Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

It seems that many knowledge workers “work” four hours a day (and are paid for eight). This merely highlights our ignorance of what comrpises work.

Slashdot recently surveyed 24,000 workers. 40% said they worked four hours a day. Another 24% said they worked maybe four to six hours. This means two-thirds of those surveyed worked less than six hours a day.

Who is Slashdot? Well, its headline proclaims “News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters.” That pretty much says it all. These are knowledge workers with most of them under 35. How can these highly educated and highly paid kids be goofing off so much every day? Are they all playing video games or something?

The answers are confusing, but I contend the questions are just as confusing. We have been doing intellectual work for several decades – the information revolution. We have been doing manufacturing for several centuries – the industrial revolution. We have been doing agriculture for several millennia. Is it no wonder we are a bit confused? Management schools with their hoards of MBAs streaming out onto the streets each year don’t really understand what they are trying to teach – yet. Maybe in a few centuries or millennia they will. Then we can have some valid surveys and results.

I have written several books. A common question is, “how long does it take to write a book.” One answer is, “one year.” Another equally valid answer is, “20 years.” The experiences, examples, and learnings in one of my books took 20 years to accumulate. While accumulating, I was also doing a few other things, and for the most part I didn’t realize that I was writing a book. It has only been recently that I realized that I am noticing things 24 hours a day, and hence gathering information for the next blog, essay, and book 24 hours a day.

During my last year in government, I worked about two hours a day – or was it about 22 hours a day? Sometimes I’m not sure which is closer to “correct.” Sometimes I am not sure there is a “correct.”

Since retirement at the end of November, I work about 18 hours a day. I have cut back from 22 or 23. I hope to find employment soon. Then I can go back up to nearer 24 hours a day of work. The six or eight hours I am not working are boring.