Are you getting drowned in work about work instead of the work itself ?
So much of planning and knowledge accumulation is nothing but procrastination.
What if your work is getting sidelined because a lot of energy and attention is going towards work about work, and not the work itself?
What if your mind has been spinning wheels about strategy and planning, but the body doesn’t follow with action and accomplishments?
This is a predicament for many and you don’t need to add to this sorry statistics of human productivity.
Work is defined as “to do something which needs physical or mental effort, in order to earn money or to achieve something”
Whereas quality work refers to doing something efficiently and effectively. And it’s this quality work that gets recognized and rewarded. It’s the holy grail where all successful careers and extraordinary businesses journeys begin from.
Eg. I visited a restaurant in Mumbai called Farmer’s Cafe and every dish they served us was delicious, wholesome, and in good quantity. I still can feel the taste of the apple cinnamon cake we ordered as a dessert. It was a lovely evening out with my family.
That experience was top notch quality and I award the restaurant 5 stars for their service and food.
But quality is a mushy concept because it’s subjective i.e. rarely will two individuals will have the exactly the same opinion about a work of art. I doubt my dad will give 5 stars too as he was missing his staple Indian masaledar dishes with nan/roti.
This desire for Quality in your work in anticipation of appreciation or validation, induces anxiety and stress. These feelings could overwhelm you and make you procrastinate and wait for an opportune time, till your input matches your own lofty expectations from yourself.
Since these expectations are rarely met in your own head, the wait turns into a perpetual affair with not putting out enough in the world. Your craft slowly dies within you and so does your voice.
It’s in this waiting for perfection zone, you may get attracted to work about work instead of the work itself. Few examples -
Researching on all professional cameras to choose one for your online videos
Experimenting with all web hosting services like godaddy, ghost, beehive for your blogs
Talking to friends and family about which gym to join or what workouts to do
Following all business news and reading publications to build knowledge for making investments in stocks or building a portfolio
Though you may do all this but if its a waste of time if it keeps you away from the work itself.
What’s the point of spending a month researching on a camera when you could have shot 4 videos from your phone and posted, while you did the research too.
What’s the point of experimenting with umpteen services when you could have used Substack or LinkedIn to post your blog and build your craft, while you learn about tools online.
What’s the point of getting tips on nutrition or workouts if your not going to start at a gym nearby or in your own building.
What’s the point of reading business news if your not using that knowledge to build an investment portfolio .
Your desire for being recognized and appreciated is what keeps you away from being recognized and appreciated, because it keeps you away from the work itself.
Ironically, if you didn’t care enough, and kept doing the work and outdoing the average joe, you might just go through a steep learning curve making you better with every iteration.
I remember a college mate of ours (Anand) who came from a simple family and didn’t have the means to go to a fancy gym. But he was seen daily in our college gym which was barely having any machines to be even called a gym. But the physique this guy built made him the envy of everyone in college.
Anand didn’t spend days and months planning, strategizing or researching on best gyms. He did the work with all the tools available to him and built a reputation that makes him a part of conversations even today when few of my college friends meet.
Same logic applies to someone who writes regularly, those who produce video content regularly, and those that invest in markets regularly. They may not have the best means but they learn and get better with every swing at the craft or skill.
They may parallelly spend time on researching stuff, but they don’t let planning interfere with work. They don’t get bogged down with work about work.
I invite you too to step out of the prison you may have built in your mind and unleash the doer version in you for the skills or crafts you desire to build upon. Don’t let the thinker in you take over. He doesn’t have an ambition as he lives in a lala land most of the time.
There is joy in doing. There is beauty in building momentum. There is vitality and abundance in moving !!
Wishing you a fantastic day ahead.
Sending you loads of love and luck as always.
Manish