Working more…and enjoying it less?
August 26, 2010 · 2 comments
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a wonderful gentleman I met back in the 1980s.
I was in my early 20s, and highly impressionable. It is because of both the timing and the honor that I have always been thankful for the opportunity to spend three or four evenings in the company of Dr. Wayne Oates.
While a significant amount of writings has been devoted to the accomplishments of Dr. Oates, perhaps the most important contribution for which he should be much better known is as the inventor of the word “workaholic.”
If you think about the word for a moment, it literally means we are “addicted” to work.
My guess is that you are experiencing the same thing I am – there are too many tasks to accomplish in too little time. So many of the friends I am talking with share they feel this incredible sense of being overwhelmed…with no end in sight.
One of the aspects Dr. Oates discovered was that while the workaholic may put in additional hours, very seldom do they accomplish more than their colleagues.
In other words, their addiction to work does not translate into enhanced productivity.
It seems to me one of the questions I need to be asking myself – and perhaps something you need to personally inquire of you, as well – is simply this: Are we really achieving more – or just working longer hours?
Perhaps we need to be reminded that working harder on the wrong plan doesn’t get us to where we want to go.
Working more…and enjoying it less?
August 26, 2010 · 2 comments
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a wonderful gentleman I met back in the 1980s.
I was in my early 20s, and highly impressionable. It is because of both the timing and the honor that I have always been thankful for the opportunity to spend three or four evenings in the company of Dr. Wayne Oates.
While a significant amount of writings has been devoted to the accomplishments of Dr. Oates, perhaps the most important contribution for which he should be much better known is as the inventor of the word “workaholic.”
If you think about the word for a moment, it literally means we are “addicted” to work.
My guess is that you are experiencing the same thing I am – there are too many tasks to accomplish in too little time. So many of the friends I am talking with share they feel this incredible sense of being overwhelmed…with no end in sight.
One of the aspects Dr. Oates discovered was that while the workaholic may put in additional hours, very seldom do they accomplish more than their colleagues.
It seems to me one of the questions I need to be asking myself – and perhaps something you need to personally inquire of you, as well – is simply this: Are we really achieving more – or just working longer hours?
Perhaps we need to be reminded that working harder on the wrong plan doesn’t get us to where we want to go.