" is true, as it is no longer a guarantee that it will pay off.
- mhss 3y ago
  This is silly. A factor may increase your chances significantly yet not be the only factor. This kind of black and white thinking is why people has a hard time navigating life, expecting any kind of guarantees.
  - analognoise 3y ago
    It’s more silly not to realize that 60 years ago the janitor could buy a house and put the kids through school, 40 years ago you could get a college degree and buy a house as soon as you graduate… And now you get nothing. Sure a few people get lucky - but that’s clearly luck with such obvious systemic issues. Like do you not know people? I know way more people who will never retire or own homes than the opposite. People shouldn’t work hard if the deal gets worse every year. Don’t reinforce this bad system. Tear it down.
    - mhss 3y ago
      > It’s more silly not to realize that 60 years ago the janitor could buy a house and put the kids through school, 40 years ago you could get a college degree and buy a house as soon as you graduate… woah, this a completely different topic. We're talking here about getting promoted. If you want to discuss the topic of how capitalism has degraded the benefits for workers this is not the thread for it. > People shouldn’t work hard if the deal gets worse every year. Don’t reinforce this bad system. Tear it down. You're not "tearing it down" by doing the bare minimum and not getting promoted. You're just hurting your own odds. I did not say work yourself to the bone, there are plenty of ways to show initiative and engagement in your 8hrs at work. re: "tear it down". Replace it with what? we need serious adjustments, but there's no need to descend into anarchy.

tedivm 3y ago

Promotions tend to come with financial incentives as well. I also don't think that, as I've gotten promoted, I've actually taken on that much extra work. The work itself has changed a lot, but it's work I find easier and more enjoyable so for me it almost feels like I'm taking on less. I'm also militant about my work life balance, and maintain very strict hours where I'm reachable.

mhss 3y ago
Not once after a promotion I've been asked to work more than the rough expectation of 8hrs a day (and even that has been flexible). Work conditions vary across companies and it's a shame people gets so cynic that they miss opportunities at good companies.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

dctoedt 3y ago

There's an old story about three bricklayers; the first says "I'm laying bricks to feed my family"; the second says, "I'm building a wall"; the third says, "I'm building a cathedral." [0] One could think of humanity's work as, "we're helping to build a universe." [1] [0] https://sacredstructures.org/mission/the-story-of-three-bricklayers-a-parable-about-the-power-of-purpose/ https://sacredstructures.org/mission/the-story-of-three-bric... — this story supposedly dates back to the 17th century. [1] https://www.questioningchristian.org/2006/06/metanarratives_.html https://www.questioningchristian.org/2006/06/metanarratives_... (self-cite)

linehedonist 3y ago
Press x to doubt. The oldest datable example I can find of the Wren story is from 2000: https://books.google.com/books?id=L5n_uza-hl8C&pg=PA81&dq=Christopher+Wren+observed+three+bricklayers+laying+bricks https://books.google.com/books?id=L5n_uza-hl8C&pg=PA81&dq=Ch...