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| Author |
Message |
danr
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Is It Worth It?
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Oct 6 21:57 UTC 1991 |
Despite all the labor-saving devices lavished upon us by modern
technology, we seem to be turning into a society of workaholics.
Recent studies have shown that we have less leisure time now than
ever before.
Engineers and computer scientists, for example, often put in more
than 40 hours per week on the job. In addition, they often take
courses and read technical journals in order to keep up with the
technology. I'm sure the situation is similar in other
professions.
Do you ever wonder if all the work is worth it? Do the payoffs,
both financial and spiritual, make it worthwhile? When you start
"burning out," how do you cope?
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| 50 responses total. |
bad
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response 1 of 50:
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Oct 6 22:29 UTC 1991 |
I have trouble working, at all.
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sno
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response 2 of 50:
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Oct 7 03:06 UTC 1991 |
A lot of people *always* have worked "more than 40 hours per week". Many
still do. It is my firm belief that the appearance that we have less
leisure time is because we now have quicker statistical analysis equipment
which gives us results that are more accurate than before.
Perhaps more people that were not included in previous surveys are now
incorporated. Many professionals that normally would not be involved
in such surveys are now being included due to better survey methods and
better communications within the professional community.
I, however, very carefully protect the leisure time I acquire. Even to the
point of refusing to intrude on it with "company business". This is
not necessarily a hard and fast rule because "consultation" goes with the
territory. There is often the time I choose not to respond to an
"emergency" because of my desire to preserve my relaxation time. Nothing
is more important than that. It keeps me "liking my job" a lot more.
Nothing is worse than going to work disgruntled.
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mythago
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response 3 of 50:
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Oct 7 14:18 UTC 1991 |
Interesting.....in earlier parts of the century, laws forbidding
workweeks longer than 6 days of 10 hours a day were radical.
In a number of "tribal" cultures, the amount of work each person
does +per week+ is no more than 8-10 hours.
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sno
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response 4 of 50:
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Oct 7 16:32 UTC 1991 |
Certainly there are extremes to any example. Even now, many occupations
require Overtime in some manner or other. Others are so menial that
scraping by is a result. Even so, in the mean of the numbers, I have
to believe that people works as much as they need to. This need could
have an economic basis, or a gratification basis. However you detail
it, it is most likely that humans "work" about the same regardless of
the time period.
I know that my leisure time involves many chores that are self-inflicted.
Are these not considered work just because no direct financial gain is
evident? Many things can involve labor and be productive without
receiving "compensation". Just where do we draw the line between
"work" and "hobby" and "chores"? Pleasure level? Then I might consider
my work as almost a hobby...
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jenny
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response 5 of 50:
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Oct 9 11:38 UTC 1991 |
I know in my case the effort that I put into my job is worth it to me
in terms of satisfaction. It does seem that there is an information
overload associated with just about everyone's job nowadays. I do let
business matters wander over into my homelife, but in most cases, it's
just easier and more comfortable to handle the telephone calls this way
than be interrupted at work. What causes me to burn out and wonder whether
it's all worth it is usually just petty office politics. When I feel like
I may be getting burned out, I take a day just for myself and do whatever
I feel like doing that day. This works well for me, but I've often
wondered how people with small children manage to work, manage the family,
and still handle the inevitable office stress and burnout. It seems that
it would be difficult to use the day for yourself approach very often
in those situations.
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arthur
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response 6 of 50:
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Oct 24 21:09 UTC 1991 |
Worth pointing out that the average american watches over
seven hours of television a day. Now you know where all that
leisure time goes. I don't watch TV, and don't feel terribly
harried. 'Though I have no other evidence, I suspect that the
two are strongly correlated.
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mythago
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response 7 of 50:
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Oct 25 15:04 UTC 1991 |
I always wondered how people find time to DO that...I barely have
time to eat or sleep, much less watch TV 50 hours a week.
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polygon
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response 8 of 50:
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Oct 25 16:01 UTC 1991 |
I always wondered if the incredible abundance of art/leisure/music/enter-
tainment type activity in Ithaca NY (three theater groups, art theaters in
addition to on-campus movies, two daily and two weekly newspapers all
thriving, concerts, high level of political activism, etc., etc., all in
a town only the size of Ypsilanti) was related to the "shortage" of TV there.
Because of the hills, broadcast TV is simply unavailable in most of the city,
and cable TV rates are extortionate, higher than in Manhattan.
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steve
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response 9 of 50:
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Oct 25 16:50 UTC 1991 |
Could be. Either that, or the water.
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bad
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response 10 of 50:
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Oct 26 00:49 UTC 1991 |
I dunno...I sometimes watch TV that much, but rarely if ever just WATCH TV.
I may have it on in the background if I'm playing on the computer, but just
sitting there watching...I don't know how people can do that. For a good
movie, maybe, or the occasional good sporting event...
