In Physics class this week, we learned that Work = Force × Displacement.
We also had some examples demonstrating work. If you’re pushing on a stationary wall, no work is being done regardless of how much force you’re exerting. But even if barely any force moves an object, you’re doing some amount of work.
This got me thinking, how much of what we do is actually not work?
Immediately, studying came to mind. Research shows that studying by rereading or passively consuming content is almost completely ineffective. Are they doing any work, or just wasting their time?
Meetings also came to mind. Especially at bureaucratic companies/organizations that I’ve worked for (most startups are exempt), maybe 75% of the meetings I had could be resolved by a quick text exchange.
I think there are three types of activities that we can do: active work, passive work, and no work.
Active work is things like lifting weights, cooking, running, or even deep work that pushes you substantially toward your goals. Passive work is things like reading or listening to podcasts (hopefully things that are work-related). And no work is things like watching TV, browsing social media, or attending yet another useless meeting.
The key is to find the right balance of all three. Too much active work and you’ll burnout. Too much passive work and you’re not learning/improving. And too much no work and well, you might as well not exist.
So this week, I encourage you to ask yourself: Am I doing work?
Best,
Ethan ✌🏻