Warning: Don’t Work For the Sake of Work

Get ready kids, you have two options for the next X number of years of your working lives. They are: first, get a job you absolutely loathe, but only commit 40 hours per week to it, or second, find one thing you love to do, and only ever work at that, never taking a break. Can I get an Option C on the scantron please? This latest trend of extremism is reaching an exhaustible breaking point. Seriously, why do we have a culture of such polar extremes? It’s always one or the other (wait, can I eat bacon again, I’m confused?), and there never seems to be a healthy balance. I get it, we’re “passionate” people and we want to be “passionate” about what we do, but occasionally it is wise to stop and smell the roses, or as one well-known speech puts it, ask WHY?

I recently picked up my latest issue of Fast Company magazine (which is excellent as always by the way), and was intrigued to get right to the featured article, “Secrets of the Most Productive People”. Perfect. A couple case studies in, I am hit by the bold quote on the page “I don’t have weekends. I don’t have vacations.” Wait, what!? Surely I misread. Confirmed, no weekends, no vacations. Sign me up for this productive person’s tips! Of course, I read on and certainly Marcus has crafted an outstanding career and amassed achievements on many levels. However, detracting from the piece, was the statement upfront.

Thinking through this, I cannot help thinking of how misguided this mindset is – work for the sake of work. Without singling Mr. Samuelson out individually, as I think this view is widely held amongst the uber-elite / celebrity entrepreneurs of our day. It’s an all or nothing approach. It doesn’t have to be, and I would argue there are so many dangers to this model. Depression, burnout, sleep depravation, loss of relationships, loneliness, burnout, and I’m sure a short life expectancy could be eminent.

I understand the premise, when you find what you truly love to do, you will want to work on that pursuit constantly. But why does it have to be so intensified as of late? There are so many reasons why this “work constantly” mentality is headed for self-destruction, but better yet, how about positive results from stepping away from your work:

1. It Refreshes You – When you work constantly, you make mistakes, get irritated, lose focus and perhaps most importantly, motivation. When you work for work’s sake, you risk losing sight of what you’re working for, or why you’re doing it to begin with. “For the sake of work” workers struggle to see the forest through the trees.   Taking a break, or dare I say it, a weekend off, will work wonders on your work.
2. It’s Healthy – Intense work is stressful. Oddly enough today is “National Stress Awareness Day” so this is very relevant. Stress is not good, and work is a leading cause. It wreaks havoc on your health, your sleep, and your body. Fitness and good nutrition are crucial, and constantly working long hours jeopardizes that healthy balance. Sleep is a pretty big deal too apparently.
3. It is a Good Reminder – Why do you do what you do? I get it, you love it, as in the case with this article, Marcus Samuelsson inspires others through his culinary creativity, which has led to many other paths opening before him. But, at the root of all of us there is more than working on something you enjoy. We are created as relational beings, and for good reason. Stepping away from work and enjoying the people and places around us is a good idea, and it’s actually kind of fun if you’ve ever tried it.
4. You May Actually Enjoy Life – Summing up the aforementioned three points here, and this one is pretty intuitive. Slaving away incessantly on your work, whether it’s “your passion” or not, will carry you so far. Truly experiencing all life has for you, involves more than work. Period.