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craig
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response 11 of 50:
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Dec 2 01:52 UTC 1991 |
As a single person I excuse working 50-60 or more hours per week as
a choice that I alone have to deal with. I feel that when I am married,
I will act as most others and work something closer to 40 hours a week,
in order to spend any additional time with my family. This of course
seen as a obligation.... for a choice such as giving up hours to go play
with friends is often dismissed....
One of my jobs is as a white collar worker, and frankly no matter how
stressful it is or mind-altering, it doesnt "feel" like work. Only
hard manual labor feels like a real accomplishment to me.
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mythago
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response 12 of 50:
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Dec 3 11:15 UTC 1991 |
What feels like "work" to me is something that is dull and brain-numbing.
If it's interesting, or at least challenging, it doesn't bother me to
do it.
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danr
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response 13 of 50:
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Dec 3 23:24 UTC 1991 |
Unfortunately, even "interesting" work can be dull and brain-numbing
if there's too much of it. My job is "white-collar," and many would
think I have a great job, but the last few months have been so busy
it's been hard to enjoy it.
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shf
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response 14 of 50:
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Dec 4 11:36 UTC 1991 |
Yeah, even interesting work gets old when you 'have' to do it more than
16 hours/day, 5-6 days/week, and my work isn't even interesting.
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danr
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response 15 of 50:
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Dec 4 16:38 UTC 1991 |
What *do* you do, anyways? I never did get a bead on it.
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shf
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response 16 of 50:
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Dec 4 17:04 UTC 1991 |
We sell medical supplies and equipment to the occupational health and safety
market ( read automakers and suppliers ). Times are very bad for these guys
these days and they are beating the shit out of their suppliers, i.e. me.
I have P/L responsibility for this. Quite an experience, but it's getting old.
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tsty
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response 17 of 50:
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Jul 15 05:55 UTC 1992 |
Seems that I have had a mixture of both work and jobs. The difference
is that the jobs *had* to be done, like it or not, but the work was
something I would do anyway. So far leisure time demands have been
able to knock hard on my conciousness when they were actually needed.
I typically enjoy fully lengthy intense work and then a breather - and
there is no particular schedule except "it has to be done by ..." So there
are projects which run 20-30-40 hours at a strech - no problem. Some
work has a lengthier time frame but I prefer to work in those time
batches none the less even if the project takes a couple years.
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robh
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response 18 of 50:
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Jul 15 14:26 UTC 1992 |
What I wouldn't give for a programming job that required more than
forty hours a week...
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mistik
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response 19 of 50:
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Jul 15 15:28 UTC 1992 |
... This item makes me feel bad ...
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gunge
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response 20 of 50:
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Jul 15 20:12 UTC 1992 |
It is essential to be at peace (or in pieces) with yourself, then you
can do anything and be content.
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tsty
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response 21 of 50:
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Jul 16 23:43 UTC 1992 |
Right, gunge, internal equlibrium works the best. When people
say one thing and do another, or say one thing to people in
public, but reverse it in "private" they create in internal
dissention that just gets larger and eventually shattering.
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keats
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response 22 of 50:
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Jul 17 00:02 UTC 1992 |
i really believe that as technology shortens or eliminates manual labor,
in order to support the population, we're going to have to move towards
higher wages for less work and 24-hour everything. people might work
shifts of 6 hours as few as 3 or 4 times a week for many jobs, and the
notion of stores being closed is going to become an unusual one. as
people begin to work different shifts and shorter hours, they're going to
take advantage of 24-hour access and diversify their schedules. not every-
body will be sleeping between 2 and 5 a.m. the entire idea of work being
"worth" this or that wage is going to become very difficult--with the
surplus of workers and resources, competitive labor (jobs demanding such
and such a pay because of the difficulty or rarity of the service) is
going to diminish.
consequently, people will devote themselves to pursuits not immediately
associated with survival.
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gunge
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response 23 of 50:
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Jul 17 17:51 UTC 1992 |
with an increase in multi-shift households, your prediction could further
degenerate the family unit to a simple "home-sharing" arrangement. Soon
we'll need "virtual" families?
Check out the virtual reality item in real.
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keats
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response 24 of 50:
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Jul 17 18:16 UTC 1992 |
well, though schedules may open up and vary, we certainly won't see an
increase of people per unit...i take it you mean, "one family sharing
a house, but not acting as a family" rather than, "two or more families
living different schedules and sharing the same quarters." even so,
perhaps not. one of the families for whom i tutor has a father who works
nights and a mother who works days. nonetheless, when i'm there, it's
not unusual to see the father up and about and spending some time with
the kids. sure--there are days when he does his sleeping and hasn't much
familial contact, but still...i think that this will remain a choice
determined largely by personal concerns and styles rather than by
circumstances.
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